How to Write Your Baby Shower Invitations
Confused how to word your invites? Casual, formal, puns...there are lots of ways to make them fit your vibe.
In This Article
Writing baby shower invitations can be hard, even when they’re only going out to your closest family and friends (who you’re sure won’t judge how your invites are worded, but still). Do you go the formal and elegant route? Or do you inspire a few chuckles with some well-placed baby puns? And what about making special requests for guests to bring an extra pack of diapers with them, or have them send gifts to your house instead?
Figuring out the perfect way to invite guests to a baby shower can be awkward, so here’s some advice and a few templates to help you figure out what works best for the vibe you’re trying to create.
What to Include in Baby Shower Invitations
What it is. Be sure to mention what type of baby shower it is, like if it's a nesting party, a baby sprinkle, a sip & see, a display shower or if it's co-ed.
Who it’s for. Include the names of the parent(s)-to-be, plus baby’s name and/or gender if you know it.
Date and time. Including an end time is always helpful, too.
Location. Give the full address, and add any directions if necessary.
Food & drink info. Is it a full meal or snacks? Will there be options to accommodate dietary restrictions?
Registry info. This usually looks like a URL, the registry company name and how the registry is listed (often just the names of the parents-to-be) or even a QR code that leads right to the registry.
RSVP info. Include the date you need their RSVP by, how you'd like for them to RSVP (text, email, etc) plus the host's name and contact info.
Any special requests. Like if there's a dress code, if you’ll be doing a diaper raffle, if you're throwing a display shower and don't want guests to wrap their gifts or anything else that requires guests to prepare something in advance.
So how do you write all this out so it looks nice for your guests? If you’re buying your invitations with personalized, preset designs (as opposed to designing them yourself from scratch), you don’t have to put too much thought into the exact wording, luckily. Baby shower invites from places like Minted, Shutterfly/Tiny Prints, Paperless Post or Basic Invite have a large, diverse selection of styles, so you’re guaranteed to find something that works for your unique party. You can use the template wording either as-is or as inspiration to customize with a more personalized message.
Looking for inspiration? Here are some baby shower invitations that feature several different variations in wording to help you get a sense of what will match the style of the shower. (And remember, while some of these might feature themes or designs that don’t fit what you’re going for, it’s the wording we’re talking about.)
Baby Shower Invitation Wording Styles
Simple & Informal
If you’re going for a no frills, no fuss type of baby shower, then there’s no need to get fancy or clever with writing your invites. For a simple and informal (but by no means basic) baby shower, stick with casual and conversational wording—and feel free to use one or two exclamation marks, too!
A few popular options include:
"It's a Baby Shower for [parent's name]": short, sweet, straight to the point
"A little one is coming": cute, casual and sentimental
"It's a girl/boy!": a timeless classic, and can help steer guests in a particular direction for gifts like clothes
Try this invitation's wording: “It’s a Baby Shower for [parent name]” (Find this template on Basic Invite)
Formal & Elegant
Serving a full luncheon at your baby shower? Requiring a dressed-up dress code? Or maybe your theme is a royal tea party that calls for only the utmost elegance. If you’re adding a touch of formality to celebrating baby, consider these options:
“You’re cordially invited...”
“Join us in celebration...”
Have your dates and times fully written out (December the seventeenth at two o’clock)
Skip the exclamation marks
Try this invitation's wording: “Please join us for a Baby Shower Luncheon honoring [parent name]”
Fun & Quirky
If you’ve got a great sense of humor that’s lending itself to planning a baby shower, or if you’re planning a fun and lighthearted shower theme, the way you write your invitations should match. Go for conversational wording, lighthearted rhyming or clever puns (baby-related puns tend to go over pretty well with guests). Embrace the exclamation mark, and don’t forget to incorporate your own unique style of humor.
Some popular and trending puns and fun phrases include:
"Poppin' bottles"
"Oh boy" and "Oh baby"
"Baby-cue" (for a barbecue theme)
"We can bearly wait" (for a bear theme)
Try this invitation's wording: “Bottles will be poppin’. Please join us for a baby shower in honor of the new parents-to-be [parents names].” (Find this template on Basic Invite)
How to Write Invitations for Specialty Baby Showers
Throwing a non-traditional baby shower? There are a few other types of celebrations for new and expecting parents that are trending right now, including nesting parties, display showers, baby sprinkles and sip & sees. If you're not sure whether guests will be familiar with these trends, your best bet is to use the invitation to explain. Here's what that might look like.
Nesting Party Invitations
A nesting party is when the expecting parents' closest friends and family come over to help them set up the nursery and prep their home for baby's arrival. And throwing one warrants special wording on the invites. It can be really helpful to guests if your invitations include something like "You're invited to help [parents' names] clean, decorate and organize their home"—or any other variations like in the samples below.
Try this invitation's wording: "Join us for a nesting party in honor of [parents' names]. Help us decorate, clean and organize baby's nursery." (Find this template on Etsy.)
Display Shower Invitations
Display showers are a pretty recent trend, so it's likely many of your guests will need some kind of explanation so they can prepare their gifts appropriately. As a response to parents-to-be who prefer not to open their baby shower gifts in front of a crowd (which can be pretty awkward for some people), a display shower asks guests to leave their gifts unwrapped, so instead of being opened, they can be placed on display for all guests to look at during the baby shower. Guests will just need to include a tag with their name to designate who the gift is from. Here's how those instructions might look on baby shower invitations or as an insert with your invite:
Try this invitation's wording: “Please bring your gift without paper or a bag. Simply use a bow and the enclosed tag. An unwrapped present is just as sweet and will save more time to mingle and eat.” (Find this template on Etsy.)
Baby Sprinkle Invitations
As the name suggests, a baby sprinkle is a smaller, lighter-weight version of a traditional baby shower. It's often what parents choose to do for their second/third/etc. baby, since they may already have plenty of baby things left over from their first. If you're hosting a sprinkle, it can be a good idea to note on the invitation that guests can expect it to be a small celebration.
Try this invitation's wording: “Baby Sprinkle: Join us for a small celebration for [parents' names].” (Find this template on Minted)
Sip & See Invitations
A sip & see is essentially a post-baby shower to celebrate baby's arrival—guests come to sip on refreshments and see the baby. To make sure guests know that baby is already here, you can include wording on the invitation that let's them know that this party is all about meeting baby in person!
Try this invitation's wording: “Come sip, snack and say hello to baby [baby's name], our star of the show!” (Find this template on Etsy)
