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Planning the Perfect Baby Shower Menu
If you have never before hosted a baby shower, you should count yourself lucky in a way, because there is a lot more involved than most people believe. You have to decide on a budget, pick out the invitations, create the guest list, pick a theme, fund the event, and decide what type of food to serve your guests, and that is just the beginning. The good news is that when people come to a baby shower, they really arent expecting to be served a full meal. The typical baby shower fare is some kind of punch, mints, fruit, cheese, and maybe finger sandwiches, all of which can be done with minimal effort, and little impact to your already overstretched baby shower budget. You dont have to serve a four course meal to make an impact, and in fact, in some cases, less really is better.
One menu that many baby shower hosts decide to use is to serve finger type foods that can be served buffet style. You dont have to spend a lot of time preparing these foods, meaning that you will have more time to devote to other shower things, and you wont have to spend a lot of money on the food. Some hosts also do sort of a pot luck style menu, where they ask that each of the guests bring some type of food item, nothing major, maybe a veggie tray, some drinks, fruit tray, chips and dip, etc. This is a great way for the hostess to cut her costs, although some may not be comfortable asking their guests to contribute in this manner. You can also go with a more formal meal if you choose to, but this is not expected, and will require a lot of extra time and effort on your part.
Basically, you should plan your menu based on your budget limitations, and the amount of free time that you have. Depending on the type of menu you decide on, you can do a lot of the work in advance, such as washing and slicing fruit and veggies, which will save you a lot of time on the big day.
Since you will be preparing food for the expectant mom along with the guests, you should stick to non-alcoholic, baby safe foods and drinks. There are many great punch recipes that you can use, and it may be a good idea to have some different types of sodas on hand as well, along with some bottled water. You could make a pot of coffee for something extra to offer or a pitcher of iced tea as well. If you offer a variety of different drinks, you are sure to have something for everyone!
And of course, you cant forget to get the baby shower cake. You can make this cake yourself, or have it professionally done. Many grocery stores have great cakes, that are fairly inexpensive, and you can custom order them in the colors and decorations that you wish. Typically, if you go this route, you will need to order the cake about a week in advance, just to make certain it is ready on the big day. The size and type of cake you get will depend on your budget, and of course, the number of guests that you are expecting!
