Your best friend is five months pregnant, and you can’t wait to meet her baby and hold him or her in your arms for the first time. And you know, from your own experiences as a mom, how much equipment and clothing tiny infants require, so you’ve decided to host a baby shower in honor of your BFF and her baby-to-be.
While you love your home, it’s not exactly baby shower-friendly and doesn’t have a large enough room to hold a group of people. Moreover, you aren’t even sure where you’d set up a table for gifts and games. What you do have is an amazing backyard and patio that would be ideal for the festivities.
In order for your backyard baby shower to run smoothly and be as fun as possible, consider the following tips:
1. Let Your Guests Know They’ll Be Outside
To make it clear that your party will be outdoors, it’s best to include this information on the baby shower invitation so people can plan ahead and dress appropriately. You could say something like, “No rain showers are in the forecast for August 7, so we will celebrate Stacy’s baby shower outside on the patio and in the garden.”
2. Consult with the Mom-to-Be on the Guest List
While your baby shower might have been a women-only affair, your bestie wants her husband and some of his best guy friends to attend — and that’s totally fine. To make the occasion extra special for everyone, ask your BFF about who she would like to include. Even if your mother clucks at the idea of men being invited to the shower, ultimately, the party is about celebrating the birth of a beautiful baby in a way that’s meaningful to the mom-to-be.
3. Have Enough Coolers and Shade Structures
To keep all the beverages cold, make sure you have enough coolers and ice. Unless you’re comfortable with people traipsing in and out of your kitchen for the duration of the baby shower, it makes sense to have all the refreshments outside. Additionally, you may want to rent a shade structure or two so that your guests and the food aren’t baking in the sun; after all, no one wants to burn to a crisp during an otherwise festive gathering.
4. Alert Guests About Any Social Distancing and Vaccine Protocols
You’ve already been vaccinated against COVID-19 and know many of your friends have as well, but you aren’t 100 percent sure about the entire guest list. If that’s the case, you might want to add a line or two to the invitation about facemask requirements for all non-vaccinated guests, along with some general social distancing rules. You could even provide guests with an adorable, baby-themed facemask that they can wear during the shower and then take home with them.
5. Think About Including Some Games
During the baby shower, you can certainly do some of the silly-yet-fun traditional games you’ve played over the years, like diapering a baby doll while blindfolded or determining what type of baby food is in the unlabeled jar. Or, since you’re outdoors, you could set up games that people can play, like badminton, cornhole, volleyball, basketball, and whatever else you have room for in your yard.
Have a Great Time
Sitting in the shade on a nice summer day with friends and family, sipping cool drinks, playing games, and showering your friend with gifts and love is a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. With a bit of advanced planning and clear communication, an outdoor baby shower will be sure to be a beautiful and successful celebration.
