Planning a baby shower is a lot like planning a birthday party. You're planning it for someone else and you want to make sure it's perfect for the expecting parents. There are a lot of things to think about when planning a baby shower and it can be a little overwhelming. Even though it can be stressful, it can also be super fun, and the payoff of smiling faces at the end, makes it all worth it. We've put together a few tips to help you plan the ultimate baby shower.

Start With the Basics

To start, you want to figure out where to have the baby shower. At your own home or maybe at the expecting parent's family member's / friend's home? Will the weather be nice enough to have it outside at a park or maybe you want to rent a venue? Once you have that sorted out, you'll want to think about how many people you want to invite and who. This is something you should consider discussing with the expecting parents since it's for them. Unless you know them well enough! Do this far enough in advance so that people can book it off work (if they have to) and so you don't need to worry about working it around other's schedules last minute.

Pick A Theme

After you've finished deciding on a location and sending out the invites, it's time for the fun part - planning the baby shower! It's easier to search for decor and come up with ideas for games and food when you have a theme picked out. Do the expecting parents have a favourite show like The Office? We've seen a lot of The Office themed baby showers recently. Maybe they want to go with a seasonal theme like "winter wonderland" or a "fabulous fall". Whatever you choose, make sure it won't be too hard to find decor to match!

Food and Snacks

Let's be honest. Food is the number one thing people look forward to at a party. When throwing a baby shower, ask the expecting parent's what their favourite foods and snacks are. You can also do foods that match the decor and colour palette. Or if it works for the group you're inviting, maybe do a potluck! But still have other food's and baking prepared if you go that route.

Baby Shower Games

The one thing every baby shower needs: games. You can buy fun little games from us, your local party store, or you can make your own! Ask the guests to bring a baby picture of themselves and have everyone try to guess who's who! You could "bob for pacifiers", do baby shower bingo, or have everyone decorate white onesies with fabric markers. There are so many fun options!

Add a Personal Touch

Remember that this party isn't just for the coming baby, it's also for the parents! Be sure to include some of their favourite things and consider them when planning the shower from start to finish. Buy their favourite flowers, prepare some of their favourite foods, and play the music they like!

No matter what you come up with, we're sure you'll throw the perfect party! Remember, above all else, to have fun with it. It will surely be a baby shower to remember!

5 Spring Party Themes for Your Kid’s Birthday!

April showers bring May flowers and a whole bunch of new party ideas for your kid's birthday. Spring birthdays can be tough because you never know what the weather is going to be like. Cold? Warm? Rainy? So here are some sure-fire ideas for your child's spring birthday!

Get Crafty

A great idea for an indoor or outdoor party is arts and crafts! If you plan on painting, put some plastic down and set up some cheap easels. If you want to do crafts, think about what your kid really enjoys and pick a theme from there. You can do scrapbooking, tie-dye, decorating mugs, painting wooden items ... the list goes on. We even have a bunch of different themed craft kits here at Party Stuff!

Swim Swim Swim

If you live in Canada, you know there's really no way to have a beach party in the spring. So instead, how about renting an indoor pool or hotel pool for a few hours? A lot of city pools even have the option of renting out a room where you can hang some decorations and have some food and cake!

Tea Party

A classic choice for a little one, is a tea party! This is another one that can be done outside or easily moved indoors if the weather is poor. All you have to do is set up a table and buy a bunch of tea cups from your local thrift store. Maybe even let the guests keep their tea cup at the end of the party. Consider stopping at Party Stuff for some lace doilies, place cards, faux pearl necklaces, and of course balloons and other decor you may need!

Easter & Kid's Birthday Combined

Is your kid's birthday right around Easter? You should combine the two celebrations into one big party! Invite both friends and family over and have a big easter hunt for eggs and treats. Combining both birthday and easter decor will be so fun to do and end up looking so cute! You could even hire someone to dress up as the Easter Bunny.

Little Farmers

Throw a farm-themed birthday party! This is another one that you can host inside or outside. Have everyone dress up in denim, plaid, and cowboy hats. Consider decorating with hay bales if you're doing it outside. You can play classic games like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, rope toss, and horseshoes. If you're crafty, you could even make DIY stick horses!

Sleepover Party

When we were kids, nothing was more fun than a sleepover party! The best part about this party is you can pick any theme to go with it. Just have all the guests bring over a sleeping bag and pillow. You could just have them sleep on the floor or if you want to make it a little more like camping, you could set up a tent either outside or inside. There are even some places now that will rent you everything you need, including tents! Pretty cool, huh?

We hope we inspired you with these 5 spring party ideas. Here's to hoping your kid's birthday is a memorable one this year!

March 17th is St Patty’s day, and it seems like everyone wants to celebrate this Irish holiday by throwing a big party! Let us help you throw the perfect party with some great ideas and tips that will be sure to make you stand out from the crowd.

Location, Location, Location

Finding the proper spot for your St. Patty's celebration, whether it be your home, a spot outdoors, or a rented out venue, can be a little tough. When figuring out where the best spot is to throw the perfect party, think about parking, how much it's going to cost you, where the guests live in relation to the spot, and how easy it is to get to.

Throw the perfect party with perfect decorations

Whether you’re looking for those lucky decorations or making them yourself, it’s important to plan the decor in advance. You don't want to cause yourself stress by doing it last minute. If you're crafty, maybe make a few St. Patrick's Day decorations to set the mood. An easy one would be to spray paint one of those plastic black cauldrons you see around halloween and create your own pot o’ gold. Then fill it with a bunch of chocolate or plastic coins and use that as a centrepiece!

Go with a Festive Dress Code

What is a St. Patrick's Day celebration without some green and gold? Have a green and gold dress code so that everyone really gets into the festivities. Be sure to let all of your guests know about the dress code when you send out the invites! And be sure to buy a few accessories in case some of the guests forget or don't have their own. Themes like this always make for the best Instagram posts at the end of the night!

Set up a Photo Booth

As well as party games, why not set up a photo booth for social media enthusiasts. Use a green sheet backdrop embellished with some St. Patrick’s Day balloons and decor! And don't forget a few photograph booth props. You can invite your friends and family to snap some selfies or maybe get one of those Fujifilm instant cameras so people can take their pictures home with them!

Most Importantly: Food

Have an indoor or outdoor dinner with friends & family in celebration of all things green ... it'll come together easily if you prep ahead so don't stress over cooking on such short notice (you can also take advantage of catered options). If serving indoors, have fun menu using themes including 'Irish' dishes, food, and colours associated with Ireland. A theme doesn't always need to mean traditional foods; try adding fresh herbs into decorating areas around tables at meal time - they're lovely accents as well! To add more colour use different types of flowers throughout dining area where guests sit eat their meals which makes them feel really festive while enjoying these wonderful tastes from afar.

Hopefully these tips allow you to throw the perfect party for St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day passed recently and for the first time in as far back as we can remember, pubs weren't packed with green beer drinking party goers. Offices weren't decorated green. Those green blazers have to wait another year in the closet.

While the big parties are on hold as we stay home and do our part to distance ourselves socially (stopping the spread of COVID-19) that doesn't mean that we can't get the party started at home.

A party, at its core, is simply a group of people having fun. So, to fight cabin fever and make self-isolation a bit more fun, here are 10 small parties you can have at home with the family.

The fact of the matter is while we conquer this virus we can also make the best of it. Come together as a family and live your best-isolated life! You won’t regret making the most of your time.

Have a party idea we didn’t cover? Let us know. We’ll add it to the list. PG suggestions only, please.