4 tips for throwing a fun surprise baby shower

Throwing a baby shower is a festive way to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a little one into the world. One way to make a shower even more fun is to make it a surprise. These tips will help you throw a joyful surprise shower for a mother-to-be.

Surprises can be a fun way to add an extra element of celebration to any event. However, they aren't for everyone.

• Pregnancy can be challenging or uncomfortable for some women and a surprise shower, while a nice idea, can actually create stress if the mother-to-be doesn't enjoy surprises.
• Ask other family members or friends if they think the guest of honour will enjoy this type of shower.
• Don't start planning until you're sure a surprise shower is a good idea.

If you plan to invite friends and family members who are close to the new mom, do it digitally via email or another online e-invitation service.

• People tend to keep physical invitations around their homes, and the mother-to-be just might spot an invitation, which will ruin the surprise.
• Include important details like the time, date and location of the party, and be sure to note the fact that it's a surprise.

If you choose a spot that you'll be able to access before the party, you'll have plenty of time to decorate the shower venue with festive and cute baby decor.

• It's not a good idea to hold the shower at the guest of honour's home or office, because it can be difficult to decorate those spaces before the shower.
• Consider renting a private room at a restaurant and plan to meet there for lunch or dinner. When the mother-to-be arrives, the waiting guests can reveal the surprise.

Many mothers use registries to list the things they want and need for their new babies.

• Ask the new mom to create a registry for gifts without mentioning anything about a baby shower.
• Tell her that her friends will want to consult the registry before they purchase gifts for the baby, and share the registry with invitees.
• When guests order directly from the registry, the mother-to-be is usually updated. Avoid this problem by sending the registry in a separate document. Let guests know that the items on the list will be good choices for shower gifts.