BABY SHOWER INVITATION IDEAS
-  Maleshia Cave, Contributing Writer

Maleshia Cave has planned many baby showers, and whether it has been for a family member or for a co-worker, she has always found them fun ! It is something every expectant mother looks forward to and an excellent way to celebrate new life. In most of the baby showers that she's planned, or assisted in planning, there was always a strict budget and she had to learn how to be creative with a limited amount of money. When it came time for her to start a website, in an attempt to be a stay-at-home mom, she figured the topic of "inexpensive baby shower ideas" would be the perfect for her to cover. The site, inexpensivebabyshower.com,  was launched in 2007 and has done very well. People always ask her how she does it and what tools she uses and she is always happy to help. Keep checking back and remember her when you plan any other showers in the future as she is sure to keep you up to date on the latest trends!

Baby shower invitation wording for homemade baby shower invitations or gift cards can be easy and fun to write on your own. Don't be afraid of getting laughed at! Remember that in most cases, the wording will be coming from the unborn, so it should not be poetic or consist of a bunch of complicated phrases or words. They should be short, cute, rhythmical and ideally coincide with the theme of the baby shower. Be sure to include classical phrases for popular themes like Elmo. For instance, an Elmo Baby Shower could say something like:

Well tickle me Elmo
Mary is prego!
Pink or Blue?
If only they knew!

After this cute little baby shower verse, you would go on to say,"Please join us in a Baby Shower for..." You do not have to stick with the theme when deciding on how to word your invitations, you can also simply be gender specific. An example of invitation wording for a baby girl baby shower:

Little pink dresses, dolls, and barrettes,
Diapers, wipes, and bassinets,
Soon Mary will have a little princess
Until then, a shower, and you our guest!

Finally, for a baby boy baby shower, you could have something like:

While we pray for a safe delivery
And a healthy bundle of joy,
In the meantime there will be,
A party for the baby boy.

No matter which baby shower verse you use there are a few pieces of vital information that should be included on every baby shower invitation. They are:

•    Date
•    Gender
•    Expecting mother and/or father's name
•    Baby's Gender -if it is unknown state this
•    Location- you can easily print off a map to distribute with the invitations using mapquest.com for those guest who  are unfamiliar with the area.
•    Last Date to RSVP or to send "regrets"
•    Host information - if your guests have any questions on gifts, locations, times, etc. make for sure they have someone to contact
•    Time
•    Theme - if you are tying everything together and you want the guest's gifts to match your theme you should indicate this on the invitations. For example, if you are having a diaper party and want all the guest to bring in a package of pampers you would want to explain this! You can add in your invitation wording or as part of a baby shower poem.
•    Gift Registry - If the expecting mother has taken the time to select which items she would like to receive as gifts then you should definitely note this on the invitation. It will also make your life easier as it will likely cut down on the number of guest that contact you for gift ideas. As a matter of fact, everyone wins because now the guests don't have to stress over what to bring!

Be creative and have fun in coming up with adorable verses for your next baby shower!