Baby Shower Food
Good baby shower food makes the party better
One of the main attractions at a baby shower, as with any party, is the food. If you hold the baby shower at a restaurant, the type of food served at the restaurant will dictate the menu. If the party is being held at a private home or other non-restaurant location, then the menu options are wide open.
There are several factors to keep in mind when planning the baby shower menu. Depending on the time of day you are holding the shower, guests may be satisfied with light snacks, or they might be expecting enough food to count for lunch or dinner. The time of year should also be considered. Lighter fare would be more appropriate for a springtime or summer time shower, whereas autumn and winter justify heavier foods. The number of guests may play a role. You can probably provide a more extravagant menu for a small number of guests, but you may have to stretch your food budget to accommodate a larger party. Salads, tea sandwiches and other dainty foods might be perfect for a ladies only shower, but most men would appreciate a heartier, stick to your ribs type of menu. The shower location will play a big role, as you will have to consider your access to kitchen equipment such as a refrigerator, a stove, microwave oven or even a kitchen sink. If the party will be held outdoors in warm weather, you might want to avoid mayonnaise based salads and dips, or at least plan a way to keep them chilled. Finally, you might want to plan the menu to fit the baby shower theme.
Even if you are an accomplished cook, you will probably want to seek some help from others to make it all come together. Try to fit in some items that you can make or purchase ahead of time. Most supermarkets have delis and bakeries that can whip up a tray of sandwiches or a beautiful baby shower cake. You can order a few days ahead of time, then pick it up the day of the party. Be sure to check out the frozen foods section of your favorite grocery store or warehouse club. They are filled with boxes of elegant appetizers and desserts that just need to be thawed and sometimes heated before they are ready to serve.
A potluck party is one way to share the burden of preparing the food. If the baby shower is being hosted by the Mom-to-be’s co-workers or church group, then a potluck would be perfectly acceptable. If you are a close friend or family member of the Mom-to-be hosting the shower, then you will probably be expected to feed everyone. Still, if other guests offer to help, let them, even if it’s just to provide drinks.
It is important to keep in mind the dietary restrictions of the Mom-to-be and other guests. Even if you don’t know of any specific restrictions, it is always a good idea to make sure that there are some vegetarian, low fat, low sugar and low carb selections on hand to satisfy the many people on these types of diets. Some of the more common food allergies are nuts, shellfish and gluten, so be sure to have at least a few items that don’t include these ingredients. When in doubt, have some fresh vegetable and fruit trays available, as most everyone can enjoy at least some of these foods.
Presentation can be important as the food itself. If you have fine silver and crystal serving pieces taking up space in a china cabinet, a baby shower is the ideal time to pull them out of the closet. If you don’t have those items, don’t worry. You might be able to borrow them from some of the other guests or even your own mother. You can also purchase inexpensive clear and silver plastic serving platters from a party supply store that still make an elegant presentation, but don’t present the clean up worries. For a small luncheon, you could use your nice china place settings, but for a large or outdoor party, it would be much easier to just use paper and plastic serving ware. There are patterns and colors available to match any theme.
You could also add some whimsical touches to a baby shower buffet table by using baby and toddler toys as food serving pieces. A big plastic wagon filled with ice could be used to chill canned soft drinks or bottled water. (Line it with a trash bag first.) A child’s plastic toy dump truck would be a cute container for serving chips or pretzels.
We have put together some suggested baby shower menus. These menus have been planned around crowd-pleasing favorites that are easy to prepare and serve. Many of the items can be made ahead of time, or purchased from the grocery store ready to eat. Use these ideas as a starting point to plan the best menu for your shower.
Baby Shower Tea
Party
Blue Baby Shower Food
Brunch Baby Shower Menu
Italian Baby Shower Menu
Mexican Buffet Menu
Pink Baby Shower Food
Soup, Salad and Sandwich Buffet
Here are other baby gift links you may be interested in:
Baby Shower Baskets
Baby Shower Books
Baby Shower Cakes
Baby Shower Cards
Baby Shower Centerpieces
Baby Shower Corsages
Baby Shower Crafts
Baby Shower Etiquette
Baby Shower Games
Baby Shower Gifts
Baby Shower Ideas
Baby Shower Planning
Baby Shower Poems
Baby Shower Supplies
Baby Shower Thank You Cards
Boy Baby Showers
Girl Baby Showers
Twins Baby Showers
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