Many baby showers are given before the baby is born, but there are many situations in which having a baby shower afterwards is more appropriate.

Whether it’s a matter of timing, or whether the shower is for a child that’s being adopted, or perhaps the shower is for a mother’s second or third child, the only thing that’s really different about a baby shower that’s planned after the baby’s arrival is the timeline.

Rather than planning this special occasion 6 to 8 weeks before the baby’s expected delivery date, showers that are held afterwards are typically planned 4 to 6 weeks after the new child’s arrival. This allows time for the family to settle in and develop a routine.

To make planning easier, use this baby shower planning timeline as your guide.

5 to 6 Weeks Before Shower

* Host and/or new mother decide a date and time for the shower, whether there will be a theme, where the shower will be held, who will be invited, and whether guests should bring gifts
* Reserve the shower location, if necessary
* Order/purchase baby shower invitations
* Put together food and beverage list

4 to 5 Weeks Before Shower

* Finalize guest list, address and mail invitations
* Coordinate shower games including prizes and other activities
* Shop for shower favors
* Shop for decorations and coordinating paper goods (streamers, centerpieces, signage, flags, etc.)
* Finalize/coordinate the menu details

3 Weeks Before Shower

* Confirm reservation for shower if being held somewhere other than home
* If holding shower at home, begin gathering ample tables, chairs, serving utensils, bowls and platters accommodate all guests and food

1 Week Before Shower

* Outline baby shower schedule of activities – games, food, and entertainment
* Contact guests who did not RSVP so you can finalize guest count
* If shower will be held at home, start cleaning
* Order cake
* Order flowers/floral arrangements (optional)
* Begin shopping for food ingredients
* Prepare foods that can be frozen
* Coordinate transportation to and from location for new mother (remember she might be leaving with more than she arrived with!)

2 Days Before Shower

* Rearrange furniture to accommodate guests’ table and chairs
* Decorate
* Reconfirm cake order
* Reconfirm shower location details (if applicable)
* Identify and decorate a gift table (if guests will be bringing gifts)
* Begin prep work for food

1 Day Before Shower

* Finish preparing food
* Finish cleaning house
* Select a comfortable chair for guests of honor and position prominently
* Get cameras ready
* Order balloons to mark the party location
* Put out garbage receptacles/bags for wrappings and other trash

Day of Baby Shower

* If shower is being held somewhere other than home, arrive before shower begins to decorate and to check on food, drinks, cake, and other details. Otherwise,
* Arrange food and beverages on designated tables
* Pick up flowers/floral arrangements
* Pick up balloon bouquets
* Pick up cake
* Greet guests upon arrival
* Stick to the schedule of activities
* Try to relax and have fun too!
 

Adopting a child is an exciting time, but it is also a time filled with much anxiety and anticipation. That’s because the adoption process is usually lengthy and often troublesome. Only after the adoption finally becomes legal can parents take a deep breath and resume a normal family life. For many, part of that normalcy means arranging a baby shower so that family and friends can get together to welcome the newest member of the family.

Consider the Timing

A baby shower for an adopted child need not be any different than one that’s arranged for a non-adopted child. The only thing that may be difficult to plan is the timing. Any number of factors can cause unforeseen delays in the adoption process or worse, there’s always the chance that the adoption process itself might fall apart. With that in mind, it is a good idea to hold off scheduling a date for the baby shower until after the adoption is finalized.

However, this might not be what the parents want. If the adopted child is their first, they’ll likely need baby gear. Even if they’re not adopting an infant or toddler, they’ll probably still need age-appropriate items for their child. The best approach to take when it comes to selecting a baby shower date is to discuss the issue with the parents, and then plan the shower around their desires. Each adoption case is different, and the date really isn’t as important as the celebration, so it’s good to be flexible.

Consider the Adopted Child’s Age

Besides the issue of the date, the only other issue that needs to be taken into consideration is the age of the adopted child. Children of all ages get adopted and if the shower is to welcome an older adopted child, it’s a good idea to invite children to come along. In such a situation, the shower could be planned as one would plan a birthday celebration, by selecting a theme appropriate for the child’s age and gender, hiring child-friendly talent such as a clown or magician, and playing games that involve the children.

Aside from the issues of choosing a date and planning an age-appropriate shower, nothing else about the shower needs to be different. If guests are bringing gifts, they may wish to discuss what types of gifts the new parents need either with the baby shower host or the parents themselves. 

Everything Else is Status Quo

Send invitations as far in advance as possible. Nowadays, it’s possible to find pre-printed invitations designed specifically for the baby shower that’s being given for an adopted child. As with any type of party, food and drinks should be served. And of course, no celebration is complete without eating cake! Decorate the shower location so that it has a festive feel, purchase party favors for the guests, designate someone to photograph the occasion, and make sure the guests of honor have transportation to and from the party!

Not all baby showers are the potluck gatherings of a few close friends and family members like they were in days gone past. Some are, but many of today’s baby showers are elaborately-detailed special occasions complete with food, entertainment, themes, party favors, professional talent and more. It’s easy to see that, if someone’s not watching the bottom line, costs can easily escalate out of control.

The Host’s Gift

Traditionally, all expenses related to the baby shower are paid by the host. The shower is actually considered the host’s gift to the mother-to-be. And the more formal the affair, the more it’s going to cost.

As with any type of special occasion, it’s always a good idea for the host to put together a baby shower budget. It’s true that nobody likes to hear the b-word, but even on a budget, a host can throw a baby shower that all will remember. Sure it’s important that the guests have fun, but a baby shower is first and foremost about being together with the people who mean the most to the expectant mother.

Sticking to a pre-defined budget, even if it’s a big one, is definitely going to help with some of the decision-making. For example, a budget will help keep the guest list from growing out of control. A host might not realize it but the overall cost of the baby shower will increase every time another guest is added onto the list. A budget will also help the host with decisions such whether to order custom-printed invitations or to pick up several packages from the local card store and fill them out by hand.

Benefits of Co-Hosting

Co-hosting, or having several baby shower hosts instead of just one, is becoming a popular option. When a baby shower will be co-hosted by several people, generally they all will share the costs. Together as a group, the co-hosts decide who will cover the different expenses involved with the shower. Another option, but one that’s sometimes more difficult to control, is to pool the co-hosts’ money together and use it jointly. Each host contributes a mutually-agreed upon amount to the shower fund and the expenditures are deducted from that joint funding.

Asking others to help fund a baby shower is something that must be handled with tact. It’s never a good idea to ask the mother-to-be or her partner to help with expenses nor is it appropriate to ask someone who is struggling financially.

It’s always much easier when others who are close to the expectant mother volunteer their assistance, rather than having to ask for it. In these situations, the host should not feel bad about accepting money, if she needs it or anything else they’re offering.

Besides money, there are other ways people can help. They can bring food and drinks (potlucks are still popular) or they can contribute their time rather than their money, all of which will be a tremendous help to the bridal shower host. Be sure to factor in other people’s help, whether financial or otherwise, when planning a baby shower budget.

Let your budget be your guide.

A baby shower is definitely a time when it’s important to capture memories of the special occasion. One thing that the guest of honor can count on is that at least one guest will come equipped with a camera. But will this guest capture the most memorable moments or will she capture only those chance shots, for example, the ones that occur when her hands aren’t already full with food or the ones that happen when she’s not busy talking with other guests? Not likely.

The host can’t be expected to take photographs at the baby shower. She’ll be busy making sure her guests are taken care of. The guest of honor doesn’t have time to take pictures either, with all she has to do. One sure way to get memorable shots of the baby shower is to hire (or arrange for) someone whose only responsibility at the shower will be photography or videography.

Professional photographers/videographers are expensive and some will be so busy they won’t have time to shoot baby showers. The ones who are available most likely will do a great job, especially if he or she has previous experience shooting baby showers. If the host has budgeted money for this type of expense, then hiring a professional is definitely the way to go. Good talent books up fast, so be sure to contract with someone early in the planning stages, 6 – 8 weeks in advance if possible.

There are other options, especially considering that digital photography equipment is so readily available and inexpensive. Taking photographs or videoing the baby shower is definitely something that the guest of honor’s father or significant other can handle, and it’ll give these guys a reason to be at the shower.

Another option is to purchase disposable cameras for guests and have them snap photos of the party as it unfolds. This is popular at wedding receptions and the guest of honor probably will end up with some interesting shots. Even though this sounds like a great way to go, at the end the cost could end up being higher than anticipated, once the developing fees are factored in.

Speaking of technology, nowadays, even guests who cannot make it to the baby shower can still share in the happy moments by viewing photographs of the special occasion right online, inside a photo album! This is so much easier than emailing out a bunch of images and hoping that recipients know how to uncompress them and view them on screen.

When the party’s all over and the images have all been captured, someone goes online and searches for a website that offers online photo albums. After signing up the images are simply uploaded to the site and organized into the appropriate baby shower album. The person creating the album assigns a username and password, and then emails instructions to friends and family telling them where to go and how to login to view the photos. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Not all baby showers are the potluck gatherings of a few close friends and family members like they were in days gone past. Some are, but many of today’s baby showers are elaborately-detailed special occasions complete with food, entertainment, themes, party favors, professional talent and more. It’s easy to see that, if someone’s not watching the bottom line, costs can easily escalate out of control.

The Host’s Gift

Traditionally, all expenses related to the baby shower are paid by the host. The shower is actually considered the host’s gift to the mother-to-be. And the more formal the affair, the more it’s going to cost.

As with any type of special occasion, it’s always a good idea for the host to put together a baby shower budget. It’s true that nobody likes to hear the b-word, but even on a budget, a host can throw a baby shower that all will remember. Sure it’s important that the guests have fun, but a baby shower is first and foremost about being together with the people who mean the most to the expectant mother.

Sticking to a pre-defined budget, even if it’s a big one, is definitely going to help with some of the decision-making. For example, a budget will help keep the guest list from growing out of control. A host might not realize it but the overall cost of the baby shower will increase every time another guest is added onto the list. A budget will also help the host with decisions such whether to order custom-printed invitations or to pick up several packages from the local card store and fill them out by hand.

Benefits of Co-Hosting

Co-hosting, or having several baby shower hosts instead of just one, is becoming a popular option. When a baby shower will be co-hosted by several people, generally they all will share the costs. Together as a group, the co-hosts decide who will cover the different expenses involved with the shower. Another option, but one that’s sometimes more difficult to control, is to pool the co-hosts’ money together and use it jointly. Each host contributes a mutually-agreed upon amount to the shower fund and the expenditures are deducted from that joint funding.

Asking others to help fund a baby shower is something that must be handled with tact. It’s never a good idea to ask the mother-to-be or her partner to help with expenses nor is it appropriate to ask someone who is struggling financially.

It’s always much easier when others who are close to the expectant mother volunteer their assistance, rather than having to ask for it. In these situations, the host should not feel bad about accepting money, if she needs it or anything else they’re offering.

Besides money, there are other ways people can help. They can bring food and drinks (potlucks are still popular) or they can contribute their time rather than their money, all of which will be a tremendous help to the bridal shower host. Be sure to factor in other people’s help, whether financial or otherwise, when planning a baby shower budget.

Let your budget be your guide.