When a friend or relative announces the good news that they’re pregnant, it’s a time to celebrate. If you’ve volunteered to host a baby shower, you may be excited about it until you realize you’re not sure where to start.

So, how do you host the perfect baby shower for a loved one that is rolling ever closer to her due date?

Pick a date and time

When planning a baby shower for a friend or relative, it’s important to hold it around 7 months into her pregnancy. It also needs to be held at a date and time that is convenient for her to attend. Pick some dates and times and run them by your guest of honor to let her have the final choice.

Set your guest list and budget

The mom-to-be will need to provide you with contact information for the people she’d like to invite. It’s important to figure out the budget here too, for if she has just 10 people and you have $500 budgeted, it can be an extravagant event. But if you have that same budget and 50 guests, you’re going to need to keep the party planning simple. Remember, invites should be sent about 6 weeks ahead of the baby shower so everyone has time to RSVP!

Find a venue

For tight budgets, it may be best to host the perfect baby shower in your own home or backyard. This will save you the cost of a reservation fee somewhere else. But if your guest list is large or you’ve got a big budget, you can choose a nearby restaurant or even a hotel event room. The best part about having it at a restaurant or hotel is that the food and setup, catering, and cleanup are all taken care of so you can truly enjoy the event with the mom-to-be.

Plan the food and décor

The food and décor should be based on things that the guest of honor likes. For example, if she’s been craving tacos, consider a taco bar with nonalcoholic margaritas. You can theme the decorations too, but only if she’s on board with a specific theme. Otherwise, keep it simple and in line with her tastes.

Consider the games

Games are the best part of a baby shower, next to the food that is! Once everyone arrives, you can kick off games and activities to work up an appetite and then enjoy the food. After that, everyone can watch the guest of honor open her gifts.

Don’t forget party favors

Giving baby shower favors is a simple yet important way to thank everyone for coming. You can find all kinds of cute things that fit your budget from magnet picture frames to scented soaps and candles.

Most importantly, don't forget baby shower gifts for your guest of honor!

Here are some of the RubyRoo Baby favorites!

Now that you know how to plan the perfect baby shower, you can get started. As long as you keep in mind the wishes of the mom-to-be and stick to your budget, everything should turn out beautifully!