With every baby shower, there are baby games. Games can be bought, downloaded from the internet, or created at home. Some examples of popular shower games include Baby Jeopardy, Alphabet Games and College Fund Games.

Baby Jeopardy is a fun way to incorporate any number of questions into a format most guests are already familiar. Divide your guests into two or three teams and hand out the game cards. The categories can be anything from Celebrity Parents to Who Knows Mom and Dad. The host asks questions until one team has five in a row down, across or diagonal. If time allows, the entire card can be played and the team with the most money wins.

Alphabet Games are also popular and easy. All players are given a preprinted list with the letters A to Z printed and are asked to list a category in a timed fashion. Categories can range from baby items, animals and finally baby names. Games can be limited to a set time or run until the first guest has all the letters filled out.

College Fund Games are a great way to start the baby’s first savings account. One idea is a raffle open to all the guests. Entry for the raffle includes $1 for a ticket or $5 for ten tickets. The winner of the raffle gets a gift card or other present and the money starts the new bank account. Another version of this idea is played using the mother’s first and last name to make a list of words using the letters of the name. For every word created, the player donates ten cents into the fund. The winner with the most words gets the prize.

In the age of gift registration, unique gifts are seldom seen at baby showers and certainly appreciated by the parents-to-be. Depending on the givers budget, a unique gift can be as simple as a coupon book or as elaborate as a muralist gift certificate. Even basic items, such as diapers and clothes, can be packaged in a unique way as a gift to the new baby.

A gift of time or meals can be a great gift from someone who has a limited budget. Creating a coupon book for the parents-to-be will allow them to utilize your time and talents during the first few weeks of the new baby. This can even extend to household chores or baby-sitting so the new parents can run errands or go out to dinner. Be creative and save money by designing a coupon book.

Diaper cakes are a cute idea and can be designed to match any theme. Although there are companies available to make these cakes, you can probably design one pretty easily once you have decided on the theme. Include diapers, stuffed animals and some baby care products for a great gift. The diaper cake idea has grown to hoagies and pizzas which include clothing and essential baby items. Be creative when designing “food” for the baby.

Unique gift certificates are also appreciated by parents to be. A certificate for a muralist to paint the baby’s nursery can add that special touch that parents may have been hesitant to purchase. Also, a certificate for a CPR certification class for both parents and some additional family or friends can bring piece of mind and security.

When a new baby arrives, most of the focus tends to be on the new mother. However, the new father’s life has changed forever also. When you are buying gifts for the new baby and the new mother, pick up something for the new dad as well. He will appreciate being remembered and included in this joyous occasion.

There are many gifts that are specific for a new dad or father-to-be. T-shirts and baseball style caps that proudly proclaim “new dad” or “sleep deprived” are fun to give and wear. There are websites that will let you order almost any saying you can think of on a t-shirt or baseball style cap, so you can personalize it for the new dad. You can also give baby clothes that say “Daddy’s girl” or “I love Daddy” to include the new dad in the fun.

Diaper bags aren’t just for moms. When dad takes the new baby on an outing, he’ll appreciate a more masculine bag to carry all the necessary items that must go along. Many diaper bags look like sports bags, backpacks, or messenger bags in dark masculine colors or camouflage patterns. There are baby carriers designed for dads, too, in larger sizes and darker colors. A sterling silver picture frame for his office would be appreciated, as would books on parenting for the first time dad. Including the new dad in gift giving is a thoughtful gesture that says you realized he as important as the new mother and the new baby.

Baby shower ideas are endless. Everything is so cute and fun. What is more exciting than celebrating a new life?

Usually deciding where to begin is the hard part. Typically it is easier if you establish a theme. This could be just about anything. You could go with a boy or girl theme, choose a cute little animal, match the mother’s nursery theme, or go with just about any baby item. Once you have established a theme you will need to choose a date and invitations. Invitations can be ordered or handmade. There are a lot of places online to order baby shower invitations. If you choose to make them yourself you can simply design them around your theme. You may want to poke around online or check out your local scrapbooking or hobby store for ideas and cute little things to use on your invitations. There are also several sites online with checklists you can print out for shower planning if you are worried you may miss something.

Decoration is something else you may want to really think about ahead of time. Again, once you have established your theme you will know exactly what you are looking for. There are a lot of sites dedicated to sharing shower ideas which makes it a huge resource when planning. Some really cute ideas are a diaper cake centerpiece, a cake made out of diapers with little baby items tucked i), bottles as cups for guests, candy jars (or bottles) with pastel candies matching your colors, clothesline with little baby outfits hung on it, baby item shaped chocolates (you can find molds at craft stores), and using the bathtub as a punch bowl.

The possibilities are endless. Get creative, do a little research, and it will turn out great.

Most mothers-to-be dream about reading to their little ones and watching them grow into children with a passion for learning and reading. Throwing a baby shower with a children’s book theme is a great way to help the first time mom start her library of classic children’s books. This is also a great theme for the second or third time mother who probably already has all the basic baby supplies, and would appreciate new books to read to her little ones. Some first time mothers are lucky enough to have more than one baby shower, and this theme is unique enough to avoid doubling up on baby gifts.

Fun invitations could be library cards, with all the basic information about the shower. Be sure you specify that this is a “little reader” baby shower, and the gift should be books or book related items. Decorations can include ABC blocks, letter shaped balloons, or alphabet banners. Blow up long party balloons and paint little faces on one end for book worms, or find stuffed worms to use as decorations. A wonderful keepsake for the new mother is a new journal that you can pass around for all the guests to record their advice and good wishes for the guest of honor. Someone could do a reading from a favorite children’s book, or a collection of poems about motherhood. Games can include any variation of nursery rhyme memory games or baby word scrambles. Food can include book shaped cookies or cake, with little gummy worms climbing all over the table.

Bookmarks with the mother's name and baby shower date make nice favors to give as a thank you for your guests.