Baby Shower Checklist: A Week-by-Week Plan From Invitations to Thank-You Notes

Planning a baby shower is mostly a list of small jobs: pick a date, send invitations, order food, print games, find a pen that works for the gift list. None of them are hard. The trouble is remembering them all in the right order, while the guest of honor is growing a human.

This checklist breaks the whole thing into a timeline, from about eight weeks out to the thank-you notes afterwards. It works whether you're a friend hosting, a parent-to-be planning your own, or somewhere in between. For the etiquette questions (who hosts, when to send invitations), we've used advice from The Emily Post Institute and linked it so you can check.

When should you have a baby shower?

Emily Post suggests holding a baby shower roughly four to six weeks before the due date. That's late enough that the pregnancy is well along, and early enough that the baby is unlikely to crash the party. Some families prefer a shower after the birth, so guests can meet the baby. That's fine too (Emily Post).

Not sure exactly when that falls? Our due date calculator gives the estimated due date and the week-by-week dates, so you can count back.

A few other timing thoughts:

• Weekends work for most guests. Saturday or Sunday afternoon is the classic choice.
• Check the honoree's calendar. Late pregnancy comes with lots of appointments.
• Twins and multiples often arrive early, so many families plan a little sooner.
• A "sprinkle" is a smaller, lighter shower, often for a second or later baby. The same timeline works for it, just with a shorter guest list (Emily Post).

Who hosts the baby shower?

Traditionally a close friend, cousin or coworker hosted, because a gift party thrown by immediate family looked self-serving. Today Emily Post says it's appropriate for anyone to host, as long as there's a reason. For example, a parent-to-be might live far from home and their family wants to throw a shower for old friends (Emily Post).

If several people want to host, split it up: one person on invitations and RSVPs, one on food, one on games and decorations. Shared hosting also makes the costs easier.

The baby shower timeline at a glance

8 to 10 weeks before: the big decisions

1. Set the date and time. Use the 4 to 6 weeks before the due date guideline, then adjust for holidays and travel.
2. Agree on a budget. Food is usually the biggest cost, then decorations and any venue fee.
3. Choose the venue. Someone's home is the simplest and friendliest. A restaurant's private room or a park pavilion means less cleanup but more booking.
4. Draft the guest list with the parents-to-be. It's their party, and they'll know who would be hurt to be left out. Decide early whether it's a coed shower.
5. Decide on the style. Brunch, afternoon tea, backyard barbecue, or a virtual shower for far-flung family.

6 to 8 weeks before: theme, addresses and registry

• Pick a theme or color palette. It doesn't need to be elaborate. A color scheme carried through the invitations, cake and table is plenty.
• Collect mailing addresses and emails. This takes longer than anyone expects.
• Check that the registry is ready, if the parents-to-be have one. Registry details traditionally go with the invitation, not on the birth announcement later.
• Consider whether the name is public. If the parents are sharing the baby's name, you can use it throughout: on the invitations, games and cake. If it's a secret, plan around that.

4 to 6 weeks before: send the invitations

Emily Post's window for invitations is three to six weeks before the shower (source). Earlier is better for out-of-town guests.

A good invitation includes:

• Who it honors ("a baby shower for Maya Patel")
• The date, start and end time
• The full address, with parking notes if it's tricky
• The host's name and how to RSVP, with an RSVP date
• Registry information, if there is one
• Anything unusual: a theme, a book instead of a card, coed, outdoors

2 to 3 weeks before: menu, games and decorations

Food and drinks

Plan around the time of day. A late-morning shower suggests brunch (quiche, fruit, pastries, a mocktail). An afternoon shower suits finger sandwiches, a cheese board and cake. Whatever you serve, have good non-alcoholic options, since the guest of honor can't drink.

Ask about allergies on the RSVP. It takes one line and saves a lot of worry.

Games

Most showers fit two or three games into a couple of hours. Choose a mix: one that everyone can play while they arrive (bingo during gift opening is a classic), one that gets people talking (baby predictions or wishes for baby), and one with a winner.

Our printable shower games let you customize every question with the parents' names, and six of them are free: Bingo, Word Scramble, Word Search, Wishes for Baby, Baby Predictions and Diaper Raffle tickets. Print them on plain paper the week before.

Decorations and favors

Keep it simple: a balloon cluster, flowers on the food table, a welcome sign, and a spot for gifts. Favors are optional. Lots of hosts skip them or send guests home with leftover cake.

1 week before: confirm and print

1. Confirm the headcount and chase the last RSVPs.
2. Print everything: games (plus a few extra copies), signs, the gift list sheet and pens.
3. Buy the non-perishables: plates, napkins, cups, drinks, candles.
4. Plan the run of show. Arrival and food, a game, gifts, cake, a final game. Two to three hours total is plenty.
5. Ask a helper to keep the gift list during gift opening. It's the most important job of the day.

1 to 2 days before

• Pick up or order fresh food and the cake.
• Make anything that can be made ahead.
• Set up tables and chairs, and test any music or video call for remote guests.
• Charge your phone for photos.

The day of the shower: checklist

• Decorations up and a welcome sign by the door
• Food and drinks out, with labels for allergens
• Games printed, with pens and a prize or two
• Gift table, plus a bag for wrapping paper
• A comfortable chair for the guest of honor
• Gift list sheet and a dedicated note-taker
• Someone on photos

When guests arrive, start the first game straight away. It gives people something to do with their hands while they meet strangers.

After the shower: thank-you notes

Emily Post's advice is that every shower gift deserves a handwritten thank-you, even if the giver was thanked in person when the gift was opened (Emily Post). Send them as soon as you can, ideally before the baby arrives, when everything gets busier.

That's why the gift list matters. A short, specific note ("The little striped sleepers are already in the drawer, and we can't wait to see her in them") only takes a minute if you know who gave what.

Hosting checklist for the parents-to-be

If you're the guest of honor, your list is short:

1. Give the host your guest list with addresses.
2. Set up your registry, if you want one.
3. Tell the host about any no-go games or topics.
4. Decide whether to share the baby's name. Need help choosing? Try the name generator, or see the fastest-rising baby names of 2025.
5. On the day, relax. Your only jobs are opening gifts and eating cake.
6. Afterwards, write your thank-you notes. Then, once the baby arrives, it's time for the birth announcement wording.

One kit for the shower and everything after

Invitations, games and thank-you cards are the paper side of a shower. The Baby Kit puts them in one place with matching designs: shower invitations, all the games, thank-you cards, and the things you'll need after the birth, like birth announcements, monthly milestone cards and nursery name art. You type the names once and they fill in everywhere.

Sources

• The Emily Post Institute, Baby Showers: Party and Invitation Timing: when to hold the shower, when to send invitations, and sprinkles.
• The Emily Post Institute, Baby Showers: Who Hosts?
• The Emily Post Institute, Baby Showers: Thank-You Notes