ABCs & 123s

An ABC and 123 baby shower theme is a wonderful theme that uses bright primary colors and draws on the creative and sometimes whimsical ways we teach our children these building blocks of learning. This is one theme that will knock everyone's "blocks" off!

Baby Shower Invitations
Send a personalized baby shower invitation that will get everyone excited. There are many styles to choose from, but we love using one that reflects your theme like this fun design featuring baby blocks. There are also matching favors to help you carry the theme through from start to finish.

If you want to go all out for you mother-to-be consider having a custom caricature of her drawn! Not only can you use it for invitations, but signage, seating cards and favors too!

You can always make your own invitations for this ABC and 123 baby shower. Print the party information on a piece of vellum and back it with a printed piece of paper that fits your theme. Try this fun wording:

Guess who is A mommy to B?
Kathleen Samson!
Please join us for an
ABC and 123 Baby Shower
RSVP by June 17 at 123-4567
C you there!

Invitations should be sent out about 4 weeks before the shower. Work with the mom to be to define the guest list and pick a date that works for her. The hostess should set a budget and pick a location, both of which will affect the guest list.

Baby Shower Decorations and Party Supplies
You can start off by welcoming everyone with a personalized baby shower banner. Choose fun wording like, "Kathleen is A mommy to B! She is happy to C you here!" Add a balloon bouquet to each side of the entrance for extra color. If you have a concrete walkway leading up to the entrance, why not draw a few games of hopscotch on the ground with sidewalk chalk?

I love it when baby showers have a table that displays baby photos of the mom and dad-to-be. This is a great place for a life-sized cutout of the mommy-to-be as well. It is also a nice place to set out an ABC theme sign in board for guests to leave a note of love for the new family. Have guests leave a message for the new family with with a personalized baby blocks shower pen, which guests can take home as a cute and practical party favor!

We always recommend balloons for baby showers; they are economical, and they make a big impact! An easy trick to making balloon bouquets that look great is to always group balloons in odd numbers, which are more pleasing to the eye. Start by making bunches of primary colored latex balloons. Add a fun Mylar baby shower balloon to each bunch and weigh the bouquet down with a small baby toy like a rattle or teething ring. You can give them to the mom-to-be as a gift at the end of the party.

Here are a few more quick and fun decorating ideas for your baby shower:

• Purchase wooden letters from your local craft store and paint them in bright primary colors. Spell out certain elements of the party (ie - on the cake table spell out C-A-K-E or Y-U-M-M-Y).
• Fill clear cylindrical vases full of 123 and ABC magnetic letters in lieu of flowers and use them to decorate the cake, gift and buffet tables.
• Streamers are another economical way to decorate a boring hall or party room. Sometimes decorations can seem haphazard and this is a great way to pull it all together. Just uses colors that tie in with the rest of your decorations!

Another fun idea is to incorporate children's nursery rhymes into your décor. Stick with ones that involve counting and the alphabet. You can frame them and use them for table decorations or make them poster sized and hang them on the walls. Here are a few to get you started -

One, Two, Three, Four, Five
One, two, three, four, five, Once I caught a fish alive. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Then I let it go again. Why did you let it go? Because it bit my finger so. Which finger did it bite? The little one upon the right.

This Little Piggy
This little pig went to market; This little pig stayed at home; This little pig had roast beef; This little pig had none; This little pig said, "Wee, wee! I can't find my way home."

One Two, Buckle My Shoe
One, two, buckle my shoe; Three, four, knock at the door; Five, six, pick up sticks; Seven, eight, lay them straight; Nine, ten, a good fat hen; Eleven, twelve, dig and delve; Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting; Fifteen, sixteen, maids a-kissing; Seventeen, eighteen, maids a-waiting; Nineteen, twenty, I've had plenty.

The Alphabet
A, B, C, and D, Pray, playmates, agree. E, F, and G, Well, so it shall be. J, K, and L, In peace we will dwell. M, N, and O, To play let us go. P, Q, R, and S, Love may we possess. W, X, and Y, Will not quarrel or die. Z, and ampersand, Go to school at command.

You are well on your way to having a beautiful baby shower. Now let's move on to the tables!

You have lots of great options when it comes to decorating your tables, here are a few of our favorite ideas:

• Scatter baby alphabet blocks on the tops of the tables. Every once in a while you can group them to spell a baby shower related word like "Mommy" or "Baby".
• Baby bottles with the tops removed are fun drinking glasses. Include a straw for easy sipping. Continue with the letter theme by attaching a small tag that says "B is for Bottle", or even a personalized bottle label that matches your party theme!
• Make your own cute placements by purchasing ABC and counting picture books from your local thrift store. Cut out pages and either laminate them or back them with a larger piece of construction paper.
• Another cute placemat idea is to use the lined writing paper little kids use the practice writing their letters on!
• Buy several packs of alphabet flash cards and use them as seating or place cards. Use the big letter on the card to start the name and then fill in the rest with a permanent marker.
• Stuffed animals and toys make wonderful centerpieces. Give each a little tag - "G is for giraffe", "T is for train", "L is for lamb" and so on. You can give them as a gift to mom and baby after the party. If you have a large room add bouquets of primary colored latex balloons to the animals for height.

Now that your tables look wonderful, it's time to focus on the food! The food that you serve at a baby shower depends on the time of day you are having the party.

• Brunch - Serve fruit salad, muffins, bagels, a breakfast casserole or two, along with orange juice, and coffee. You can dress if up a bit with a crepe station (contact a local caterer) and mimosas!
• Lunch - Serve finger sandwiches, crudités, and potato and macaroni salads. Set out two punches, one alcoholic and one for those who choose not to drink.
• Mid-Afternoon - People will not be expecting a meal, so serve hors d'oeuvres, mini desserts and drinks. Martinis are sure to be a hit!
• Dinner - Since this is a mealtime you should definitely have some heavier food. Anything that feeds a crowd will work. Wine is appropriate for an evening shower.

Tie into your theme by making little identifying signs for the different dishes like you did for the centerpieces. For dessert you should serve apple pie and cake. Near your dessert table you can place a framed printout of this fun alphabet nursery rhyme -

A Was an Apple Pie
A was an Apple pie; B bit it; C cut it; D dealt it; E eat it; F fought for it; G got it; H had it; J joined it; K kept it; L longed for it; M mourned for it; N nodded at it; O opened it; P peeped in it; Q quartered it; R ran for it; S stole it; T took it; V viewed it; W wanted it; X, Y, Z, and all wish'd for a piece in hand.

See? That was easy as pie :)

Baby Shower Games and Activities
One of the main activities at a baby shower is watching the guest of honor open all of the cute baby gifts! When she opens her gifts, make sure someone is writing down who gave what. A family member is usually a better choice than a friend for this job because they are familiar with many of the guests. Also, be ready with a trash bag for all of the paper!

Many baby showers offer games for the guests to play. Here is another place where those personalized baby blocks shower pens work well. Leave some on the tables for guests to play the games with.

We created this printable ABC baby shower game just for this ABC and 123 shower theme:

• ABCs for Baby: Everything From A-Z!

Here are a few more printable games that you can leave on the tables for guests to amuse themselves with -

• Baby Word Scramble and Answer Key
• Mother Goose and Answer Key
• Baby Animals and Answer Key

We also have a huge list of baby shower games that you can play throughout the party on our Baby Shower Games page.

Baby Shower Party Favors
Send everyone home with their personalized baby blocks shower pens from the sign in board and baby games. You can also send them home with another small treat to say "Thanks for coming". Here are a few of our favorite baby shower favor ideas -

• Custom ABC Baby Shower Candy Bars
• Personalized Mint and Candy Tins
• Personalized Baby Shower Lollipops

Your mommy to be will have a wonderful time at her ABC and 123 baby shower. She will always remember the special celebration that you put so much thought and love into!