Planning Your Baby Shower Menu

Along with planning the baby shower theme, games, and guests, a baby shower host must also plan the menu. A baby shower with no food certainly would not be a happy event, especially for the pregnant mom who is most always thirsty, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy. Guests often enjoy socializing with each other over good food and drink. The menu is a very important part of a good baby shower.
When thinking of the menu, you should first have an idea of how many guests will be attending the shower, and then add a few more just to be on the safe side. Planning for more people will ensure you don’t run out of food halfway through, and the expectant mother can take any leftovers home, saving her the trouble of cooking, at least for that night anyway. If it is intended only to be a small gathering, then the host may opt to serve an entire meal, rather than the traditional finger foods and deserts. Large affairs are better suited to appetizers, soups, chips, finger foods. You, the host, will most likely be the one doing all the work, and footing the bill, so how involved the menu becomes should really be your choice.
Equally important as knowing how many guests to expect is knowing what time of day the shower is going to be held. If it is an afternoon shower, then most of your guests will have already eaten lunch and will be fine with finger foods and deserts. If you are planning an evening or lunch shower, then you should probably try to serve some kind of light meal, as most of your guests will probably not have eaten. Salad works well as a filler, and it is something that almost everyone likes, so if you are going to offer a meal, it would probably be good to include as an appetizer.
You should try to incorporate the baby shower theme in to your menu in some way. Maybe, for instance, if the expectant parents are having a baby boy, mix up a blue drink... maybe Sprite and blue food coloring would do the trick. There are many ideas available for themes and decorating for showers on the internet, just do some research and find one that will fit your particular shower.
Another important thing to keep in mind is how many people you will have to help you pull all this off. If you are working solo, a full course meal may be hard to pull off, and also hard on your budget as well. Time is another essential, especially if you are going it all alone. You don’t want guests to arrive and still be preparing the menu.
Planning a baby shower can be a lot of work, and quite expensive as well. It is important to plan ahead, and pace yourself well. Enlist as much help as possible, as you will definitely be thankful for it. Expect the unexpected, and be prepared to have lots of fun!