Baby shower afternoon tea

What it is

A gentle, elegant way to celebrate a parent-to-be: an afternoon tea with finger sandwiches and cakes, a craft where guests decorate baby clothes, and a couple of easy games. It’s calm and comfortable for someone who’s heavily pregnant.

Plan ahead

• Four weeks before: agree the guest list with the parent-to-be, and send invitations (and any registry details).
• Two weeks before: ask guests to send a baby photo of themselves for the matching game.
• One week before: buy plain onesies in a few sizes, fabric markers and decorations.
• The day before: bake or buy cakes and scones; prepare sandwich fillings.

Set the scene

Pastel balloons or the nursery colours, flowers in teapots, bunting and tiered cake stands. A comfy chair for the guest of honour with a cushion and footstool.

Activities

Guess the bump

Guests cut a length of ribbon or string they think will fit around the bump. Closest wins.

Baby photo match

Pin up baby photos of guests with numbers. Everyone guesses who is who.

Onesie decorating

Lay out onesies, fabric markers and iron-on patches. Put card inside each so ink doesn’t bleed through. Guests decorate them with drawings and messages; the parent-to-be gets a wardrobe of one-of-a-kind outfits.

Wishes for baby

Cards with prompts: “I hope you learn…”, “I hope you see…”, “My advice for your parents…”. Put them in a memory box.

Food and drink

• Finger sandwiches: egg and cress, cucumber, smoked salmon, coronation chicken
• Scones with jam and clotted cream
• Mini cakes: lemon drizzle squares, macarons, cupcakes
• Tea, mocktails and elderflower fizz
• A cake in the nursery colours

Tips

• Pregnancy-safe food: avoid unpasteurised cheese, raw eggs and smoked fish if the parent-to-be is avoiding them (offer it separately).
• Keep it to about 3 hours - parents-to-be tire easily.