Whether you’re planning a baby shower for yourself, a loved one, or a friend, you are sure to find gorgeous ideas to inspire your backyard baby shower setup in this post. Get ready for everything from ‘oh so cute’ baby shower decor to baby shower games and baby shower food ideas.
Baby Showers are known as one of the highlights of many women’s pregnancies. This is an occasion to invite those whom the mother loves and feels safest with to celebrate the future of a very special bubba.
As you begin planning, why not consider a backyard baby shower set up? Here in the privacy of your own space, you are in control of decor, who’s involved, what food is served, plus the party can continue for hours without time limits!
I can personally attest to how wonderful this can be. The baby shower featured in this post was held for me as I was pregnant with our precious baby girl last year. Though I did not organise this event myself, I’m excited to share all the details with you in the hope you’ll draw inspiration from it.
After reading this post, a backyard baby shower set up is sure to be high on your ideas list. But even if you choose to celebrate indoors, you can find some great baby shower games or food ideas to use here, too.
This post is all about how to create a beautiful backyard baby shower set up.
Creating a Backyard Baby Shower Set Up
1. Outdoor Baby Shower Games
One of the highlights of a baby shower is the screams of delight shared around games. As the organiser of this event, making sure your guests have a good time is a top priority. Choosing a variety of games with different levels of skill and luck can go a long way to achieving this.
Here are a few games we played at my own shower, which my guests loved, and I’m sure yours will too! And bonus! I’ve included all the printables, FREE to download and print below each game!
1. Baby Block Decorating
This is a sweet activity your guests can do at their leisure, which results in a beautiful addition to a baby’s nursery. Guests are invited to take a pen and a block and write a message, draw a picture, or decorate their block however they wish.
In the end you can gift the pregnant Mumma this set of hand decorated blocks, uniquely designed with her baby in mind.
All you need is a set of wooden blocks (light colored or plain wood is fine) and markers or paint pens. Create a little area with these supplies as well as a sign explaining how the activity works.
2. Don’t Say Baby!
This game is seriously a lot of fun! It’s designed to continue from the beginning to the end of your event. Introduce the game in your welcoming speech and make sure to have an enticing prize for the winner.
The rules are simple… Don’t say Baby! Everyone is given three wooden pegs each to begin with. They can attach these to a hem of clothing to keep their hands free. Once the game begins, no one is allowed to use the word “Baby”. As you can imagine, that is extremely difficult at a baby shower.
If someone hears another guest use the forbidden word, they can call them out on it. The guest who made the mistake must then give them one of their pegs. The winner is decided by who finishes the event with the most pegs.
If that’s too easy for you, then you could consider adding a few more words. Other word ideas could be: birth, cute, born, pregnant or any other word you could imagine hard to do without.
3. Guess How Many
You may have seen this game played at other showers or birthdays. This is a classic guessing and luck game. Fill a jar with something desirable and small. It could be candy, chocolates, beads, or, like my baby shower, marshmallows. Added points if its something the pregnant Mumma loves or craves!
Fun Fact, when my Mum was pregnant with me, she only wanted to eat the pink marshmallows, apparently that was her sign she was having a girl!
4. Baby Predictions
These sheets are so fun to look back on months or even years down the track. Invite your guests at the beginning of the event to take a pen and sheet, and answer this little sheet. I can personally say that having these to read through afterwards was so encouraging.
You can also keep track of some of the answers to do with due date and weight, then after babies born, see who got the closest!
Backyard Baby Shower Set Up and Decor Ideas
Whether your backyard is big or small, here are a few simple ways to use what you likely already have to create a beautiful setup.
Of course, my baby shower was decorated knowing I was having a girl, so if you’re unsure about gender or expecting a little boy, leaning less into pink may be advisable.
1. Picnic Blankets and Cushions
I absolutely love using picnic blankets for outdoor events! Guests can instantly feel relaxed and invited to take whatever space feels most comfortable to them. Of course, you should always make sure there is some form of seating dotted around for those who may find sitting on the ground uncomfortable.
If you require blankets, the thrift store is an excellent place to find vintage sheets, which you could layer over thicker or uglier blankets for a plush feel.
You’ll also want to bring out cushions! Big or small, bring them all! This will give your backyard baby shower set up more dimension and triple the comfort factor!
2. Bunting
Bunting is one of my go-to ways to decorate with classic style on a budget. Using fabric, card or printable templates, you can create bunting to fit your colour and party themes.
Because it is easy and inexpensive to make, I love to create meters and meters of it to be used above and around the venue. With just a string of bunting, you can take a drab wall and give it a bright pop of personality.
For my baby shower, vintage floral bunting went back and forth over the backyard. I loved the ambience this created when paired with the festoon lights.
3. Baskets and Flowers
This one maybe obvious, but perhaps the perfect decor pieces for a baby shower picnic would be baskets. Thrift stores are the perfect place to pick up vintage or picnic baskets. Look for a variety of shapes and sizes for that laid-back vintage look.
You can then fill these with flowers or any other decorations that fit your theme. Some other fun ideas for filling them would be teddy bears, baby blankets, treats and drinks, or maybe activities for your guests to do in their own time.
4. Baby Shower Banner
Creating a baby shower banner can be the perfect way to add a personal touch for a welcoming display or photo opportunity. I made this banner using white cotton fabric and an iron-on Cricut stickers. If you do not have a cricut however hand painting is a fun and inexpensive option!
Below is a photo of a hand-painted banner I designed for a friend’s (very last-minute) baby shower. With just one day to plan a whole baby shower, I spent a few hours painting this, then paired it with red and blue balloons for a “berry” themed shower.
If your keen to learn to make your own sign stand like the one used above I have a full tutorial here: How to Make a Stunning DIY Sign Stand.
Backyard Baby Shower Food Ideas
Selecting a menu for your event always largely depends on the time of day. My baby shower was held in the evening so dinner and dessert were offered to guests.
I’m so thankful for my parent-in-laws who I’m sure worked all day preparing the fantastic meal we all enjoyed. For our party of roughly 40 people, we had homemade pizzas! These are a great idea for outdoor events, as they could be cooked on the BBQ or indoors.
It is also ideal if you are hosting as well as cooking. Pizzas can be prepared ahead of time and then cooked fresh for maximum enjoyment!
Whether or not your baby shower includes dinner, you’ll likely have some form of cake or dessert planned. A cake themed to your event is not only a beautiful table centerpiece, but also a great way to feed a crowd.
You may consider a dessert bar, where guests can create their own ice cream creations! At my baby shower we were blessed to have an ice cream cart offering waffle cones and 4 different flavors to our guests.
The best way to plan your menu is to keep in mind variety within one genre of food. For example, pizza is a great choice, as there are many different topping options for picky eaters. Or an ice cream bar with a few varieties of ice cream and toppings to be customised.
This way all your guests are sure to enjoy their meals.
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