How to Throw a Baby Shower on a Budget

Throwing a baby shower can get expensive ridiculously fast. Between the food, decorations, invitations, games, favors, and gifts, it's easy to spend way more than you planned.

The good news is that you absolutely do not need a huge budget to throw a baby shower that feels special. With a little planning (and knowing where it's actually worth spending your money), you can put together a really cute shower without spending a fortune.

Whether you're planning for a friend, sister, daughter, or someone else you love, here are some of my favorite ways to throw a baby shower on a budget without making it look like you threw a baby shower on a budget.

1. Choose a Budget-Friendly Location

One of the easiest ways to blow your baby shower budget is paying for a venue. Before you book one, think about the free or inexpensive spaces you already have available.

We ended up having my baby shower at my sister's townhouse, which gave us a cozy space without adding a venue cost to the budget. Depending on the size of your guest list, your home, a friend or family member's house, a backyard, local park, church, or community space could work just as well.

Start looking early so you have more options, especially if you're planning the shower during a busy time of year.

2. Keep the Decorations Simple

You really don't need a ton of decorations to make a baby shower look cute. Pick a simple theme or color scheme and spend your money on a few things that will make the biggest impact instead of trying to decorate every inch of the room.

For my shower, we mixed a few themed decorations with inexpensive finds. Dollar stores can be great for balloons, tablecloths, serving pieces, and other little extras. You can also use things you may already have—baskets, jars, serving trays, or even baby items—to decorate without buying a bunch of stuff you'll never use again.

One of my favorite inexpensive ideas is hanging baby clothes on a clothesline as part of the decor. It's cute, easy, and the clothes can actually be used after the shower instead of becoming another decoration that ends up in the trash.

3. Save Money on the Baby Shower Food

Food can easily become one of the biggest baby shower expenses, but you don't need to serve a full catered meal. We kept our menu simple with things like sub sandwiches, dips, veggie trays, and fruit kabobs. A spread of easy finger foods gives everyone plenty to eat without costing a fortune.

One of the fun things we served was Baby Shower Duck Punch. It's ridiculously simple, inexpensive, and makes a cute addition to the food table.

Easy Baby Shower Duck Punch

You'll need:

• 1 bottle Blue Hawaiian Punch
• 1 two-liter bottle of Sprite or 7UP
• Vanilla ice cream
• Rubber ducks for decorating

Pour the Hawaiian Punch and Sprite into a punch bowl. Add scoops of vanilla ice cream so they float on top, then add the rubber ducks.

If blue doesn't work with your shower theme, you can easily change the punch color to coordinate with your decorations.

4. Pick Baby Shower Games People Will Actually Enjoy

Baby shower games can be fun, but some of the traditional ones can get awkward fast. We wanted games that were easy, inexpensive, and didn't make everyone in the room secretly wish they could leave.

A few of the games we used were the Candy Game, Play-Doh Babies, and the Paper Sack Game. They were simple, didn't require spending much money on supplies, and everyone could participate without being put on the spot.

If games aren't really your crowd's thing, don't feel like you have to plan ten of them just because it's a baby shower. Pick one or two fun activities, have a few small prizes, and call it good.

5. Etcetera: Diaper Drawing and Beyond

5. Skip the Favors and Do a Diaper Raffle Instead

Instead of spending money on baby shower favors that guests may or may not use, we did a diaper raffle. Guests could bring a pack of diapers to be entered into a drawing for a prize.

We gave the winner a gift card, and I ended up with a nice stash of diapers for the baby. It's simple, useful, and doesn't require buying individual favors for every person who attends.

If you decide to do a diaper raffle, just mention it on the invitation so guests know ahead of time. You can also set up a little basket or bowl at the shower where everyone can drop their raffle tickets.

The Most Important Part: Have Fun

At the end of the day, a baby shower isn't about how much money you spend. The people who come are there to celebrate the new baby and spend time with you—not inspect your decorations or figure out how much the food cost.

Choose the things that matter most to you, keep the rest simple, and don't put yourself under pressure trying to create a Pinterest-perfect shower.

Take plenty of pictures, enjoy the people who showed up for you, and actually let yourself enjoy the day. Years later, those are the parts you're going to remember—not whether you spent $20 or $200 on decorations.