Baby Showers: What’s Trending?

A lot has happened in the eight-plus years since I had my baby showers, one thrown in Tulsa by friends, and one in Wichita by family. That’s my excuse for having trouble remembering all the details: What did we eat? Did we play games? Looking at photos helps, but unfortunately, I can’t find any from the Tulsa shower. So here’s your first tip: Make sure someone is taking pictures!

The most memorable thing I’ve ever done at a baby shower is the “Guess which chocolate bar is smeared into these diapers” game. Let your imagination supply that visual. Some people got way more into it than others, hamming it up and dipping their finger into the brown goo and taking a taste.

That kind of over-the-top baby shower game doesn’t seem to be in vogue these days. Below, two local moms share highlights from their recent baby showers and provide insight into what’s trending when it comes to throwing a shower.

Books for Baby

Amy Johnson

If you’re eager to raise a reader, you’ll appreciate the “Books for Baby” trend! Along with items from their traditional registry, mothers-to-be may request books in lieu of cards. This allows the giver to still include a heartfelt note while gifting something that can be used again and again.

Amy Johnson’s Beatrix Potter-themed baby shower was held in June 2023. She built a traditional registry through Babylist.com, which allows users to add items from sites like Target and Amazon in a central location. But her shower hosts included a separate note in the invitation reading,

 One small request, we hope it’s not too hard,
Please bring a book instead of a card,
By signing your book, we’ll remember and share
Your special gift, even when you’re not there.

“I think part of what plays into the books instead of cards [trend] is that there has been a lot of research done on early reading and how it can impact the trajectory of your child’s life,” says Johnson, whose baby was due July 29. “I also think moms and dads just love to have a stocked bookshelf to be excited about!”

If you’re attending a book-gifting shower and wondering which book to give, Johnson says, “I love all books, especially about kindness, diversity through a child’s eyes, etc. A lot of people gifted books that their kids loved as children, which was super special to me. High-contrast, rhyming books or pop-up/out books are always good choices. We were given some classics as well, such as The Velveteen Rabbit, Love You Forever and, of course, some Dr. Seuss titles.”

More Ideas from Amy’s Shower:

• The Name Game: Everyone writes down as many baby names as they can think of corresponding to the letters of the alphabet. The winner is whoever writes down the most names that the mother-to-be wrote as well.
• Cookie Favors: Guests get to take home a sugar cookie decorated to match the shower theme.

Cookies from Amy Johnson’s Beatrix Potter-themed shower

Amy’s Registry Highlights:

• Hatch sound machine
• Lovevery Play Gym
• A swivel glider matching the nursery décor

Balloon arches and photo backdrops are another popular baby shower trend

Keep It Simple

Frankie Self, mother to daughter Rowan (born January 2023), has a good feeling for baby shower trends. As a baker, she has provided treats for many a shower – in addition to attending her own and several friends’ showers.

Self’s baby shower incorporated many of these trends, such as boho décor, brunch and an emphasis on keeping things low-key.

“I’m always one for more low-key, keep it simple,” Self says. “Come and go as you want; you don’t have to stay the whole time.”

This come-and-go nature can make it easier for people with busy schedules to attend the shower. She also likes the idea of playing simple, optional games that don’t make guests feel put on the spot.

At a baby shower, you often have an eclectic group of people,” she explains. “Not everyone knows each other, and there’s nothing worse than being put on the spot in front of people you don’t know.”

At her shower, Self’s sister hid pacifiers around the house. If you found one, you got to take home some of the flowers that doubled as décor.

Speaking of décor, Self thinks people gravitate to the boho décor trend because it’s easy to customize colors, while keeping things clean and simple. “You can do boy/girl colors or keep it gender neutral. It doesn’t have to be super specific,” she says. “And sometimes, I feel like if you lean too much into a theme, people buy stuff based on that theme,” rather than more practical items.

Although taking a break from baking following the birth of her daughter, Frankie Self has provided beautiful cakes and cookies for multiple baby showers. Photo courtesy Frankie Self

The Guest of Honor

The bottom line when it comes to your baby shower is to remember that you’re the guest of honor.

“Everyone’s an individual. It’s your shower,” Self explains. “If there’s something you want, you should do it and not worry about what anyone else would say or do.”

And if that includes playing the “chocolate bar blowout” game, well, your shower will certainly create some hilarious memories.

Frankie’s Baby Shower Tips:

• Have It Early: Self is glad she had her shower several months before Rowan’s birth. This was to avoid holiday schedules, but also gave her a chance to figure out what they still needed well before the baby’s birth.
• Make It Co-Ed: Co-ed showers are trending, which can minimize stress on the mom, especially if the father-to-be’s family and friends are on the guest list anyway. “You don’t feel like you have to bridge that gap,” explains Self.

Frankie’s Registry Highlights:

• Burp cloths
• Battery-powered light that dims (This helps with nighttime breastfeeding, saving you from having to turn on a bright, overhead light.)
• A good swaddle that velcros or zips

Additional Baby Shower Suggestions

We asked TulsaKids’ Facebook followers to tell us about interesting baby shower trends and ideas they’d seen. Here’s what they had to say:

“A guest book quilt! I had people sign the fabric [squares,] then put them all together.” – Erin H.

“[Have] guests pick a letter and decorate a page corresponding for the baby’s first ‘ABC’ book. They can sign the back with a prayer, note, etc. It’s a cute keepsake.” – Kristina B.

“This was 10 years ago, but I did our nursery in crosses and crowns. I bought blank wooden crosses and crowns of different styles, provided the paint colors of our nursery, and everyone decorated one of their choice and wrote a message to baby on the back of it. We still have them all to this day. The concept could be repeated for whatever nursery style/design.” – Angela S.

“My friend got an invite for ‘mail-only shower,’ where you just mail them a gift and don’t actually meet in person.” – Kristin S.

“Diaper and wipe shower (no gifts other than diapers and wipes unless you really want to, and then it’s in addition to a package of wipes or diapers). My run group did this for me. I didn’t have to buy diapers for almost 9 months and almost made it to the one-year mark with wipes. It was lovely!” – Kathleen K.