Baby Shower Checklist: What to Do Week by Week ✅
Baby shower checklist from 8 weeks before to the day after: when to host, how much food to serve, invitations, games and what not to forget.
Planning a baby shower is easier when every task has its own week. This checklist starts eight weeks before the party and ends the day after, with what to do at each stage. The party usually happens between the 28th and 34th week of pregnancy, so planning starts around the fifth or sixth month.
Quick summary:
8 weeks before: date, format, budget and guest list.
6 weeks before: venue, theme and gift registry.
4 weeks before: invitations sent.
2 weeks before: food, decorations and games locked in.
Party week: reminders, shopping and splitting up tasks.
When should you have the baby shower?
The most common window is between the 28th and 34th week, the seventh and eighth months. The bump is showing, mom still has energy, and there is time left to exchange gifts before the birth. Twin or high-risk pregnancies call for an earlier date, around week 26. When in doubt, ask the doctor.
8 weeks before
[ ] Choose the date and time. A Saturday or Sunday afternoon works for almost everyone.
[ ] Decide the format: in person, virtual or hybrid, with part of the family joining by video.
[ ] Decide the type: baby shower, diaper shower, gender reveal or all of them together.
[ ] Set the budget and who will split the costs.
[ ] Make a first guest list. Start with the must-invites and fill in the rest later.
6 weeks before
[ ] Book the venue: home, your building's party room, a restaurant or a park.
[ ] Choose the theme and a palette of two or three colors. See these theme and decoration ideas.
[ ] Build the gift registry and decide whether to ask for diapers. The chart of how many diapers to ask for helps you split the sizes.
[ ] Create the shower page or group, where the invitation, the registry and the details will live.
4 weeks before
[ ] Send the invitations with an RSVP deadline. These ready-made invitation messages save time.
[ ] Order the cake and sweets, since bakers often book up on weekends.
[ ] Hire a photographer or ask someone to take photos.
[ ] If it is a gender reveal, hand the sealed test result to whoever is preparing the surprise.
3 weeks before
[ ] Buy or order the decorations.
[ ] Plan the menu. A common rule of thumb for afternoon parties is 10 to 15 finger foods and 4 to 6 small sweets per person, plus the cake.
[ ] Work out the drinks: count at least 1 liter (about a quart) per person across water, juice and soda, with alcohol-free options for the mom-to-be.
[ ] Set aside the party favors, if you are giving them.
2 weeks before
[ ] Pick 3 to 5 games and set the order. The list of baby shower games has options with and without supplies, and the quiz with 50 questions comes ready to use.
[ ] Buy the game prizes and giveaways.
[ ] Put together a simple schedule with times.
[ ] Follow up with anyone who hasn't RSVPed.
Party week
[ ] Send the reminder with the address and time.
[ ] Lock in the guest count and let the caterer or bakery know.
[ ] Do the grocery run: disposables, ice, napkins, trash bags.
[ ] Split the day's tasks: who greets guests, who handles the food, who runs the games, who takes photos.
[ ] Test the video call and the TV, if you will use them.
[ ] Make the playlist.
Day before
[ ] Set up whatever decorations can be done ahead.
[ ] Set aside the pen, the guest book and the game supplies.
[ ] Charge the phones and the speaker.
[ ] Send the day-before message with the address.
On the day
[ ] Get to the venue two hours early.
[ ] Set up a comfortable spot for the mom-to-be, with water nearby.
[ ] Have someone write down who gave each gift.
[ ] Follow the schedule with some slack: arrivals and food, games, reveal or gift opening, cake.
[ ] Take a photo with all the guests before anyone leaves.
After the party
[ ] Send a thank-you to everyone, ideally with a photo.
[ ] Sort the diapers by size and note how many you have of each.
[ ] Exchange duplicate or wrong-size gifts while the return window is still open.
[ ] Keep the messages and photos in one place.
What you can't forget on the day
Cups, plates, napkins and cutlery in larger quantities than the number of guests; a table for the gifts; bags to carry everything home; a phone charger; and someone holding the guest list. If you want to see the whole party from start to finish, with food and decoration tips, the guide on how to plan a baby shower complements this checklist.
How BabyParty shortens this list
Part of this checklist becomes a single page on BabyParty. You create the shower in a few minutes, send the invitation by link to each person or group and see who has joined. The gift registry lets guests claim items so nobody buys duplicates, and the diaper goal shows a pile that fills up as donations arrive. On the day, guests play more than 30 games on their phones, the scoreboard shows up on the TV screen and photos land in a live feed. Creating your shower is free.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should you start planning?
Eight weeks is comfortable. You can do it in four, but then the invitation, venue and cake all have to be sorted out in the same week.
How long does a baby shower last?
Three to four hours. Less than that feels rushed for the games; more than that tires out the mom-to-be.
Who hosts the baby shower?
Traditionally, a close friend, a sister or the future grandma. Today it is very common for the parents to host it themselves, or to split the tasks with two or three people they trust.