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Oh how I LOVE everything baby! Especially planning baby showers! Thank you so much to Tiny Prints for partnering with me to share my three tips for a perfect baby shower and my recipe sweet and simple baby shower cupcakes from a box!
I remember how excited I was to be a mom back when I was pregnant with my first daughter.
After being on bedrest for months, my baby shower was a huge celebration. This little life meant so much to all of us and we had the most amazing afternoon full of joy! Because I was on bedrest I didn’t get to do the typical “get ready for baby” things like creating a registry or even shopping for maternity clothes.
When the little one came into our life 10 years later things were way different.
Because she became our daughter via adoption I was healthy and able to run around like crazy getting ready for her… and my sister even threw us a baby shower a couple weeks after she was born. Over the 15 years that I’ve been a mom and the two baby showers I’ve had for my own kiddos (10 years apart, can you believe that?) I have three tips for a perfect baby shower… and an amazingly delicious (and easy) baby shower cupcake recipe!
I had to share some pictures of my Little One when she was a newborn because I am a total baby person and I love to look back at my girls when they were babies.
I would seriously have 10 kids if Pete didn’t pull me back to reality… since we are done at three kids I always offer to throw baby showers for friends and family.
Here are my top three tips for perfect baby showers!
1. Make the food count. I’m going to be totally blunt here. People like to eat. I like to eat! So make them happy while they are celebrating this new life. I make sure there are ample appetizers and a main course that is substantial. I love to do a Mexican or Italian food buffet. Both are easy to set up and crowd pleasers. Now let’s talk dessert. Cupcakes are always a good choice. They are easy to hold and eat when you are partying and they just look adorable and fitting for a baby shower. These are my favorite ones to make and if it’s for a boy I just exchange blue for pink… or yellow for surprises!
The best part about these cupcakes is that they are made from a box. Yep, from a box. I start with the vanilla boxed cake mix and then I make these changes:
- Add an extra egg to whatever it calls for on the box.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Instead of water I add milk
- Instead of vegetable oil I use the same amount of cold cubed butter.
- Add a few drops of food color to give it a slight festive hue.
I add all of the ingredients to the mixer at the same time and blend it on medium speed till the butter is incorporated, but still in little bits that you can see. It won’t completely incorporate into the batter. Then cook the cupcakes according to the instructions on the box.
For the frosting I use store bought vanilla frosting and I add food coloring and mix together just till it’s slightly worked through. I love the look of the color going through the frosting as it’s piped on since it leaves an almost metallic look, so don’t mix it all the way through.
2. Go easy on the games and do more that involves sharing and keepsakes. There, I said it. I am not a baby shower game person. I don’t want to smell and guess what’s in a diaper. The new mom will have plenty of time for that! I love doing things that will inspire the new mom. My favorite activities are writing an inspirational note or quote on a newborn diaper for the new mom to read during late night diaper changes and to have everyone share their top advice for new moms. Just please none of that “sleep when the baby sleeps” stuff… I’ve never heard of anyone actually able to do that! My advice is always to take way more pictures than you think is reasonable. Looking back on the ones I took of my girls I only have one regret… that I didn’t take more!
3. Have fun with the baby shower invitation. My favorite thing about planning a baby shower is the invitation! It really sets the mood for the whole celebration so I go all out! The dessert and invitations are how I show my creative side and love for the new mom and I have so much fun creating the baby shower invitation from Tiny Prints. The invitation is the first thing I do after I set the date. I use the design as the inspiration for the celebration. I chose the ones above for my next baby shower because I am loving the whimsical and delicate flower look right now.
It’s amazing to see your planning all come together on the big day! I’m getting excited just thinking about it… hope one of my friends or family decides to have another baby soon!
Great tips. MY sister in law is pregnant with her first (due in July), so there is a shower coming 🙂
Using a box mix and dressing it up a little is my favorite time saving party hack. It saves so much time and tastes pretty good, too.
Baby showers are always so much fun to go to. I’ve never planned and hosted one but these are great ideas!
What a great article. I love the printables, and the cupcakes are darling.
Amazing tips for a baby shower and that cupcake looks really great; what a wonderful recipe!
I don’t have any upcoming birthday showers, but I’m always happy to try out a new cupcake recipe. I’m so glad I stopped by the blog today. Yay!
I love planning showers to welcome babies! Your card selection is gorgeous
those cupcakes would be so sweet at a baby shower! I love the invitation designs!
I’m so excited. I’m heading to my first baby shower (ever!) this weekend. I’m not required to bring any desserts since I don’t know the people organizing it, but I am coming ready with tons of baby gifts for my friend!
These are really wonderful ideas! My cousin’s wife is having a shower real soon. And although I won’t be one of the organizers of that I would love to share your post to give them some creative ideas. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yum these look great! I love the icing it looks incredible. The color and texture are perfect! Baby showers are such fun!
Those printables are great! I absolutely love cupcakes, so that recipe is right up my alley.
These are great tips. I have a friend who is having another baby. I will have to make cupcakes for her shower.
These cupcakes turned out amazing! We had a cake but I love this route too!
It seems like I was going to a baby shower every weekend there for a while, but it’s been a long time since I’ve attended one. I will save these ideas for the next round of babies. Can’t wait!
Great tips. Thanks for sharing them. I am sure the baby will appreciate everything 🙂
These are great tips and yummy looking food. But the baby takes the cake, what a cutie. I love to look at baby photos as well.
What an awesome cupcake recipe. I always love to take a box mix and then just do yummy stuff to it. Thanks!
This is a great post all the way around. The ideas are great, the printables are cute, and the cupcake recipe is marvelous! Yay!
What a recipe! I love the extra egg and the butter for richness, and it’s amazing how wonderful the frosting looks with just a little food coloring.
These cupcakes WILL be made this weekend. I don’t have any baby showers to go to. They just look delicious, and my sons will love them!
I think the best lesson learned here regarding baby showers is cupcakes are a must! It isn’t a baby shower without them.
Oh I love baby showers. They are so much fun and remind us all about the great things in life. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Finding the perfect card is my number one tip. And I love games – so I pick out plenty of those. But you cannot have a good party without great food! You have great tips!
Those cupcakes look divine! I bet they are moist and delicious
Wonderful tips. I love your tip about adding an extra egg to a cupcake mix. I sometimes also use applesauce for half of the oil–never thought to use the cubed butter.
These are great tips for the perfect baby shower! Also, the icing looks beautiful on those cupcakes!
What a beautiful baby! I actually have a shower this weekend to go to. I’m not bringing cupcakes though – just a gift card:) They look delicious!
Parties ARE all about the food! I need a good cake or cupcake like these during a soiree. I love the icing!
I really like that cupcakes, they are simple yet look very beautiful and yummy!
Wonderful ideas. Love those cupcakes.
Planning a baby shower can be a big task. These are some great ideas for making it a beautiful experience for the expectant mom.
I like that you added milk to the recipe instead of water. I bet that would make the box mix taste a lot better. 🙂
Really great baby shower tips! I am in love with that frosting! I may have to make my kids those cupcakes for a simple and quick sweet treat.
I didn’t have a baby shower when I had my son, I really wish I had though. Those cupcakes and invitations look so lovely.
Those cupcakes look amazing! I might just have to try out that recipe, even without a reason to make them. 😉
I love all things baby as well. I get baby fever whenever I see a newborn. My baby days are over though so now I enjoy planning baby showers. Thanks for your info and I have to say that those cupcakes are so pretty!
Great tips for a baby shower. I love elevating box cakes and making them more than what they originally are! Thank you for sharing this.
What a fantastic post with wonderful tips. Cupcakes are delicious YUM YUM
Wonderful tips! I love love love their invites, whenever someone is having a celebration I always recommend they check out Tiny Prints.
My baby shower is a blur. It was back in MS where I lived most recently before our son was born.
I have a client w/ a party space though and I’ll share these with her!
great tips! Baby showers are so much fun!
Great tips! And these cupcakes look so good. I love the swirl look of the pink frosting.
Those are awesome tips for a baby shower. I agree: we need to be easy on games.
Those invitations are so cute! Baby Showers are a lot of fun!
I love to go to baby showers. These cupcakes would be so cute to serve. I like to play all the cute games at a shower.
Baby showers are fun to plan and fun to attend! I really like your cupcakes. 🙂
We are just miserable here in England and we don’t have them. It’s horrible. I have three boys and no shower, no celebration. I wish I was American!
Wow, those cupcakes look so amazing. The frosting looks to die for.
Gaaah. I wish I read this one before the baby shower that I attended last Jan. I was so clueless ( it was the first time that I went to one ). I always dread the games but it turned out ok – it wasn’t anything embarrassing like they do in weddings.