When times are tight, laying on a baby shower can feel a bit extravagant. But we promise you, throwing a cute, memorable party to celebrate the expectant parents in your life can cost almost nothing if you’re clever, creative and collaborative about it. Here are a few tips…
Baby Shower on a Budget – Tips and Hacks
Throwing a cute, memorable baby shower can cost almost nothing if you’re creative about it. Here are a few tips…
Pick a low-key location
You don’t need to hire a restaurant or throw money at a spa to celebrate. Home-based baby showers feel cosy and intimate - and are often a lot less stressful for the mum-to-be, who might be feeling knackered at the thought of hauling their bump to a fancy venue and would be much happier on their best mate or mother-in-law’s sofa anyway.
If home isn’t an option and the weather’s on your side, a picnic at a local park could work too - just have a back-up option if you can (or just bring umbrellas!).
Don’t spend a penny on invites
Nobody expects a fancy printed invite, we promise. Designing something using a free tool like Canva or just sending the details via text or email is more than acceptable. Sure, a cute, keepable invite is nice to have, but ultimately this isn’t the bit that your guests will remember about the day.
No need to go overboard with decor
Getting carried away with decor can be one of the biggest spends when it comes to baby showers - but it isn’t a necessity by any means. Go DIY with bits you already own - think tealights in jars, fairy lights, hand-picked flowers and fabric scraps (get your most creative friend to help style it if this all sounds like chaos!).
You could also scour local free listing sites for any decorative bits people are getting rid of or happy to lend out - we guarantee there are many, many metres of adorable bunting just gathering dust in the drawers of your neighbours, and they’ll be grateful for it to actually be used!
Get creative with games
Silly games are a staple at baby showers, and it can be tempting to buy lots of kit to bring those wacky ideas to life. But you don’t need to at all - the goal is to have fun, not stage a Hollywood production, so traditions like “guess the baby food” or “baby bingo” will be more than ample and can be pulled together very cheaply - or for free. But what about prizes? Sweets from the pound shop or homemade goodies will go down a treat.
Cater from within
Nobody is expecting a Michelin-starred five-course tasting menu at a baby shower - or if they are, they can probably afford it!
It’s very standard - expected even - to bring bits to eat or drink to a baby shower if it’s being hosted at someone’s home. Remember, some of your guests might be handier in the kitchen than others, so you could always just ask some to bring a few crisps or snacks, and encourage the budding chefs in your life to whip up the main dishes. This means people can take care of their own dietary requirements too.
Lots of people relish the chance to show off their baking skills, so if you bring in an (optional) Bake Off theme, nobody will go hungry, and it means not shelling out for one main cake.
If you would prefer to cater yourself, a tea party theme is one of the easiest and cheapest to lay on. Tiny sandwiches, crisps, fairy cakes and crudités can be knocked up with change from £20 and they look good too. Even easier and almost always a hit? Pizza!
Get sentimental
A “wishing tree” can make for a cute centrepiece and fun activity at a baby shower. The concept: set up a plant or just a few branches on a table, and encourage guests to tie on coloured paper leaves featuring their tips, advice and well wishes for the parents-to-be.
It doubles up as both decor and a sentimental keepsake.
More simply, a pretty notebook can be transformed into a guestbook for the parents-to-be’s loved ones to write messages in on the day. We guarantee they’ll be weeping over it around the time their milk comes in…
DIY the entertainment
Ahead of time, get all your guests to nominate a song or two for the baby shower playlist and then put it together on your music streaming platform of choice. It could be themed around babies and childbirth (think Mama and Push It) or simply songs that remind them of the growing family.
Whether it’s background music or inspires a riotous dancefloor session is down to you!
Don’t make it about social media
Don’t worry if your venue isn’t all that Instagrammable - we promise that the expectant parents are more excited about celebrating with their friends and family than they are about posing in front of a pastel balloon arch. Putting the smartphone in portrait mode and making the most of natural light are often all it takes to get some photos worth keeping (and posting!).
Club together for gifts
LittleList’s group gifting option was invented partly with baby showers in mind. It means the parents-to-be can ask for the stuff they really need without feeling like they’re demanding their loved ones spend a fortune. Instead, everyone can chip in what they can afford towards those big ticket items.
In a nutshell, a low-budget baby shower can be just as charming and memorable as an extravagant shebang. Get creative, rope in friends and family to help, and focus on the important part - the fact that the world’s best baby is soon to be born!