27 Creative Baby Shower Food and Decorating Ideas

Green and blue dominate the color palette for an outdoor "boy" baby shower.

Keep the decor simple with fabric banners in playful colors and bouquets of flowers handpicked from the garden.

Sure, flat platters and trays will serve food, but they certainly won't display it. For a festive food spread, entertaining expert Amy Atlas ups the visual drama by varying heights, like the footed compote and cake stand at left. 

As either self-serve favors or a candy bar, elevate bulk candy by decanting it in handsome jars wearing old-school labels. Download our PDF of six different labels, including this one, here. Print onto card stock and cut out the labels. Then use an X-Acto knife to create slits, as shown, and slide a ribbon through the slits for hanging.

Give cake stands get a new purpose by placing colored floral domes on them. To make this centerpiece, cut the bottom of a foam ball, so it sits flat. Then soak it in water for 30 minutes before inserting the flowers.

Floral foam and glass marbles aren't the only ways to hold flowers aloft. Instead, a bunch of vintage milk bottles gives this arrangement—featured in Decorating with Flowers by Paula Pryke—its structure. Simply line up nine same-size vessels in three rows of three. Then wrap gardener's twine around the grouping twice and tie the ends. Finish the blooming display by placing two to three stems in each container.

Smart idea: Separate the milk bottles and flowers afterwards to give to your guests as party favors. 

Fresh outdoor elements and mismatched silverware lend casual elegance to a "blue" table setting.

Poetry- and prose-inspired crafts, such as these decorative plates printed with word decals, make for a great activity for a baby shower. Let each of your guests choose one word of a nursery rhyme to emblazon on their plates as a way to contribute something to the baby's room.  

The best letter-perfect craft ideas »

 

Use mason jars with pink or blue (or both!) straws as a color-appropriate drinking accessory.

Slice up fresh apples and add it to a jar of martini mix for a drink that looks as special as it tastes.

To make this drink, mix: 2 cups vodka, 1 cup apple schnapps, 1 cup orange liqueur, and 1 cup fresh lime juice; chill. Right before serving stir in 3 cups ice, strain, and pour into glasses. Don't forget to make a non-alcoholic version for the mother-to-be!

Flavored with fresh mint and lime juice, this refreshing iced tea is well-suited to accompany almost any type of food.

Recipe: Minty Iced Tea

Delicious homemade iced tea recipes » 

Crowd-pleasing, tangy smoked salmon toasts go well with champagne cocktails, brunch, or as the first course to a sit-down shower luncheon.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon Toasts

For a savory dish, kick sandwich fillings up a notch by serving chicken salad with mango chutney; radishes with butter and sea salt; pear and blue cheese; and an easy-to-eat BLT salad.
 

Flaky coconut cake makes a beautiful centerpiece on the buffet table. Handwritten name cards at each dish take the guesswork out of picking your favorite dessert.

Recipe: Coconut Cake

Since a shower can be held at any time of the day, consider serving brunch. Make sure dishes are light, so guests save room for dessert!

Recipe: Puffed Pancake with Cardamom-Fruit Salad

Passed-down recipes, like Nanny's carrot cake, give the mom-to-be a strong sense of tradition as she starts her new family.

Recipe: Nanny's Full o' Love Glazed Carrot Cake

For couples who want to be surprised if it's a boy or a girl, opt for yellow-and-white decor. Dress up classic lemon desserts by placing them on scallop-edged cake stands.

Recipe: Lemon Cake

Forgo a traditional cake for cupcakes embellished with intricate paper cuffs and colored frosting. This treat will be especially popular with any young children attending the shower with their moms.

If you know your friend is expecting a little girl, try this sweet dessert for a pink treat. For a quicker and almost-homemade strawberry cake, let white cake mix stand in for a cake made from scratch. Reduce the liquid called for in the mix by 1/3 cup and add 1 cup strawberry preserves and 1/8 teaspoon red food coloring. Bake the two 9-inch layers according to package instructions. Shorten the process (and cleanup) even more by using store-bought whipped cream. Top with strawberries and 1/4 cup preserves.

Turn premade pound cake into chichi petits fours to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a baby girl. "People will swear these are from a fancy bakery," says entertaining expert Amy Atlas of this tempting shortcut. To follow her lead: Use a serrated knife to cut the crust off a pound cake, then slice the cake into one-inch squares. Place them on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath, pour icing over the squares, and let set for an hour. Atlas's 60-second icing recipe? Mix four tablespoons of water to two cups of sifted confectioner's sugar. Tint the mixture by stirring in a bit of gel food-coloring.

Is your friend expecting a baby boy? Try this fruity ice cream with fresh huckleberries or blueberries for a blue dessert. 

Recipe: Huckleberry Ice Cream

For expectant mothers who are staying in the dark about their baby's gender, make a treat that can be both blue and pink. Use crisp, store-bought wafers and fill them with strawberry and blueberry ice cream to whip up delicious sandwiches in a jiffy.
 

Fill store-bought tartlet shells with fresh conserves for an easy-to-make party dessert your guests will love.

Put a personal stamp on store-bought treats with tiny "It's a Boy" or "It's a Girl" flags. To craft each banner, cut a small strip of card stock, trimming one end into an inverted arrow. Then use alphabet stamps to spell out the message, and glue the banner to a toothpick. The final step: Planting the flags in pretty cupcakes, each displayed on a mini cake pedestal.

Try finishing these party-perfect cakes with toppings such as fresh berries and cream, ice cream and warm fruit preserves, butterscotch and grated orange zest, or just a simple sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Recipe: Baby Bundt Cakes

As a tribute to the "nesting" new mother, hand out favors of boxes filled with egg-shaped candy.