It’s Game Time!

Score a touchdown, home run and a hole in one with fun sports themed baby showers! So huddle up your helpers and plan the best sports baby shower ever!

If the new dad is a sports enthusiast or both parents love sports a sports themed baby shower is definitely your choice.  You can choose to focus on one particular sport or just do an all-in-one sports theme that incorporates a wide range of sports such as baseball, basketball, football and soccer.  This is a great baby shower theme for couples or if the new mommy-to-be is decorating the nursery in a sports theme. Girls like sports too!  Use a different color scheme like pink and red for a baby girl shower.

SPORTS BABY SHOWER THEME INVITATIONS:

With any shower, the hostess should match the theme with the rest of the elements as much as possible starting with the invitations.  In the case of the sports baby shower theme, this could be done in several ways.  There are many online or local retailers that sell sport themed baby shower invitations that are appropriate for both baby showers and even birthday parties for your little sport.  Tailor the invitations to match your sports party theme.  Save a little money by making your own sports themed shower invitations.  Create a sports-inspired invitation shaped like a football, baseball mitt, football helmet or soccer ball and use clever wording such as “It’s an All Star Baby Shower! Come celebrate the newest member of the [mom’s last name] team scheduled to arrive on [due date].”

One of our favorite ideas for invitations is create “Tickets” to the sports baby shower. Make sure to tell everyone to bring their “Tickets” to the shower so you can do a drawing to win prizes.

Since tailgaiting is a part of the sports experience host a “Tailgate Party” and on the invitations write: Celebrating the newest “Cougar Fan” (favorite team) / Coaches: (parents) / Wear “Cougar” attire or be doused with Gatorade!  If you are holding the party outdoors, a pickup tailgate could be used as your serving table.

Remember, a successful shower takes planning and the more creative you get the more success you will have – don’t forget the details!  The details are everything when planning a sports themed baby shower.

SPORTS BABY SHOWER VENUE

Although any party’s success depends on its location, a baby shower sports theme event requires the perfect location. Many sports venues have facilities which can be rented for parties; these rooms could be a good choice when the parents-to-be love a particular professional sport.  Parks near baseball diamonds or basketball courts could also work for showers in the spring or summer but always make alternative arrangements in case of inclement weather.

If only adults will be attending the shower, a sports bar might be a great location. Bowling alleys, golf facilities, martial arts studios, and race tracks may be worth considering depending on the preferences of the parents and what is available nearby.

SPORTS BABY SHOWER THEMED DECORATING IDEAS

Any location needs a bit of sprucing up to fit the baby shower sports theme so think of some fun and creative decoration ideas.  If the new parents have a favorite sports team, decorate the room to match the team’s colors or include their mascot as part of the décor.

• For baseball baby showers, arrange the tables into a diamond shape.  Let the main table act as home base.
• As the host or hostess wear a “referee” shirt so people will know who the host or hostess is, in case they have questions
• Get glass vases, tie a ribbon around the top and fill with baseballs or golf balls. If you are doing a “Basketball” sports shower use oranges and create the lines with a sharpie permanent marker.
• Get actual sports equipment and place it around the room (e.g. balls, bats, mitts, cleats, helmets, jerseys, whistles, etc.)
• Instead of a guest book, use a new football or baseball.  Have the guests’ sign the ball with a permanent marker and then the ball can be displayed in the sports-themed nursery after the shower.  Great keepsake for the new parents that they will treasure for years to come!
• Float tons of “sports” balloons all around
• Make signs that say, “Locker Rooms” or “Restrooms” and tape them to the door of the bathroom. Another cute sign is “General Admission” on the front door or back door.
• Any type of fan gear like pennants, big foam fingers, baseball hats, etc. and hang from the walls, tables or ceilings
• Create place cards by painting baseballs and writing your guest’s names on the balls
• Make a pennant (with your color scheme) with the new parent’s last name to string across the serving table
• Make a tablecloth that looks like a “sports field” (e.g. Football Field)
• String a clothesline up with clothes pins and hang up sports bloomers, sports baby beanies, football legwarmers, or other sports baby gear
• Create a diaper cake with matching ribbon and sports related items for the centerpiece
• Have a “Concession Stand” for the food
• Have a sports game on the TV in the background
• For prizes hand out baseball hats, whistles, stop watches, peanuts, beer mugs, Nerf Footballs

SPORTS THEMED BABY SHOWER FOOD

Kick off the baby shower with some tasty and creative ideas!

For appetizers, serve popcorn in red and white popcorn boxes, Cracker Jacks or chips in an oversized wicker basket, Fruit decorated as footballs, soccer balls, baseball, etc

For Foods serve Hot dogs, Hamburgers, Mini sandwiches that look like footballs

For Drinks serve Coca-Cola in old fashioned glass bottles, Gatorade and Water bottles

SPORTS THEMED BABY SHOWER GAMES

If you are hosting a sports themed baby shower then you have to have games!  Fun and interesting games are great so that your guests will remember your party for a long time to come.  Below are some ideas for sports related games to play at your sports baby shower:

• If you are having your baby shower outdoors then you can have a football toss.  Set up your backyard with hula-hoops that can hang from a large branch of a tree.  Draw a line that players will toss from and have each guest toss the footballs through the hula-hoops.  The person that successfully makes it through the hoops wins the prize.
• Basketball belly guessing game.  Have each guest the circumference of the new mommy belly.  The three closest guesses wins
• If you have a Wii then hold a Wii Sports Tournament
• Indoors or outdoors – play basketball!  Get a Nerf Basketball and hoop set (give to mommy later) and divide the guests up into two teams.  Have each team player throw the ball and aim for the basket for a total of one minute.  Count all the baskets they make.  Whoever makes the most baskets wins!
• For a barrel of laughs try the game of volleyball with a water balloon.  Divide the guests into two different teams and place each team on either side of the net.  Choose two players on each team to hold up a beach towel.  Place a water balloon on the towel of the team of who will go first.  Have that team toss the balloon over the net using the towel and aim for the balloon to land in the opponents towel.  The team that does not pop their balloon wins.
• Bowling! Just like normal bowling but use baby bottles for the pins and tennis balls to bowl with
• CHUG! CHUG! Start this game with baby bottles filled with juice. The person who drinks it the fastest wins. This game is really fun when it is played with guys. The players will realize that they need to suck really hard to get the juice out. They will have hurting cheeks by the time they are done. *Play a gag with this game- seal up one of the nipples so no matter how hard one of the players sucks, nothing comes out. That player gets a prize for trying so hard.
• For a couples baby shower try a game called “Receiving End”, where the men participate.  Each man is given a life size plastic baby doll that has an “accident” in his diaper. Each guy has to try to take off the old diaper, wipe, baby powder or Destin, and put on a new diaper all while watching any sports game. Some of the babies will be rigged (you can place extra fluid in the bodies and making sure they have holes in between the legs) so that they can make a little extra surprise when the old diaper comes off and the new one goes on! Super Bowl will never be the same after playing these games and it makes a great baby shower experience!

Whichever game you choose for your baby shower it will be great for a sports baby shower theme because they all involve some level of competition!  Now, go have a ball!!

For unique beach baby gifts to match this theme visit our SPORTS BABY GIFTS pages!