Throwing a baby shower for a family member, friend or co-worker is such a great way to celebrate the mom-to-be. But decorations, food, and supplies can get expensive. Luckily, we have some great hacks to help you save money while throwing a baby shower or gender reveal party!
How to Save Money on Baby Shower Venues
Throwing the shower at home makes things 100 times easier. Not only is day-of set up more convenient, having people over at home is more intimate and free. Find a friend who loves to host, or offer up your spot to cut down the cost of renting a space out.
Inexpensive Baby Shower Invitations
Once you find the venue, coordinate with the momma to be and pick a time and date. For a 100% free invite options, use online programs like Punchbowl or Evite instead of printing out and mailing invites. If you want to be more traditional and do printed invitations, I would highly recommend Zazzle. I used Zazzle for my wedding invitations (table numbers, wine labels and more!) and I also used them for Emmy’s first birthday invitations (we did unicorn theme invites). Below are a few of my favorites for boy and girl! A few Zazzle tips: play around with the paper type options (semi-gloss is always the cheapest), avoid any cute corner cuts as they add cost and keep an eye out for pop ups and banners on the site. They almost ALWAYS have an awesome coupon code at the top. Lastly, keep an eye out for other party decor within the same theme as your invite. They usually have banners, coasters, thank you cards and decor that were made by the same artists and match perfectly! I did all of my wedding prints for less than $140! Â
Baby Shower Food Ideas
You really don’t need to overthink this one too much. Finger foods are really all you need. Tea sandwiches, fruit and veggies, cheese and crackers, chips and salsa. Plan your party around the 2-3:00 timeframe and nobody will show up expecting to be served a 5 course meal. You can also reach out to guests and ask them to bring something small. Let them show off their best recipe and take some of the expense off of the hostess!
 When it comes to serving food, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Small paper or plastic plates are acceptable.
However, if the event is small enough, consider just using what glass or porcelain you have in your kitchen and save the money you would spend on disposable.
In terms of food display, there are so many fun hacks out there. Do a simple search for DIY food displays on Pinterest… you’ll love all the options! I found this AWESOME hack on Pinterest for a tiered food display (despite my searching, i couldn’t find the creator! If you know, please email me!) But seriously, how creative it this? The plates and candle sticks can be purchased at the dollar store. The best part is, you could use the spray paint for so many other projects for the shower to make everything match perfectly!
If crafts are not your thing, there is a great selection of cupcake stands and display dishes available on Amazon for less than $10! Find them here.Â
When it comes to sweets, a custom-made three-tiered cake can be pricey. Cupcakes are always cheaper to make and can be easily decorated yourself. I own a little icing tool from Wilton that seriously makes my homemade cupcakes look like they were done at a bakery and it cost less $10! Find it on Amazon here.Â
Another sweet treat option is dipped marshmallows or rice crispy treats! Get the full tutorial at Honey and Lime.
One of the greatest ways to decorate a baby shower is with items you plan to gift to the mama. Decorate with Onesies, baby shoes, baby hats, socks, etc. You can easily display these on a clothes line with clips like below.
Photo via BabyIdeas.com
Next, you can skip an edible cake and make a diaper cake instead! All the diapers used can be unrolled and put to good use when baby arrives! AlliCrafts.com has an awesome tutorial on how to do this and the photos of others success stories are awesome! You can see them on this Pin.Â
Dollar Store Decor for a Baby Shower
In terms of other decor, you can still get by with doing it for little to nothing! Balloons, streamers and disposable table clothes can be purchased at the dollar store and can make a BIG impact!
I thought the image above was streamers at first…turns our, it’s just 3 plastic table clothes! Get the full tutorial at RainOnATinRoof.com
Glitter, spray glue and balloons! So simply yet such a statement!
How cute is this garland? You can make it with just about any color scheme and hang it directly on the walls or from the ceiling! Again, paper, string and glue can all be found at the dollar store! Get the full tutorial on GloriousTreats.com
When most people think of baby showers, they think of games! While they may have some a rep for being lame and cheesy, they can actually be really fun and inexpensive! While it may cost a few extra dollars, having some sort of activity and or craft section will make the day extra special for mom to be.
Baby Shower Bingo
This is such a inexpensive way to make the gift opening part of the baby shower fun for all! The cards currently come in pink or blue. There are 30 in a set and only $5! You can download the Bingo cards here.Â
Baby Shower Crafts
I had a bow making station at my baby shower for Emmy. To this day, I can still name who made a few of the bows, and my guests can always spot their creations in pictures. Etsy has a ton of selections on bow stations in a variety of colors. You can select for them to make anywhere from 15-30 headbands in various sizes. You can browse the selection here.
For little boys, you can do a bib and onesie making station. The Etsy shop Shop Freshly Pressed has the entire set up for you, Onesies, decals, clothes pins to display once completed… literally everything you would need for the station.
Be sure to follow Swaddles n’ Bottles on Pinterest for more baby shower on a budget ideas! Next up, check out this post on how to make some of the cutest baby showers favors your guest will ever see!
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