For expecting parents, hosting a baby shower is super exciting – you’re celebrating the arrival of your bundle of joy! However, the amount of planning that goes behind the shower can be quite overwhelming.
To welcome their baby into a more inclusive world, parents are opting to host a gender-neutral baby shower, instead of conforming to the stereotypical pink or blue themes.
Whether you opt to throw a gender-neutral baby shower because you want your baby’s gender to be a surprise, or because you’ve opted to steer away from societal norms, the plan here should help you make the best of it.
While planning a gender-neutral baby shower may seem daunting at the beginning, it opens up the possibility of unleashing your creativity! It’s time to think out of the box, so, here are some unique ideas and themes to inspire you, if you’re planning to host a gender-neutral baby shower.
1. Send Out Invitations
The first step in planning a gender-neutral baby shower is to send out invitations so that your guests can save the date. The invitations will be the prelude to your party and will help your guests understand the overall ambiance of your event.
You can choose a fun design with a base of neutral colors for your gender-neutral baby shower invitation. Once you finalize your invitations, you can select your decorations based on their theme. Some invitation design ideas that may inspire you are:
- Botanical lacework or filigree
- Floral patterns
- Folk art or mythical art
- Pastel colors
- White and silver
- Black and gold
- Cool grey and yellow
2. Select Gender-Neutral Theme and Decorations
For any baby shower, whether it is gender-neutral or not, the theme is the largest piece of the puzzle. Selecting gender-neutral baby shower themes from the myriad of options out there can be overwhelming, but once you’ve got a general design direction, perhaps because of your invitations, you’ll find that everything comes together cohesively.
Stunning, carefully-selected gender-neutral baby shower decorations will tie the theme together beautifully. As the host, you will need to coordinate all the decorations, including placemats, tableware, table cloths, streamers, and more to the theme you’ve selected. Some popular gender-neutral baby shower themes have been listed below, but, of course, you can think of something entirely new and set the trend!
a. Elegant White and Gold
The classy, graceful combination of white and gold never fails to disappoint! You can select white as the base color and complement it with gold gender-neutral baby shower decorations, like tableware, streamers, and balloons. You can also try this combination with white and silver, or cool grey and yellow.
b. Rainbow Fiesta
If you are looking for something that is super fun and playful, this multicolored gender-neutral baby shower theme is the perfect way to welcome your bundle of joy! The colorful decor and lively vibes will set an ambiance of happiness that your guests and you can revel in!
c. Boho
One of the best relaxed and informal gender-neutral baby shower themes is Boho. With fresh flowers and green plants forming the decorations for this theme, your guests will feel refreshed amidst nature. You can set it up in your garden and patio, and even have a sub-theme of a garden tea party!
3. Craft a Menu According to Your Theme
Once you’ve ironed out the theme and color palette, it’s time to get to the tiny details that will help you host a gender-neutral baby shower. Settling on an inclusive, delicious, easy-to-make, and easy-to-eat menu is the next step on your list of things to do.
The best option is to stick to finger foods, as things won’t get messy, and it will be easy for you to make at home. Then, select the foods and beverages that you will be serving depending on your theme.
Of course, it is not necessary to follow a theme for the food, but it will definitely add the wow factor to your gender-neutral baby shower, making it a memory to be cherished forever. Here are some gender-neutral food and beverages you can try:
a. Garden Tea Brunch
A garden tea brunch will perfectly complement your Boho theme, should you select it. Menu options include mini frittatas or croissants, and star-shaped sandwiches. The latter can include ham and cheese, or fresh veggies and mayo, and will signify the arrival of your little star!
b. Yellow-Inspired Menu
If you have a bee-inspired theme, or the color palette of your theme includes yellow, you can stock your menu up with lemon cake, honey biscuits, and lemonade. This refreshing combo is easy to make and will be a treat for your guests.
c. White and Gold Inspired Menu
The classic lemonade punch is a staple at most showers, including gender-neutral baby showers. This refreshing drink can be made in a variety of colors depending on your theme.
You can also add some gold or silver edible glitter to the drink, for that extra sparkle! The glasses themselves can feature themed stickers or straws with diaper shapes attached to them, to make things more fun!
4. Choose a Gender-Neutral Cake
No baby shower is complete without a cake, which becomes the centerpiece of your event. Usually, the cake is decorated to match the baby’s assigned gender but for gender-neutral baby shower cakes, you can consider other options.
You can decorate a cake covered with white fondant, with star-shaped sprinkles, cartoon characters, or have some floral fondant pieces. You can also choose among gender-neutral baby shower cakes that match the theme of your shower, either color palette-wise or decor-wise.
5. Select Some Fun Baby Shower Games
When you host a gender-neutral baby shower, plan out some fun games for the guests in advance. Playing games, both solo and in teams, will encourage your guests to break the ice, and will instantly liven up the party! Some gender-neutral baby shower games that you can include are:
a. Super Parent
This fun game will test everyone’s skills as a parent! As the host, you can give a list of tasks to be completed like picking up toys, sorting legos, making a sandwich, or segregating and folding clothes. The guest who completes the list in the shortest time, with the least mess, wins!
b. Diaper Changing Relay
A favorite amongst gender-neutral baby shower games is the diaper changing relay. Guests can pair up for this game, or play in teams with equal members. A table or any other platform can be kept away from the starting point, with some diapers stacked up.
The first person in each team then runs to the changing platform with a doll wrapped in a blanket, changes its diaper, rewraps the blanket, and runs back to hand to the next team member. The team that finishes faster wins the relay.
c. Hang the Diapers
If a diaper-changing relay is out of the question, you can have your guests hang diapers on a clothesline within a particular time period. The person who pins up the most diapers before the time runs out wins this gender-neutral baby shower game.
6. Gift Your Guests Some Thoughtful Party Favors
No matter what the celebration is for, party favors are always appropriate. These let your guests know that you’re grateful that they attended your gender-neutral baby shower.
Some thoughtful, DIY gender-neutral baby shower favors could be extra special! You can keep the favors edible, or if you’re feeling a bit crafty, you can make some cute trinkets. Here are some ideas for gender-neutral baby shower favors:
a. Edible Party Favors
- Monogrammed sugar cookies that are engraved with your and your partner’s initials or last names.
- Tea brewing packs with a collection of refreshing hand-picked teas in a cute baby shower-themed bag.
- Donut pouches with different flavored donuts in them.
- Assorted candies filled in handcrafted candy boxes, that you can label with your baby’s due date.
- A pickle hamper with assorted pickle jars decorated with ribbons or twine and labeled with a special message, your initials, or due date.
b. Non-Edible Party Favors
- Scented soap hampers with handmade scented soaps, made from gender-neutral ingredients.
- An art kit with some basic supplies in a fancy, shower-themed bag, that will channel your guests’ inner artists.
- A DIY hamper or a puzzle that can encourage your guests to tap into their creative persona.
- Potpourri packs for a sweet-scented reminder of your gender-neutral baby shower.
- Plant growing kits that include some plant seeds, a soil pouch, and a small planter will make for environment-friendly gender-neutral baby shower favors.
Final Words
A gender-neutral baby shower is the most exciting way to celebrate the soon-approaching birth of your newest little family member! It can be quite onerous to plan and host a gender-neutral baby shower, but all the efforts that you put into making it special will be worthwhile.
Not only will you love it as an expectant mother, but your friends and close ones will create wonderful memories that they’ll cherish for years. A gender-neutral baby shower can be a chic, entertaining option with loads of fun to welcome the apple of your eye.
Happy showering!
