Baby Shower Ideas - Holmen,WI

At my baby showers they had pigs in a blanket and those little tortilla roll-up things. I think I ate ALL of the pigs in a blanket by myself! lol They also had some fruit with yogurt dip which was yummy and my mom had ordered pettifores (sp?) from the local bakery. They were cute cause each person got their own little cake and they had different "baby" decorations on top like safety pins and rattles, etc. etc. The punch at both of them too was like a sherbert punch and they made it green to match my nursery colors. They were thinking about finding a way to get a blue drink since I am having a boy, but they gave up on that idea lol

Well, unfortunately, it's pretty much wide open. It depends on the time of day the mother's preferences, who's invited and your social circle. I would definitely stick to finger foods, and it's a whole lot easier if you avoid mealtime. Drinks-I had/hosted showers where there was alcohol served (beer, wine, sparkling wine and frozen drinks), but just made sure there were fun alternatives for the mom/non-drinkers (juice drinks in martini glasses, virgin frozen drinks, gingerale type punch). Others (hosted by the church crowd or where my Mom was there) stuck to pretty much water & tea and maybe some sort of juice or soda based punch if you like.

A meat/cheese/fruit/veggie trays are easy and great. Don't forget the crackers. Finger sandwhiches are another option if you want to go for a "meal" or heavy appetizers. Other finger foods that go over well are nuts, and anything from the pilsbury crescent roll recipe website-lots of good stuff there. We picked up hot wings for one of my friend's showers, because she loved them. A friend of ours steamed or grilled shrimp for one. So anything goes, really. Meatballs kept warm in the crockpot are good-I have found a couple of good recipes for those over the years. Some sort of little cracker "sandwhich" like are always pictured on the Ritz cracker box would be fun too, but kind of labor intensive. Definitely throw in a bowl of pastel m&m's for fun and for the sweet tooth. With a March shower, you should be able to find little pastel candies that come out prior to easter to set around.

Then of course, there is the obligatory cake.

Have fun. Fortunately, you still have time to plan.

We did some fun things at my shower.

Instead of a traditional cake, my sis-in-law made me a diaper cake and cupcakes to eat. They are easy to make and videos for them can be found at youtube. They are an amazing gift and a adorable centerpiece.

My mom made sandwiches with cookie-cutouts. She took a small dill pickle and cut it in to quarters lengthwise, cut a black olive in half and stuff the pickle into it, and used chive to stick in the cross-shaped cut in the top. She used a toothpick to stick the pickle-olive-chive piece to a butterfly shaped sandwich and made the most adorable sandwiches.

We also had cranberry juice mixed with sprite..and it was delicious.

We took fruit (watermelon, apples, oranges, pinapple, etc.) and put them on shish-kabobs for a easy to eat sweet treat. There are also the chips and dips or even better..a veggie tray. My mom uses this amazing trick I have used for ages. You take a whole red cabbage, wash it well, and peel off the few outer leaves until you get a nice looking cabbage. cut the bottom off slightly so that it rests evenly. Cut the top third completely off of the cabbage. Then hollow out the inside to make a bowl. I found that a spoon is great for this as you can do it quickly without risk of cutting yourself. Then you just rinse it clean and put your veggie dip of choice in there. Makes it look very natural and its a great conversation starter.

My baby shower was in April and we kept it light and "springy". We ordered a deli tray from Safeway with deli meats and cheeses, made chicken salad sandwiches on croissants, pasta salad, veggie tray, and fruit salad in a "watermelon baby carriage". For drinks we had pink lemonade (I had a baby girl so it worked with the pink). For dessert we had cupcakes. It was perfect.

My baby shower had both males and females at it (my choice) and we had BBQ (the host got BBQ from a local place and used the crock pot to keep it warm), coleslaw, baked beans, mac and cheese. Super good, super easy. You could get a cake from Costco. I think we probably had beer available but obviously I abstained at my own baby shower! I liked the idea below of putting out pastel M & M's.

At Costco or SuperTarget you can get little finger sandwiches and "pinwheel" roll ups (tortilla rolled with turkey and cheese). Those are nice because they are small and easy to eat. You can serve those with some salads and/or fruit/veggie trays and it's a nice easy spread. I've also had quiche at showers. Punch is always nice at a shower, you can do one spiked, one not. Or have wine or mimosas.

At my baby shower they had made meat and cheese trays which are just slices of deff meats and rolled up with a tooth pick throw them and slices of deff chesses or a veg tray with just deff kids of vegs with dip.. and maybe for drinks you could do a punch or soda...

Good luck :)

Soup, salad, sandwiches (like a tray from Subway or Jimmy John's, or homemade). Fruit salad, pasta salad, or just green salad with dressing. Or you could omit the sandwich and do a main dish salad with chicken on it and bread on the side. A simple light lunch is all anyone would expect. And cake, or a cupcake, for dessert. For drinks, I would have a punch or soda, water, and coffee/tea. For snacks/favors, you could put little cups of nuts, mints, and chocolate candies on the tables.

I personally would stay away from meat and cheese trays - lunch meat is not recommended for pregnant women to eat unless it is thoroughly heated. I have done things like make a taco salad, or a chicken ceasar salad (you know the kind that comes in the pack and I just add chicken to it) with garlic bread. I have even done a lasagna for one before with a green salad and bread. It is really up to you what you want to do. You can do a variety of finger food or appetizer type foods. Drinks can be a punch, or tea, soda, water. I personally don't do alcoholic beverages when I throw a baby shower because the guest of honor is not supposed to drink and I think it is kind of inconsiderate cause who doesn't want to have a margarita when everyone else is having one? anyways, there's my $.02

What we typically serve is:

*sandwich of some sort (sloppy joe & buns, or cold cuts & crescent rolls)
*2 or 3 salads
===>pasta with peppers and black olives
===>dirt salad
===>taco salad
===>snicker salad
*fresh fruit
*chips
*dessert (we decided to fore go the cake and 4 of us each brought something. Or you could just do the cake.)
===>cherry cheese cake
===>brownies
===>special K bars
===>7 layer bars
*punch (the only beverage besides water I serve)