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Baby Shower Articles by Baby Shower .com The Many Sides of Gifting: Gift Cards, Registries, Wishing Wells, and Money Trees The Art of Sharing: Co-hosting a Baby Shower Baby Showers: Then and Now What to Do When the Unexpected Happens The Eleventh Hour: Quick Last Minute Ideas Also visit our 8-Step Baby Shower Guide containing detailed information on each step in the planning process and how to throw a successful baby shower!

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The Eleventh Hour:
Quick Last Minute Ideas

 

Many people may wonder how anyone can possibly be left planning a baby shower only a few weeks before baby arrives since you do have roughly 7 or 8 months to plan it. Sure there are tons of months where planning can be done, but let’s face it, time does have a way of sliding past.

There are also lots of extenuating circumstances involved in leaving a baby shower until the last possible moment. Maybe you were waiting for someone else to plan one and, when no one stepped forward, you had to do one up quickly. Or maybe the pregnancy was a high risk pregnancy and it was better to leave it until everyone, including the doctors, was sure that mom would go full term. There are a million different reasons why a baby shower isn’t planned until the last minute and you are not the only one who has done it, so please don’t worry, just sit back, relax and we will help you plan the perfect eleventh hour baby shower.

I know that we have mentioned giving yourself about 8 to 10 weeks before the baby shower for planning but I am guessing that you have about 2 or 3 weeks. Am I right? Since you don’t have that long, the first thing that I will suggest is to figure out your venue right away. Don’t hesitate and just pick a place. You want to get the date, place and time figured out within a day or two. If you are having it in your home, then there really isn’t a problem but if you want it at a restaurant then you will want to confirm reservations immediately.

Once you have nailed down your location and all the other important information, you will need to get those invitations out. Since you don’t really have the time to wait for the postal service, I would suggest emailing or phoning all of the guests. If you still want to send out something that looks like an invitation, send out an e-invite instead. There are lots of e-card companies online and you should be able to find what you are looking for. Make sure to note that all RSVP’s should be either sent to your email or phoned in and stress the date that you need them by. Oh, don’t forget to send the directions to the baby shower as well.

Now it comes down to decorating and all the other things that make a shower...well...a shower. Don’t feel like you need to spend more because you don’t have as much time to look around and price shop but you can still have a low cost baby shower with just about any theme.

If you selected one of our many themes, there are lots of helpful ideas that will make the planning phase that much easier, whether you have a few weeks or only a few days. You may not have enough time to order from a florist but you can pick up some very nice arrangements from a grocery store’s flower section or you can pick up mixed bouquets to make your own. If you happen to have one of those super stores near you, you know the ones that have everything including your Grandmother’s first communion shawl; you should try to do one big shopping spree there.

Usually, you can get a lot of the supplies for pretty low costs. In one store you can pick up the gift for the expectant mom, the food for the party, decorations, flowers, gift bags and prizes. You might not get as much selection to choose from but it will cut down on the time spent hunting down everything at all the different stores.

If you are ordering something online, make sure you purchase it from a store that offers next day or three day service. To play it on the safe side, phone the company and explain why you need a rush on the order and more than likely they will help you out in getting it shipped immediately.

Another option for decorations and all the party supplies is a local dollar store. They are cheap, have a wide assortment of items and you can get through them quickly.

Since you only have so much time, I wouldn’t recommend organizing a lot of the things that you will find in our ten week timeline although our 8-step baby shower guide might be worth a skim for some quick ideas. Organize what you can, starting with the games and the food but don’t worry too much if you don’t get the decorations sorted. You can do that as you are putting them up.

Throwing a last minute baby shower isn’t too different than any other shower; you just have to condense the 10 weeks into a shorter timeframe. If you move quickly, and maybe even delegate the work, you can create a perfect shower that looks and feels like you have spent weeks tweaking every minute detail. All it takes is a deep breath, a little planning and knowing how to cut a few corners without making it appear like you did.

Good luck and I am sure your last minute baby shower will be a first rate success.