Train Themed Baby Shower

When it comes to invitations, you have several options depending on your budget and schedule. If you have a good sized budget and want custom invitations that are printed especially for your shower with all of the details, you can find train-themed invites at many online shops. The train baby shower invitations shown in the photo are available at Baby Gifts & Gift Baskets.

The second option is to buy fill-in invitations that have a train on the front and blanks on the inside where you must hand-write all of the shower details such as the RSVP info, the name, date, location, time, etc. These invitations are usually purchased in conjunction with matching tableware or other party supplies. They are much more affordable than custom invitations, but beware of hand cramping if you have lots of people coming to the shower.

If you'd like to use your creativity, why not make your own baby shower invitations? I found this adorable sample along with instructions at Make Your Own Invitations.

The other option is to create some train-themed invites on your computer or craft them from construction paper and scrap booking supplies. You can use this pattern to make your own train. In either case, you should use a fun train-themed verse on the card. Here are some sample verses:

All Aboard... to celebrate [Mom-to-be's name]'s Baby Shower!
Inside the card:
[Mom-to-be's name]'s Station
Please meet at Track # (street address)
Date:
Time:
RSVP: To Station Master [Hostess' First Name] @ [phone number]
--------------------
All Aboard! [Mom-to-be's name]'s little one is on the way....it's time to help her get ready for the big day!
--------------------
Chug, Chug, Choo, Choo...
Time for [mom-to-be's name]'s baby shower and we've invited you!
-------------------

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

Welcome your party guests to the station in style by using these fantastic decorating ideas! One of the first things you need to decide on is the color scheme for the party. If you decide to go with baby blue and white tableware like that shown in the photo, then obviously you should decorate with blue and white streamers, balloons and other accessories. However you can also go with a primary color scheme that is red, blue, yellow and black. Many party stores sell train tabletop items such as plates, napkins, beverage cups and more with trains in those colors.

For a creative entrance to the party, use some sidewalk chalk to draw train tracks up to the front door where you have a sign that reads [mom-to-be's name]'s Baby Shower Station. You can even buy a professionally printed personalized baby shower banner that has a train theme to hang above the door.
Be sure to have a pair of overalls, denim conductor cap, a whistle and a red bandana for Mom to wear .... she is the conductor after all!

Buy, borrow or use your own little toy train set to place on the gift or buffet table. And consider purchasing or making a train themed diaper cake to sit front and center on the table. The great thing about diaper cakes is that they act as both the centerpiece and the shower gift for baby and mom.

Tableware Photo Credit: Train Themed Baby Shower Supplies

Add the choo choo train theme to your buffet table in these clever ways! Use your own toy train or borrow one from a friend if possible to lay tracks all around the table and then place a train on the tracks. If you can't find a toy train with tracks, use a simple white plastic table cloth and either paint or draw an oval train track with black paint around the outside edge of the tablecloth.

For the party snacks, you can craft some small trains yourself out of cardboard and paint them to look like the real thing. Add plastic tubes or straws for the axles and use big buttons or jar lids for the wheels. Fill them with snacks for a fun look.

Another fun idea is to create a sandwich train. As described above, use a white tablecloth that has black tracks painted on it. Then make some flatbed train cars where you can lay sandwiches. Place the train cars/sandwiches around the track. I recommend using an actual toy train engine at the front of the line to make it a bit more realistic looking. If you'd rather have the entire thing be edible, you can use celery or carrots for the train tracks and lay the sandwiches on top. Then use ritz bitz sandwiches, chocolate oreo cookies or even banana slices to make the train wheels. Get more great sandwich train ideas by clicking on the link.

You can use train cookie cutters to make just about any food into a train shape. It works great for sugar cookies, finger sandwiches, jello jigglers, and cheese slices. You can also create a fruit train by cutting the large chunks of watermelon into rectangles and then using a melon baller to create wheels that are held in place with toothpicks.

For the punch, try to make a color that goes with your color scheme. For example, I'd recommend a blue fizzy punch if you are going with a classic baby blue and white train color scheme.

Finally, a train baby shower cake is a must. See the great ideas for Wilton train cakes below and also the YouTube video which gives detailed instructions for creating your very own train cake.

Trying to come up with baby shower games that have a train theme can be difficult, but here are a few ideas to get you started. The other option is to buy printable classic games that feature a train border on the paper.

Pin the Number of the Engine - Make a large train engine out of construction paper or draw an engine directly on a posterboard. Give each of the shower guest a train number where they can write their name and a piece of double-sided tape. Blindfold each of them and ask them to pin the number on the engine. The guest closest to the correct location on the engine wins the game. This is a twist on the classic pin the tail on the donkey game.

Train Ice Breaker Game - this great game idea from Birthday in a Box is a fun way to get your guests mingling and getting to know each other. Get the detailed instructions and pattern here. The main idea in the game is to give each guest that arrives a piece of a train puzzle (2 pieces per train) and ask them to find their partner so they can hook the train together. The first partners to find each other win the game.

Trains Word Search - using your computer you can create your own train-themed word search or print out this FREE version from homeschooling.com

Find even more shower game ideas online:

Give your guests a little something to take home with them as a thank you gift. For train themed showers, consider buying train-shaped lollipops or making train-shaped sugar cookies. Tuck them into baby themed cellophane bags and tie them with a satin or curling ribbon. Then tie on a personalized favor hang tag that features the shower date, the mom-to-be's name and of course a fun train design. You can make hang tags yourself on the computer and print them on avery labels or you can purchase them online.

For a truly elegant favor choice, consider a crystal train favor like the one shown in the photograph above. Your guests will cherish it for years to come as they display them in their homes. The photo also shows some other great baby shower favors such as choo choo train shaped soaps in a clear gift box with a personalized hang tag, containers of lip balm featuring personalized train stickers on the lids, and personalized candy bar wrapper favors that have an entire train pattern and cute ingredients list on the back of the label.

Photo Credit: Baby Shower Favors

Here are some cute ways to tie your baby shower gift in with the shower theme. Things like toy trains (the one above has a cookie bouquet for Mom & Dad too!), silver-plated train banks that can be personalized, and train themed room decor are great gift choices.

If the nursery will be featuring a train theme, consider giving bedding, lamps, and other accessories. Many companies sell baby clothing and bibs that feature train appliques. Obviously, these items are a great choice too.

Photo Credit: Baby Shower Gifts

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