Got a friend who's pregnant and you're thinking about organising a Baby Shower for her but....What is a Baby Shower and how do you go about setting one up? Read on and find out.

Baby showers are typically parties thrown for friends that are pregnant. Over the years this practice has changed significantly and has become more elaborate requiring planning for it to be successful.

Throwing a Baby shower for your friend can help make the expectant mother feel more secure. She can see her friends are all pulling for her giving moral and in some cases financial support. Usually the baby shower is organized by non-relatives. But nowadays they are organised by anyone - family members, support group members, church friends, friends in fact pretty much anyone except the expecting mother.

So how do you go about organising that Baby Shower?

Inviting the Guests -

Who should you invite? Usually, the guest list will only include those nearest and dearest to the expectant mother. It wouldnt hurt if she gets a first look at the guest list so that she can suggest who should be invited. If you are planning a surprise baby shower, you will have to do a little research on who should be attending instead of running the list through the expectant mother.

If the child is not a firstborn, you may opt to keep the number of guests down to the closest to the mother. Firstborn baby showers tend to have a larger guest list since it is, after all, the mothers first time.

The thing to remember is that the nature of baby showers is intimacy. So, for any baby shower party, try making the gathering one of intimate friends.

You could use informal ways to invite these guests: email, phone and others. Invitation cards and other letters are the best way, however, as they provide a tangible, traceable evidence of invitation. Plus, it is the most sure and formal way to invite a person and in many cultures the only way.

What About the Guys -

The nature of the party is probably going to tend towards the feminine side; if the organizers of the party have a provision for this, then inviting men would be fine. It also depends on the men, since the party may dwell on topics such as pregnancy, children, and other motherly topics, they might not be that excited to join. All in all, it depends on the preference of the organizers.

Venue -

Anywhere! As long as it can keep with the placid and fun nature of the occasion, any place would be fine. The more usual places on baby shower lists are backyards, formal halls, restaurants, and basically any room that has the amenities to make a baby shower successful. Just make sure the venue is not crowded and stressful to the mother-to-be. It also pays to make sure the venue is set long before the actual baby shower happens.

When to Throw a Baby Shower -

Usually this is one or two months before her due. The baby shower is the perfect time to get your friends baby needs and stuff she may not have had time to purchase yet. It has to be well-timed though not too close to the due date, and not to far as to whittle down the excitement.

Baby showers are a pleasant surprise to expecting mothers. It takes a lot of the stress of expecting a child off of their minds and provides a means for friends to show support and concern (and of course, baby gifts) to expecting friends.

A properly coordinated baby shower will be greatly appreciated and forever remembered by mothers long after they have delivered their children.