Baby Shower Recipes: Food Ideas For Your Shower

Baby showers are generally held in the later stages of pregnancy (in the last 2 months, for instance). There are, however, certain cultural beliefs that make people purposefully wait for the baby to arrive before having a baby shower. Adoptive parents, at times, wait until after the adoption is final and the baby has arrived in their home.

Baby showers are generally organised by close friends, relatives, or co-workers of the expectant parents (because baby showers focus on gift-giving, it is considered inappropriate for a family member to host such events).

In its early form, baby showers were held exclusively for mothers-to-be, and only women were invited to attend the party. In addition, baby showers were traditionally held only for the first child. Today, however, many people arrange baby showers for both parents, and they can now be also arranged for every succeeding child (even children who have been adopted).

Activities in a baby shower typically include games, special activities, presents, and, most especially, food.

Below are some of the most common baby shower recipes:

Pizza Sandwiches

Pizza sauce (can be store-bought or homemade)
Cottage cheese (low fat)
English muffins
Parmesan cheese

1. Mix 2-3 tbsp of pizza sauce with 2-3 tbsp of cottage cheese.

2. Spread the mixture onto one half of the English muffin.

3. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

4. Broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 can of tomato soup (condensed)
Milk
1 tbsp basil
Mozzarella or croutons (for toppings)

1. Heat vegetable oil in a medium saucepan.

2. Add the tomato soup.

3. Add milk (approximately the same amount as that of the tomato soup).

4. Add basil and cook slowly on low heat (do not boil).

5. Top with a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella and croutons. Serve.

Cheese Balls

½ lb cheese (cheddar or grated)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pack cream cheese
4 oz Tabasco sauce
2 tsp onion
Chopped nuts
2 tsp catsup or chilli sauce

1. Mix all ingredients together using a mixer or a food processor (the cheese should be at room temperature).

2. Empty mixed ingredients on small bowls lined with plastic wrap.

3. Refrigerate overnight.

4. To serve, remove wrap and sprinkle with nuts. Serve with assorted crackers.

Chicken Puffs

4 tbsp butter
½ cup boiling water
½ cup flour
2 eggs
½ cup shredded cheese
2 cups cooked chicken
2 tbsp olives
2 tbsp wine
¼ cup mayonnaise

1. Melt butter in boiling water.

2. Add flour.

3. Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball.

4. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

5. Add egg and beat briskly until smooth.

6. Stir in cheese.

7. Scoop 1 tsp dough into a greased baking sheet.

8. Preheat oven to 400°F.

9. Bake the puffs for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool, and split.

10. Combine the remaining ingredients with the finely chopped cooked chicken, pimiento, and olives.

11. Fill each puff with 2 tsp of the mixture. Serve.

There are just some of the baby shower recipes, there are numerous others to choose from - from sandwiches & finger foods, to snacks and dips and sweets - appetising, yet simple and very easy to prepare.

Baby Shower Favor Ideas and Tips

Cute Ideas for Baby Shower Favours

Even though guests shouldn’t expect to leave any party with anything, it is always a nice gesture to give parting guests a favour. Here are some instructions for simple and easy baby shower favours that you can make at home. By making the favours yourself, not only can you save money, but the handmade favours can be personalised easily to reflect the tastes of the mum-to-be and the theme of the shower!

Baby Bottles

Even your local Poundstretcher store can be a great place to find favor ideas. Plastic baby bottles can be filled with chocolate, candies, Jordan almonds, jelly beans, bath beads or bath salts. Tie some ribbon around the neck with a tag that says “Thank You” with the mum’s and baby’s names on it.

Baby Booties

Filled with candies, wrapped chocolates, gum balls, you can tie these at the tops with ribbons and a tag, much like the baby bottles.

Organza or Net Bags

You can find these in the wedding section of most major craft retailers. Fill with candies, bath salts, chocolates, etc.

Plastic Bottles or Glass Jars

It’s not too hard to find these types of containers. If you don’t see them locally, search online and you can order them in large quantities. Fill them with bath salts, bubble bath, shower gel or even baby powder. You can tie a tag on them that has a cute verse about showering them like they showered the mum-to-be!

Tea Cups

Some baby shower hostesses have purchased tea cups and a flat of flowers and put one flower in each mug for a beautiful favour. A great place to find odds and ends tea cups is at local garage sales and thrift shops. Find some with pretty flowers painted on the sides. You can also fill the tea cups with candle gel and a wick for another fun favor idea.

Flower Pots

With a cute tag telling the recipient to nurture their plant as the new mom will nurture her new baby, you could give guests small flower pots and seed packets or bulbs for tulips or daffodils for them to plant and grow some flowers. If you want to do more, decorate the flower pot with acrylic paints or rub-on sayings or pictures found in the scrapbooking section of craft stores. You can even get a simple foam stamp to decorate them.

Candy Bar Wrappers

You’ve seen those expensive candy bar wrappers you can order, but why not make your own? These are perfect favours for baby showers that take place after the baby has arrived! Just purchase a large quantity of candy bars from your local warehouse store and take one wrapper off to measure the size of the wrapper. Now you have a template. Create a wrapper using your favourite software and add special details like the baby’s name, birthday, weight and length and don’t forget to add the parent’s names as the “manufacturer”. For ingredients, try words like “sugar and spice and all things nice,” “love,” “snips, snails and puppy dog tails.”

There are so many ways you can make inexpensive favors that your baby shower guests will really love. Even something as simple as a bar of glycerine soap tied with a pretty ribbon is a nice gift most people will enjoy. Look for sales and clearance items to really save money, but have the look of an expensive gift.

Baby shower favours that you make at home are personal gifts that add a great touch. Not only does it make your guests happy, but it shows the mom-to-be that you care for her friends, too! Have fun making your homemade baby shower favors!