Baby Shower Timeline: A Simple Running Order and Planning Checklist

A baby shower does not need to be complicated, but it does need a shape. Without one, guests spend an hour waiting for something to happen, presents are opened while half the room is in the kitchen, and the parent-to-be ends the afternoon exhausted. A simple plan fixes all of that.

This guide gives you a planning timeline for the weeks before, then a running order for a two-hour shower, with notes on how to stretch or shorten it.

When to hold the shower

Many showers take place when the parent-to-be is around six to eight months pregnant: far enough along that the pregnancy feels real, but early enough that she is still comfortable and the baby is unlikely to arrive first. Some families prefer to wait until after the birth, for cultural or personal reasons, and hold a "sip and see" or welcome party instead. Ask the parents what they would like.

Weekend afternoons tend to work well. They suit guests with children, older relatives who prefer not to drive at night, and a parent-to-be who may be tired by the evening.

Planning timeline

Eight to ten weeks before

• Agree the date, rough guest numbers and budget with the parents-to-be.
• Decide on a venue: a home, a café's private room, a garden or a restaurant.
• Choose a theme or colour palette, even if it is just "sage and cream".
• Ask whether the parents have a gift list, and whether they want the baby's sex or name kept secret.

Six weeks before

• Send invitations, by post or digitally. Include the date, time, address, host's name, how to reply and any gift list details.
• Book anything you need to hire, such as tables, chairs or a cake.

Three to four weeks before

• Choose two or three games and decide which need preparation, such as collecting answers for a quiz about the parents.
• Plan the food and drinks.
• Order or make decorations.

One to two weeks before

• Chase any missing replies.
• Print games, signs and name tags. Print a few spares.
• Buy small prizes and wrap them.
• Confirm numbers with the venue or caterer.

The day before

• Set up as much as you can: decorations, a gift table, a drinks station.
• Put each game in its own folder with pens and the answer sheet.
• Charge a speaker if you are playing music.

A two-hour running order

This running order assumes a start at 2pm. Adjust the times to suit.

1.45pm: Final set-up

Lay out the welcome sign, guest book or advice cards, name tags and the first game. Put drinks out. The parent-to-be arrives early or right on time so she can greet guests.

2.00pm: Guests arrive (20 to 30 minutes)

Have something for guests to do as they come in, so nobody stands awkwardly by the door:

• A guessing jar for the due date and weight
• Prediction cards or advice cards on a side table
• A guess-the-baby-photo display

These run in the background and need no announcement.

2.30pm: Welcome and first game (15 minutes)

Once most guests have arrived, the host says a short welcome, thanks everyone for coming and introduces the parent-to-be. Then start a seated game that everyone can play at once, such as a word scramble, a nursery rhyme quiz or a who-knows-the-parents quiz.

2.45pm: Food (30 minutes)

Serve food while guests are already sitting down. Afternoon tea, sandwiches, cake and fruit are common choices. Keep the parent-to-be's dietary needs in mind: some foods are not recommended during pregnancy, so label anything that is unsuitable, or avoid it altogether.

3.15pm: Present opening and bingo (30 minutes)

Hand out bingo cards before the first present is opened. Guests mark squares as presents appear, which keeps them engaged during what can otherwise be a slow part of the afternoon. Ask one guest to write down who gave what, so thank-you notes are easy later.

If there are a lot of presents, consider opening only some of them at the shower and the rest later, or skipping present opening entirely and displaying them instead.

3.45pm: Final game or cake (10 minutes)

A short, light game, such as the baby name game, or cut the cake. Announce the winners of any games that are still open, such as the guessing jar if you are revealing the closest guess on the day.

3.55pm: Thank-yous and goodbye

The host or the parent-to-be thanks everyone for coming. Guests start to leave naturally from here.

4.00pm onwards

Close friends often stay to help tidy up. Make sure the parent-to-be gets to sit down.

Adjusting the timings

For a shorter shower (90 minutes)

• Combine arrival with the first game.
• Serve food as a grazing table rather than a sit-down course.
• Keep present opening and bingo.
• Drop the final game.

For a longer shower (three hours)

• Add one more seated game after food.
• Allow more time for mingling.
• Consider an activity such as decorating baby vests or writing notes for the baby's first birthday.

For a co-ed shower

Co-ed showers tend to suit games that are a bit more active or competitive, such as price is right or a nappy-changing race, and a slightly later start with more substantial food.

Who does what?

Showers are much less stressful when jobs are shared:

• Host: welcomes guests, keeps an eye on timings.
• Games lead: explains each game, keeps answer sheets, announces winners.
• Gift recorder: notes who gave which present.
• Food lead: keeps plates and drinks topped up.
• Photographer: a friend with a good phone camera.

Write the running order on a single page and give a copy to each helper.

Things the parent-to-be will appreciate

• A comfortable chair with a cushion, near a toilet.
• A plate of food saved for her before the table is cleared.
• Not being asked to stand for long periods.
• A list of who gave each present.
• Someone else doing the washing up.

Ready-to-print games

Planning the games is often the most time-consuming part. PrintBloom Studio's baby shower games print a matching set with the shower's title, date and parents' names: bingo, prediction cards, a word scramble and a who-knows-the-parents quiz in the Starter Pack, plus more games, a welcome sign, advice cards and a gift tracker in the Complete Pack. For bingo on its own, the baby shower bingo generator prints unique cards with a caller sheet.