18 best baby shower decoration ideas of 2023, per a party planner

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Whether you’re planning a surprise birthday party or — why you likely clicked on this guide — a baby shower, decorations can make a world of difference when celebrating for hours on end.

That said, it's all about the devil in the details, with certain accents and festive flair making things (1) ultra-memorable and (2) ultra-instagrammable.

"Keep your baby shower simple and make sure you have plenty of food and drinks," Seri Kertzner — aka Little Miss Party — owner of REV NY, an event decor production company, told the New York Post. "Your guests are there to celebrate this huge milestone for you and your family and want to enjoy the company. They will appreciate the details and thought put in, but you don't have to go over the top."

Consider the New York Post Shopping team as your personal party planners with this all-in-one guide detailing the best baby shower decorations. What's more, we highlight everything you need to know while planning a baby shower from beginning to end, courtesy of the in-depth FAQ section filled with Kertzner's expertise.

For sturdy, match-all and practical plates for your guests to use during a baby shower, the Chic Leaf Disposable Bamboo Plates are ones Kertzner recommends. With more than 1,500 positive reviews, they’re much more durable than your typical plastic option.

We don't need to explain why you need these "Oh Baby" White Napkins in your life. Not only is the pack perfect to use during dessert hour, but they’ll look great in photos, add a touch of festivity to your event and will have everyone asking you, ‘where’d you get those?‘

If you’re planning a baby shower for a girl on a budget, shop the Pink Bud Vase that, conveniently, comes in a two-pack for you to grab for some of your tables. From our research, centerpieces can be expensive, with these recommended by Kertzner as an affordable, versatile-to-style option.

Surely, you’ll have cupcakes at your baby shower (and if you weren't planning on it, you should). These bite-size desserts make everything better, but these "Oh Baby!" Cupcake Topper Picks make your after-dinner buffet even more elevated. Check yes, Juliet.

To add some color to your baby shower, shop the Tropical Blossom Jumbo Pastel Balloon. We love this five-pack (and so does Kertzner) because they have tassels, are oversize and are just $15 on Amazon (#score).

When finalizing the details of your baby shower, of course you need the "Baby" Script Balloon. For just $7, it's the easiest add-to-cart grab that you can either mount to a wall, tape to a table or hold up as a prop.

If you really want to step things up a notch, visit Minted for an assortment of make-it-yourself menus and place cards to really be the hostess with the mostest. Recently, we planned a party with custom menus and place cards and, from experience, they added an unmatched personal touch and turned out great.

Kertzner recommends one of the most unique baby shower decor ideas we’ve heard yet: buy neutral baby blocks to serve as table decor (and, once the baby is born, they’ll serve as toys your little boy or girl can play with!) Genius, affordable and perfect to double as table decor.

Bottle openers are some of the most practical favors you can give out to your guests. The Poppin’ Bottles Baby Shower Bottle Openers cost less than $35 for a 24-pack, are well-made and can serve as a place setting — positioned atop a guest's plate and napkin — for extra pizzazz.

Tassels are Instagram-worthy, Pinterest-acceptable and so, so cute. For just $10, this option contains 15 tassels on strings to hang as a table overlay or on a wall.

You’ll definitely want to take photos during your baby shower, and the Oh Baby Shower Rose Gold Photo Props are some Kertzner recommends. For just $13 on Etsy, these are aesthetically pleasing, adorably designed and worth every penny.

According to Kertzner, pick up a B, A, B and Y to spell out that as-seen-on-Instagram ‘BABY’ sign everyone poses by. For just $9, it's one of the more affordable ways to DIY it.

Another banner? Oh, yes. Kertzner recommends the Shimmer Anna Shine "Oh Baby" Shower Banner that's just shy of $10 on Amazon. If you’re planning on incorporating gold into your big calendar event, this one is perfect to add to your cart.

If you’re in need of a baby shower game, Kertzner recommends the Hadley Designs Mason Jar Baby Predictions & Advice Cards are enough for up to 50 guests to fill out and serve as wonderful keepsakes to add in your baby book.

For a citrus-themed shower, this "A Little Cutie is on the Way" Citrus Baby Shower Banner is the perfect way to stay on-theme for just $10. We love how you can easily tack it onto a table or wall, too.

Buy a decorations bundle from Etsy for the perfect girl baby shower theme palette: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." With balloons, a sign and dessert toppers, this may be one of our favorite $10 grabs.

You can never have too many plates and napkins for your baby shower. Whether this is for your main entrees or dessert, this blue and pink polka-dotted design — coupled with gold accents — is simply ideal for your shower.

Personalize your baby shower cake topper (if the baby's name has been announced, that is), with the Wooden Teddy Bear Baby Shower Cake Topper from Etsy. For less than $15, it looks glamorous and entirely on-trend.

Ahead, Kertzner dishes out the important information to keep on deck as you’re planning a baby shower.

When piecing together the dream celebration for your loved one, there are some important items to consider and think through. Kertzner lists the tried-and-true ones:

Flowers

Flowers are a must for a baby shower. They bring life to the party in so many ways such as color, a fresh/live detail and beauty.

"I like to choose my flowers and vases based on the color palette or theme of the party," Kertzner tells The Post. "If I feel I already have a lot of color built into the party, then I stick with white (because white flowers are always chic).

You don't have to blow the budget on flowers, either. "You can keep it simple with single stems in bud vases if you wish, but they are always a nice touch no matter how big or small the arrangements are," she adds..

Themed Tableware

"I love a chic, ‘OH BABY’ napkin to build into the tableware whether you’re setting the table for a sit down meal or you’re serving a buffet," Kertzner says. "It brings the baby shower theme into the mix in a chic and subtle way."

Not to mention, you can do this with any theme or color palette by sourcing tableware such as plates and napkins within your theme.

Balloons

There are so many unique ways to use balloons in a party these days. Here are a few ways to bring balloons into the decor for your baby shower in a really fun way:

Custom Details

Menus, seating cards, custom designed water bottle labels — these are all really nice ways to build in custom details for your baby shower.

"You can find a whole variety of options on Etsy or Minted," Kertzner notes. "Custom details at a party show that you went the extra mile to bring in the personal details of the mom to be and your guests will appreciate how thoughtful this is."

Photos

"I love building in baby photos for baby showers of the parents to be," Kertzner says. "Either printing and framing the photos and displaying throughout your event space or you can hang a string as a garland and attach photos with clothespins, adding in baby onesies between each."

Once, Kertzner planned a rock and roll-themed baby shower and did this with alternating photos of the parents to be and rock onesies that the mom could take home after the party to keep for the baby. "Another very easy and cute DIY is this photo hoop which Kertzner mapped out here.

Of course, one of the first aspects to solidify when planning a baby shower is the theme. According to Kertzner, some popular themes she's seeing include:

A spa theme, along with retro baby, twinkle twinkle little star themes are common as well. For a unique theme, books is another adorable option, where everyone can bring a book for the baby with an inscription written inside.

1. Set a budget

2. Set a theme or color palette

3. Dedicate friends or family members to help with the shower. This is not an event you (the mom to be) should be throwing for yourself.

4. Choose a venue (someone's home or backyard, a restaurant or hotel event space)

5. Plan your menu and ensure someone is helping with the food or you host the party at a restaurant so you don't have to take on any cooking or meal prep.

6. Plan the decor based on your theme or color palette and any take home favors that you want to gift your guests.

7. Invite your guests at least six to eight weeks in advance.

8. Create a gift registry to share with your guests (the easiest way to do this is to send your invitation digitally through a platform like Paperless Post. The online platform gives you an option to link to your registries to make gifting easy for your guests).

A baby shower is for a first time parent. A sprinkle is for a second or third baby arrival so it's much more of a "sprinkle" and not as detailed or extravagant as the shower that you did the first time around.

"There is also a ‘sip and see’ that you can host after you have had a baby where you invite your friends and family over for a gathering to meet and/or "see" the baby once he or she has been born," Kertzner explains.

According to Kertzner, six to eight weeks is plenty of time to allow your guests to make note of their upcoming baby shower, unless you know that you have guests who need to travel. In this case, you can send invitations three months in advance as a best practice.

"This gives your guests plenty of time to plan their calendar and purchase a gift," Kertzner adds.

Check out the New York Post Shopping section for more content.