Fun food for baby showers

37 Crowd-Pleasing Baby Shower Food Ideas

Planning a baby shower is lots of fun, especially when it comes to brainstorming food ideas. Whether you’re looking for food ideas that match your chosen baby shower theme or you’re just looking for quick, easy, and flavorful options that everyone will love, you’ve come to the right place. Check out our 37 baby shower food ideas, including savories, sweets, and thirst-quenching drinks.

9 Tips and Ideas for Planning a Baby Shower Menu

When planning a baby shower, you can be as creative as you like with the food ideas, but it’s also important to consider some practical aspects.

As the host, you’ll have a lot to take care of, including decorating the venue, so it’s good to plan food that is quick to make and easy to serve and eat.

Here are some tips to help you think about the types of food to choose, how to serve it, and more:

Savory Baby Shower Food Ideas

Whether you plan on having only finger foods or an entire menu at the baby shower, here are some ideas for the savory food:

Baby Shower Dessert Table Food Ideas

Besides having a baby shower cake as a centerpiece, you may want to have a dessert table with an assortment of other sweet offerings. Here are some ideas for crowd-pleasing sweets and desserts:

Drinks

Beyond serving the usual wine spritzer or sparkling wine at the baby shower, consider some alcohol-free drinks, like mocktails, punch, and homemade sodas:

The Bottom Line

You’ll no doubt have lots of fun planning and serving the food for the mom-to-be’s baby shower.

If you’ve decided to prepare most of the food, round up some of the mom-to-be’s friends and family to help. Make it easier on yourself by using some store-bought elements, too. You could also make some of what’s on offer but ask each guest to bring a small plate to share.

Set up food and dessert tables so that guests can serve themselves buffet style, and stick to foods that aren’t too messy to eat while standing up and mingling.

If you have a set theme, you can tie the food into the theme by using colored frosting, or by piping lettering onto foods like “Oh, Baby!” Cookie cutters are your friend! Cut everything from brownies to sandwiches into shapes that match the theme. You can also connect the food and drinks to the theme based on the colors you choose for the straws, napkins, and cupcake liners.

Having a chocolate fondue fountain or a soda bar can create an interactive element that guests will love.

Have fun with it! Your options are endless, and you might find you really get into it once you get started. And, always remember, no matter what food and drinks you serve, your guests — especially the guest of honor — will really appreciate your efforts and thoughtfulness.

While you’re here, check out our baby shower checklist to double-check that you’ve covered everything for the upcoming event.

25 Perfect Baby Shower Food Ideas on a Budget – Instacart

Throwing a fun, memorable party to celebrate the new arrival in your life doesn’t have to break the bank. You can decorate a party or backyard and prepare a tasty menu affordably without compromising on quality—it just takes planning. If you’re stuck and don’t know where to start, these baby shower food ideas on a budget will get the ball rolling.

How to throw a baby shower on a budget

Before we get into baby shower food ideas, these are our cost-cutting tips for throwing a wonderful baby shower on a budget.

1. Don’t host at mealtimes

If you host a baby shower at mealtimes, you’ll have to serve full meals, which can be expensive. Instead, throw your baby shower between meals, so you can serve only appetizers and sweet snacks. 2 p.m. is a popular time for these events.

2. Keep a pared-down guest list

On average, guests eat around 5 pieces of food at baby showers. The more people you invite, the costlier the event will be.

3. Ask guests to bring food or drinks

If you still want a full party but can’t afford to feed everyone, ask your guests to bring over food or drinks. It will be a baby-shower-meets-potluck type of event, which can be a lot of fun.

4. Choose local, seasonal ingredients

The cheapest food for a baby shower is the one that’s local and in season. Research what fresh produce is cheapest, then come up with recipes using those ingredients.

Following a themed menu can help you pinch pennies. For example, if you’re using chicken for 1 appetizer, make sure to include it in another snack. This way, you don’t have to buy as many ingredients and end up saving money.

6. Ditch the fully stocked bar

Choose just 1 or 2 drinks to serve—preferably non-alcoholic for baby showers. No need to keep a handful of spirits and mixers on hand.

7. Make your own decorations

DIY the décor using things you already have at home. Visiting a thrift store can also help you throw a stylish baby shower for cheap.

Affordable appetizers for a baby shower

Plate up these tasty, budget-friendly appetizers for your guests.

1. Ham and cheese sliders

Ham and cheese sliders are simple, easy to make, and affordable.

2. Pulled pork buns

Pulled pork sliders are also a popular snack for baby showers. Don’t skip out on the barbecue sauce.

3. Turkey cheddar hot pinwheels

With pre-made pizza dough, deli turkey slices, and cheddar cheese, you can make this comforting finger food.

4. Tomato and broccoli mini quiches

Quiches are sophisticated but surprisingly cheap to make. For this version, use ripe sliced tomatoes and broccoli florets for the filling.

5. Hummus and roasted veg toast

Spread homemade or storebought hummus on toasted bread and top with an assortment of roasted veggies.

6. Build-your-own chili

If you’re looking for a more filling snack, chili is the way to go. Let your guests add their own toppings.

7. Potato skins with bacon

Hollowed-out baked potatoes, bacon, and sour cream make the perfect appetizer. It’s easy to eat and packed with flavor.

8. Summer pasta salad

For something lighter, serve individual portions of pasta salad. Toss fusilli and whatever veggies are in season in olive oil and a pinch of salt.

9. Deep-fried pickles

Pickles are a popular satisfying snack among many moms-to-be. Set out a plate of deep-fried pickles with ranch dressing on the side.

10.

Babies in a blanket

Give pigs in a blanket a twist. Wrap the dough around the sausage so it looks like a swaddled baby and add chocolate sprinkles for the eyes.

11. Grape jelly wieners

Toss smokies in a grape jelly and ketchup mixture, then serve on toothpicks.

12. Barbecue meatballs

Another hearty appetizer, meatballs doused in barbecue sauce are a crowd-pleaser.

13. Tater tot casserole

Tater tot casserole is pretty inexpensive to make. Use a blend of affordable cheeses to take this comfort food to the next level.

14. Chicken salad sandwiches

Spread chicken salad on soft white sandwich bread and serve with an olive and a toothpick on top.

15. Pesto chicken tea sandwiches

Grilled chicken and basil pesto is another great combination. Cut the sandwiches into quarters so they’re easier to eat.

16. Hamburger meat empanadas

Pie crust and hamburger meat can be turned into delicious empanadas. Salsa makes for a great dipping sauce.

17. Cheese pizza bites

Make finger food pizza bites using a cupcake tin, pizza dough, pizza sauce, and shredded cheese.

Cheap desserts and treats for baby showers

What’s a party without something sweet? These cheap recipes for a baby shower will satisfy your sweet tooth without going over budget.

1. Gendered rice crispy treats

Rice crispy treats are cheap to make. They only call for margarine, marshmallows, and puffed rice. Add red or blue food dye for a gendered twist.

2. Carrot cupcakes

Not into gender-themed desserts? You will probably love carrot cupcakes. Making your own is cheaper than getting it from the store—and surprisingly easy!

3. Fruit on a skewer

Pierce a skewer through pieces of fruit for a healthy snack. Grapes, banana, strawberry, apple—whatever is in season.

4. Caramel apples

In the fall, when apples are abundant, caramel apple slices hit the spot.

5. Waffle bites

Waffle mix is inexpensive, so why not make waffle bites? Cut a waffle into fourths and top with fruits, caramel, or chocolate.

6. Decorated sugar cookies

Take sugar cookies to the next level by decorating them. All you’ll need is icing, food dye, and a piping bag.

7. Ice cream sundaes

Sundaes are perfect for summer baby showers. Choose 1 ice cream flavor and let your guests pick their toppings—pretzels, caramel drizzle, and chocolate chips are just some of the options.

8. S’mores bar

Set up a s’mores bar for a DIY dessert. You’ll need graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows. Don’t forget skewers and a few candles.

Save time and money with a little help from a friend

You probably have a clearer picture of what you’ll serve at your budget-friendly baby shower, right? Now comes the fun part: creating invites, making a playlist, and decorating the space. What’s not so fun is doing the grocery runs—but, fortunately, you can leave that to Instacart. Order everything you need with just a few clicks and focus on the party. You may also want to check out current deals from our retailers.

Grab it now on Instacart:

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Halloween dishes for children - recipes, decoration, menu

We have compiled a children's menu for Halloween so that you do not have to worry about what to feed your little guests at the holiday.

How to choose a children's menu for Halloween

Halloween is loved by children around the world. On this day, you can dress up as your favorite characters, play harmless pranks, enjoy sweets from the heart and tell scary stories. That is why children's holidays are often held on Halloween in our country.

Organizing a Halloween for the kids will require entertainment, spooky venue decorations, and, of course, spooky treats. Children will definitely get hungry after games and competitions, and then thematic goodies will come in handy. Take care of the children's holiday table in advance - order catering or prepare the dishes yourself.

Children's Halloween menu should match the mystical atmosphere of the holiday, but at the same time remain childish and not too scary. Do not rush to extremes and offer adult creepy treats to children. Let the themed dishes be funny and a little scary.

All kinds of snacks are very popular on Halloween, which is ideal for children's parties. Everyone knows that children do not like long banquet gatherings, but they like buffet dishes, they had a bite to eat and ran to play. It doesn't have to be junk food. Halloween is perfect for creating themed dishes from healthy products, because children love unusual serving of food.

Halloween Meals for Kids: Recipes and Ideas

Our catalog contains fun and creative meals for kids.

Snacks

A very simple Halloween snack for kids called "Witch's Broom". It can be made from salted straw, which is wrapped with a fringe of hard cheese and tied with a sprig of dill.
You can bake Halloween pizza together with your children. Decorate the dough with olive and sausage spiders, make paws from strips of chopped pepper. Sprinkle cheese on top. No one will definitely refuse such a pizza!
Little monsters love sandwiches. Spread some ketchup on the toast, arrange cheese strips, and make eyes out of olives. Terrifying mummy toasts are ready!
Spooky Boiled Egg Snack is great for baby food. It consists of halves of stuffed boiled eggs, decorated with olive spiders.
Do you have baking molds handy? Use them to make baby canapés. Take a savory biscuit, put a lettuce leaf on it, put a piece of boiled sausage on top and decorate canapés with pumpkin, ghosts or witch hat figures carved from cheese.

Hot dishes

If you decide to add hot dishes to the menu, for example, for a home holiday, we can offer chicken mini skewers, and potato “Smiles” in the form of emoticons as a side dish. Such a set will help the kids to eat properly.
You can also include interesting and funny pumpkin dishes in the children's menu on Halloween. Stuffed pumpkin with pulp stewed with sour cream, rice and vegetables is suitable for baby food. An edible Jack-o'-lantern can also be made sweet by stuffing it with pumpkin pulp, dried fruits, rice and honey.
Can I offer pumpkin puree soup to children? If you decorate it with a cobweb of sour cream and pour it into portioned bowls, you get a festive dish, which is also healthy.
Another pumpkin dish is cottage cheese casserole with pumpkin pulp, raisins, cottage cheese and nuts. Also a great dish without harmful components.
All children love sausages. There are several festive dishes from this product. If you wrap sausages with dough and bake, you get funny mummies, and if you boil and attach marigolds, you get witch fingers. The long sausages will become snakes with olive eyes and a pepper tongue.

Halloween is a holiday of sweets, so you can limit yourself to them. Order a children's Candy bar from us, decorated in a spooky style with various themed sweets. Children will be delighted with the sweet table, where they are allowed to take whatever they want. The stylized Candy bar will successfully fit into the mystical atmosphere and will become an excellent backdrop for photos.

Desserts

For desserts, we can offer the "Sweet Hedgehog" dish with a cake base and various sweets on skewers - marshmallows and profiteroles. Place such a hedgehog in the middle of the table so that all children take goodies as they wish.
Kids will love our ghosts and meringue bones. And the pastry chef of the Ministry company will take care of the quality of desserts.
All children love gummy bears and worms. We played with this dessert, placed gummy worms in chocolate, and called the dish "Worms in the Ground", it turned out like Halloween.
Halloween food doesn't have to be scary, for example, our marzipan pumpkins perfectly match the holiday atmosphere and don't scare anyone.

So, you have found out what Halloween dishes are for children. Recipes for holiday appetizers and desserts can be found on the "Recipes" tab of our website. If you want to enjoy the holiday with your children and do not want to cook treats yourself, place an order with the professional catering company "Ministvo".

The scariest and most delicious baby food is coming soon!

Halloween

Top 10 Baby Shower Locations

However, one of the biggest downsides to showering at home is the inevitable post-party mess.
Moving a baby shower from home is a creative move that will give the shower a whole new concept, and it's just great. And although traditionally baby showers were held in the owner's house or even in the house of future parents. Everything has changed. Baby showers can be enjoyed in a variety of places and even virtually.

But right before you start planning the details of your baby shower, you need to think about its theme, the number of guests you want to invite, and how you're going to make it the best baby shower you'll never forget. Finding the perfect baby shower spot can be tricky, but with a little help, you can overcome that hurdle.

Baby shower is a welcome relief from the anxiety and stress that pregnancy brings. A baby shower is more or less food, drinks, games, and of course friends and family to enjoy it with. A baby shower can get messy, so it's best to hire a larger space to make it easier to clean up afterwards, as well as a larger space for more people. Apart from home, there are the best places for a baby shower here.

1. Club

Club houses are a great option for a baby shower. They have more or less tastefully decorated private rooms. A large number of clubs offer a wide variety of snacks, food and drinks, although not as large as restaurants.

Clubs require far less preparation as they are designed with activities such as baby showers in mind while still retaining that special feel. If the expectant mother prefers the feeling of her own space away from everyday life, then she is highly recommended to visit the club.

Make sure you meet the club owner well in advance, as popular clubs can be fully booked even a few weeks in advance during peak season. Once you must have booked, you will find that there is no more secluded place outside of the house to spend the day with friends and family.

2. Botanical Garden

This is more like a local park, but 10 times more beautiful. The Botanical Garden is indeed a favorite place for outdoor baby showers. Some even have conference centers available for booking, or you can prepare yourself.

The botanical garden makes a great place for a baby shower as it is a jack-of-all-trades in terms of features including being beautiful, cheap, fairly comfortable and spacious. If you want a more private place, you need a botanical garden with a conference center, which is available for booking.

3. Restaurant

Food, drinks, desserts and a great atmosphere! All this is in the restaurant, so it is highly recommended to take it for a baby shower. Also note that you can easily reserve the required number of seats if you reserve enough in advance. You might even be able to rent out the entire place.

As restaurants vary so much, you need to find one that is comfortable and suits the mother-to-be's preferences. As a rule, you need to find a place that is sure to be in a convenient location. If the weather is fine, consider seating on the terrace, although be sure to check with the restaurant owners and organizers of baby showers to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

4. Vineyard

Offering guided tours, juice and wine tastings, and often guest rooms available for rent for all sorts of gatherings, the vineyard is another exciting, unique and stylish baby shower venue. And there is the possibility of staying for a longer stay if needed.

You will most likely need to hire a catering service. Please note that you can be ordered through the vineyard staff or contact a third party catering company. You can also assemble a team of highly motivated friends and family to help you. The vineyards offer stunning scenery and a unique atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

5. Tea room

Tea rooms more or less specialize in hot drinks, sweets and snacks. If you want to have a hearty meal with guests, a tea room might not be the best option. Also note that tea rooms come in a wide variety of styles.

So keep in mind what suits the expectant mother, whether it's a standard coffee shop style or something even more stylish or elegant. The only thing that tea rooms have in common is that they offer a relaxing atmosphere and a pleasant atmosphere that requires no extra effort on the part of the baby shower organizer.

6. Farm Shed

This is a truly beautiful and unique place, although it may come with some problems. There is enough space in the barn for an arbitrarily large number of guests. A fun and private environment that can be very cheap or even free, depending on who you know. Take your time to ask local farmers if you live outside the city limits or maybe there are farms that already offer accommodation services. Also, if you have a family friend with one of these, ask them!

Along with pre-arranging games, food and drinks, special care must be taken to ensure that the chosen barn does not have any animals, as this is an easy way to ruin the day! The positives of the barn easily outweigh the negatives and it is sure to lead to a magical and truly unique day out for everyone.

7. Community Center

Please note that you can rent a large space at the local community center without worrying about the guest limit that is common to other places. If you intend to invite a lot of guests, or don't know how many guests will be coming, a community center is a great option. The Community Center is much cheaper than some of the other establishments on the list and is the perfect choice if you're on a budget.

The community center is also very convenient, as you can set up decorations yourself, prepare meals that suit the tastes of the mother-to-be, and provide plenty of space to play. Also note that they provide much needed amenities like toilets for you and your guests.

However, it is very important to remember that the community center is a public place and should be left as you find it. You must strictly adhere to the scheduled time for the party, as there will most likely be futsal or karate classes right after your baby shower.

8. Small outdoors

Consider a garden or park. Perhaps there couldn't be a friendlier option than this one. More like a picnic with loved ones. Play games and have fun in a relaxed environment. Need to keep something cold? Store in the fridge, need extra cutlery? Get some out of the box.

If you decide the neighborhood park is the best option, bring what you need in a few baskets and have a picnic, or better yet, if you forget something, you can just run home and grab it! This is a free and versatile option, but be sure to check the weather forecast in advance.

9. Natural Spaces

Outdoors there is a truly staggering number of places to have a baby shower, often providing free or near-free stunning locations for a truly one-of-a-kind baby shower. However, there is a drawback - you will have to do all the preparation yourself. If this is too burdensome, you may need to hire staff.

Whether it's in a national park or on the beach, there's no shortage of places to host a one-day (or possibly weekend) baby shower celebration. Another benefit of having an outdoor baby shower is that you are not limited by the number of guests. You can invite as many as you want and leave many memories while enjoying nature.

10. Hotel room / Airbnb

If you are planning a more intimate meeting, you can book a hotel room or an Airbnb apartment/home for everyone and have a baby shower in the largest room. This is an exciting idea if you are planning to host a baby shower in another city or town.

Room service and buffet are always available, as well as restaurants in the hotel lobby or nearby. The main advantage of a hotel room is that your party is not limited in time as it is booked in your party name for the day and night.

And besides, if you or anyone else gets tired, you can always work some hay.