Sports Themed Baby Shower

Many online and local retailers sell sports themed party invitations that are appropriate for baby showers and even birthday parties for the little sport. You can find invitations such as the one shown to the right that incorporate all the sports or you can find invites for individual sports such as baseball. Tailor the invites to match the interests of the parents and the rest of your party theme. Packs of 8 or 16 invitations normally run about $5 to $10.

Save a little money by making your own sports themed shower invitations by either using your computer or by crafting them from construction paper, cardstock and other materials. For the crafty scrapbookers among you, you'll likely have plenty of cardstock on hand to create a sports-inspired invitation. That might mean an invite shaped like a football, baseball mitt, football helmet with favorite team colors, or a soccer ball. And I know that you scrapbookers will have stickers so just add a few to the inside of the cards and you'll be all set. Whatever shape you choose, just use some clever wording such as:
It's an All Star Baby Shower! Come celebrate the newest member of the [mom's last name] team scheduled to arrive on [due date].

I also found a free sports themed shower template that is shown to the left here. Just fill in all of your shower details and follow the instructions to print these sporty invites.

For fully customized invitations, Tiny Prints has a wide selection for just about any theme or color scheme.

Decorating the room for a sports shower is fairly straight forward. Use various sports balls and equipment such as helmets, mitts, bats, etc throughout the area. You can hang foam sports fingers, team pennants, sports jerseys, streamers and ball-shaped balloons from the walls, tables, and ceilings.

For the buffet table, consider buying some of that fake green turf to use as the 'tablecloth' or buy a green vinyl tablecloth and use a white paint pen to create a lined football field on it.

Many stores sell football, baseball and soccer ball-shaped planters, serving bowls and trays to hold the food. In addition, I've seen some football helmets that are specifically made to hold dips for big parties such as Superbowl parties. They would be an excellent choice for a sports-themed baby shower as well.

One of the most clever sports inspired decorations that I've seen is a baby shower scoreboard that you can make yourself following the instructions from Plan the Perfect Baby Shower. See the example below:

Another clever idea is to use a sports ball such as a new football or baseball on a stand as a substitute for a boring guest book. Have each of the guests sign the ball with a permanent marker and the ball can be displayed in the sports-themed nursery after the shower. This is one keepsake that Mom & Dad will treasure for years to come!

And for the centerpiece, consider a sports-themed diaper cake that can do double-duty as your gift for the expectant Mom.

I don't know about you, but when I think about all the sports events that I've gone to, I think beer and pretzels for food. Of course, this may not be appropriate depending on the crowd. But chances are that you are throwing a sports theme baby shower where men will be invited too. If this is the case, then consider going with food that will bring them back to the ball game, hockey arena, football stadium, etc.

A barbecue with brats, hot dogs, burgers, and chips is about as American as baseball and apple pie so if your event can be held in the backyard, go for it! You can still serve this sort of food for an indoor shower, but it won't be quite the same.

A big tray of chicken wings with bleu cheese dressing and nachos slathered with cheese and chili are also great additions. And for the more healthy conscious among the guests, be sure to have a fruit and/or veggie tray with some dip.

Dessert for a sports-themed party is always pretty easy because you can buy sports picks for cupcakes or buy a ball-shaped cake pan to create a unique cake for the party. Round cookie cutters can be used to create sports-ball shaped cookies, sandwiches or cheese slices for the party as well.

Photo Credit: Flickr Kelli's Cake Creations

What would a shower be without baby shower games? Here are some fun sports-inspired game ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

Wii or Playstation Sports Tournament - If men are going to be at the shower, it is likely that one of them will have a video gaming system where you could set-up a sports tournament like boxing, football, baseball, bowling, etc. Give the overall champ a fun prize.

Famous Sports Trivia Game - This free printable game lists the names of 10 famous sports figures and you must name the sport for which they are known. The guest that gets the most answers correct wins the game.

Outdoor Football Toss - If you are having your party outdoors, hang some hula hoops from large tree branches and place a line where guests try to throw a football through the hula hoops. For every hoop they pass the ball through, they get a point. The guest with the most points wins the game.

Water Balloon Volleyball - Also great for outdoor parties, break the guests into teams of 2 with a team on each side of the net holding a beach towel (2 players hold the towel). Place a water balloon on the towel and that team must volley the balloon over the net to the other team who must catch it in their towel. Points are scored if a team doesn't make it over the net or if a team drops/pops the balloon.

Indoor or Outdoor Basketball - Set up one of those Fisher Price indoor basketball nets or use an existing outdoor basketball net/court. Break guests into teams of two having them shoot at a given distance for 60 seconds. The team that makes the most baskets in the 60 seconds wins the prize.

Not in to all these sporty games? Don't fret, you can find a huge selection of printable baby shower games by clicking on the link below.

Give your guests memorable little thank you gifts to show your appreciation for sharing in Mom's special day. In the above photo, you can see some of the fun gumball machines that are shaped like sports balls available at Baby Gifts & Gift Baskets. In addition to these fun favors, you can also find sports themed lip balm, hand cream, and travel candle favors that feature personalized lid labels with the shower information. Many companies also carry sports themed candy wrappers including Amazon (see below).

You can also do your own baby shower favors by purchasing things like sports shaped soaps or candles or foil-covered chocolates and placing them in a cellophane bag. Tie the bag with a ribbon and add a personalized favor hang tag to create a custom look that your guests will love!

Photo Credit: Baby Gift Baskets

I was out shopping for some baby gifts last weekend and found all kinds of cool sports themed stuff. So many boys clothes feature sports-themed appliques like football, basketball, soccer, etc. They are simply adorable. In addition, I found plush items like baby's first baseball and football.

So many online retailers carry sports-themed baby gifts as well including those shown in the photo - deluxe sport welcome wagon and the take me out to the ballgame hot dog gift set. Personalized football and baseball snuggle blankets that can be customized with any NFL or MLB team are also available online. Combine Dad's favorite sports team with the baby gift and you can be sure that your gift will be a home run or touchdown! Sports themed baby bibs, bath robes, and layette sets are easy to find too.

So enjoy shopping - you are sure to find something fun for the little sport!

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