Sending out your invitations early

It is very important that you send out your invitations early enough to give guests both time to decide and to respond to the baby shower invitations. Three to four weeks before the party is the standard time frame. You might want to send invitations even earlier if the baby shower is to be held during the summer months or holiday season when people plan vacations or have other responsibilities.

People's calendars get booked fast. Make sure the baby shower invitations are mailed out well in advance. Three to four weeks qualifies as good notice. You may want to include a request on the baby shower invitations to RSVP. This means that anyone invited will let the hostess know whether they plan on attending.

A gift registry

Note if the mom-to-be is listed with a gift registry and do provide that information on the invitation, but jot down a quick note that there is no obligation for guests to purchase items on the registry. Guests can make their own choice whether they would like to use the registry for gift ideas.

You can have guests bring items to include in a gift basket for the guest of honor. A gift basket baby shower theme has endless possibilities. For example, if mom already has a lot of baby gear, you might consider throwing a shower that is just for pampering the mom. Candles, soaps, or bubble bath are all great choices. With two or more children, mom will be especially appreciative of a gift that makes her life easier or gives an excuse for some leisure time. Babysitting or housecleaning certificates, meals, gift cards to dine out, or a good book to read all qualify. Including theme information on the baby shower invitations will make gift shopping a breeze.

Many parents-to-be opt to find out before birth whether the child will be a boy or a girl. You might want to consider this information when choosing the baby shower decoration or designing the baby shower invitations. If you do, indicate if the mother-to-be has a color preference. Perhaps the baby is to be a girl, but the color pink is not one of her favorite colors. As hostess, you'd probably choose to stay away from that color for your decorations and guests can avoid picking up clothes or gifts in that color.

Baby shower invitations come in many different forms. Some might be elegantly written with elaborate calligraphy or gold foil, while others will take on a craftier, homemade style. In the end though, baby shower invitations all serve the same purpose: to announce, inform and inspire. Your invitations will alert guests to the baby shower theme and give them a taste of the event to come. The invitations will also help spark an idea or two for the types of gifts to get. There is no doubt that your care and attention to the invitations will be appreciated by guests and help provide a lasting memory of a special day for the mother-to-be.

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