You might be mentally prepared for your little one to make his or her grand entrance into the world, but do you have all the supplies you need? After all, you’re not going to want to have to make a last minute run to the store for diapers and burp cloths in the middle of the night. A baby shower is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the guy or gal in your tummy with your family and friends, and your loved ones will help supply you with everything you’ll need from clothes and bottles to diapers and pacifiers.
The question is, have you come up with a theme yet? If not, you could have a roaringly good time with a jungle shower theme. Honor your little king or queen of the jungle with chic shades of brown, green, yellow and orange to pull off this adorable baby shower motif. From the invitations to the favors, we have all the ideas you’ll need to get started planning your highly anticipated event:
Send out themed invitations
Let your shower guests in on the theme of the event with jungle-inspired baby shower invitations. Think about how many visitors you can accommodate in your home or whichever venue you choose. You could stick with the traditional women-only baby shower, or invite expectant dads and siblings-to-be. However, the mom-to-be always has final say of who makes the guest list.
Select table centerpieces
The beauty of a jungle-themed baby shower is that you can keep your centerpieces fairly simple. Place wire baskets or contemporary white bowls filled with bunches of bananas in the middle of the tables, or opt for greenery in vases with a special wood grain or bamboo texture.
Go crazy with animal print
Don’t be afraid to use as little or as much animal print as you would like for your shower. There are lots of ways to incorporate cheetah, giraffe, zebra and tiger prints throughout your event, like on tablecloths, dinnerware, paper lanterns, upholstered chairs, menu cards, etc.
Offer jungle-themed food
Just because your baby shower is jungle themed doesn’t mean that you have to limit the snacks to bananas and bamboo. Instead, make your own sweet and salty nut mix with some dried banana chips, Honey Nut Chex mix, and a mix of green, yellow and brown M&Ms. For dessert, how cute are these cupcakes topped with jungle animals? Of course, if you’re not exactly Paula Deen in the baking arena, chocolate and vanilla cupcakes topped with brown, yellow or green frosting will look just as delectable and on-theme. Here are a few other tasty jungle sweets to consider:
- Banana cream pie
- Bread pudding with chunks of chocolate and banana
- Chocolate Covered Bananas
- Banana pecan muffins
Play jungle games
It wouldn’t be a baby shower without a little fun and games, right? Here are a few activities to add to your shower agenda:
Jungle bingo: Have someone ask questions about the expectant mom-to-be. Players will write down their answers on the bingo cards. Whichever guest gets five in a row correct first wins a prize! (Hopefully another animal-themed cupcake). Another way you could play is to have your guests fill in their bingo card squares with gifts they think you’ll receive. This game will keep everyone alert and aware during the gift-opening portion of the shower.
Decorate a felt board: Turn game time into craft hour by purchasing a felt board and different colors of felt. Your guests can help you trace, cut out and glue animal shapes onto the board. When you’re done, you’ll have the perfect decorative piece for your new nursery!
Sew a quilt: On your baby shower invitations, ask each of your guests to bring their favorite jungle-themed fabric swatch to the shower. Make sure each swatch of fabric is uniform in size (about 6 square inches). During the party, offer a bevy of craft supplies, like puffy paint, glitter, felt, etc. Each of your guests can decorate their square as they see fit. Once everyone’s done, you can sew the quilt together as a special way to remember your baby shower and hang it over your little one’s crib.
Hit a pinata: Hang a monkey, lion, tiger, or other jungle animal pinata from a tree branch in your backyard. Have one of your close friends or family fill it with a surprise, be it pacifiers, diaper pins, or tiny baby dolls. Hey – if you have yet to reveal the gender of your little one, this would be the perfect opportunity! Pass the party store making the pinata the gender of your child in a sealed envelope, and you can be surprised with either blue or pink confetti!
Send your guests home with favors
Fill animal print paper bags with small stacks of yellow and green macarons (or sweets of your choice) or maybe an animal print frame your guests can fill with a picture of their own. If the tables at your shower were decorated with greenery or flowers, you can have your guests take those home as a way to say thank you for celebrating. Plus, that’s an easy way to start cleaning up.
Will your baby shower be jungle themed? Share your thoughts with me!
Photo Credit: Chocolate Covered Bananas: via Martha Stewart, Animal print glasses: Boy Girl Photography via Spaceships and Laser Beams, Leaf garland: via Etsy, Animal crackers: Canary Grey Photography via Pop Sugar, Thank you tote bag: Amy L.B. Photography via Hostess with the Mostess, Giraffe flowers: Art de Fete via Kara’s Party Ideas, Table: Art de Fete via Kara’s Party Ideas
