Fun Baby Shower Favor Ideas

When throwing my sister's baby shower over five years ago, I wanted to give the guests a little something to remember it by. I went to a local crafts store and purchased small terra-cotta pots, about three inches in diameter and four inches tall. The day before the shower, I put in some fresh potting soil and planted different flower seeds that would grow well during that time of year. On my computer, I printed out some labels on heavy-duty paper that had the day of the baby shower and the baby's name on one side, and instructions on how to care for the seedlings on the other. I cut some bamboo sticks in half and placed the labels on the stick, like a flag and stuck them in the potting soil. The guests loved their favors and after the baby was born, many of those who attended the shower wrote or called my sister to let them know that their seeds were blooming.

If you have a family member or friend who loves to bake, or if you love doing it yourself, have a baking marathon the day before the shower. Bake different kinds of cookies and brownies or make some easy gourmet chocolate truffles. At a crafts store, buy enough Chinese take-out food-inspired boxes to give one to each guest. Line the box with some colorful tissue paper and fill it with some of your baked treats. Close up the box and tie a colorful ribbon around it (yellow or green will work great, if the mom-to-be has not yet found out the sex of the baby). On the ribbon, put a small label with the name of the mom-to-be (and the child's name, if the sex is known) and the date of the shower. Your guests will love the homemade treats they get to take home.

There are few people in this world who don't appreciate the beauty of flowers. If you are willing to spend just a little bit more on favors, go to a florist the day before the shower (or the morning of, if you are having the shower later in the day) and get lots of baby's breath, single flowers (like daisies, roses or tulips, but make sure to get one for each guest) and some papers to wrap bouquets in. When you get home, place a few stems of baby's breath down on the bouquet paper and place a single flower in the center. You can give each guest a small "baby-inspired" bouquet. If you choose, you can also purchase small bud vases to put the bouquets in.

If you want to save a little money, go to a dollar store and buy small baby bottles (one for each guest). Clean them out and fill them with small candies or bath salts (can be easily homemade or bought in bulk). Print out labels on your computer that have the name of the baby (if known) and the date of the shower.