Baby Shower Invitations: Wording and What to Include

When you're hosting a baby shower, creating the invitations is an important step. They will help set the tone for your event—cute or elegant, funny or formal, classic or contemporary—and ensure your guests get all the information they need. We’ve got tips on how to go about sending your baby shower invitations, what details to include, as well as 20 wording ideas.

How to Send Your Baby Shower Invitations

If you haven’t decided whether to send your invites the traditional way, printed and mailed or hand delivered, or the modern way, sent out electronically, read on to find out what your options are.

Paper Baby Shower Invitations

Paper baby shower invitations can give the shower an extra-special touch. Here are some different options when it comes to printed baby shower invitations:

• Pre-printed invitation cards are an easy solution, and there is usually a range of templates and designs to select from at your local greeting card or party store. These cards are often relatively generic, which works if you don’t have a very specific theme, although you may get lucky and find a pre-printed card that also matches the special theme you’re going with.

• Handmade invitations add a personal touch and let you get your creative juices flowing. Buy some card stock, along with markers, colored pencils, or even acrylic or watercolor paints, and come up with your own design. You may even like to have a little get-together with friends who are helping you organize the shower where each of you pitches in to create the cards. If you have a friend with calligraphy skills, now’s the time to utilize her. If you have craft accessories like glitter already at home, this could be useful now. Handmade invitations that resemble toddler artwork (perhaps by incorporating a little finger paint) could also be a cute approach!

• Custom-printed baby shower invitations allow you to create the invite to exactly your specifications. If the baby shower you’re hosting will have a special theme, the invite can be designed to reflect it. You can either design it yourself, ask an artistic friend to help, or work with a graphic designer to get the result you’re after. There are even online tools that can help you create a professional-looking invite that you can adjust to your needs. Once it’s ready, take the file to a professional printer who can give it a beautiful finish. If the baby shower will have a jungle, princess, or stroller theme, it’s your lucky day!

Then, for an extra-special flourish, get unique envelopes and stamps, or hand-deliver them. Remember to send the invitations about six weeks in advance, and give out-of-town guests even more notice so they can make travel plans. Follow up the invitation with a phone call to make sure all of your guests have received their invite. As the RSVPs roll in, create a list so you can track who’s coming.

Electronic Baby Shower Invitations

Some hosts choose electronic invitations because they’re quick, and they also make it easier to track RSVPs. They’re a good approach for an informal baby shower among the mom-to-be’s closest friends. Here are some different ways you can send electronic baby shower invitations:

• Use a greeting card or e-invite service to send out your invites to your mailing list of guests. These sites usually let you design the invitation from scratch or let you choose from their selection of professionally created designs, and you can also add the wording of your choice. Many of these invitation sites make it super easy to track RSVPs because the guest simply clicks on a link to respond, and the site automatically generates a list of attendees for you.

• Go with email. It’s a practical alternative to snail mail if your guests live in other states or overseas, or if you’d like to make sure your guests get the invite sooner rather than later. You can either create an invitation that you attach to the email in the form of an image, or simply write the details in the email itself.

• Create a social media event to invite a group of guests, track RSVPs, and add event updates all in the one spot. A social media event is also great because guests can ask questions easily and coordinate things more easily between the other attendees. For example, guests may want to pitch in to buy a bigger gift together, or they may want to talk about what the other guests are bringing if it’s a potluck so that there are no overlaps. If you’d like your guests to dress in a way that fits in with the shower theme or bring something specific for one of the baby shower games, then a social media event is a great place for them to ask questions and see all the other responses too. Just keep in mind that not everyone is on social media, and that you should set the event to "private" to avoid any misunderstandings. Read up on baby shower etiquette for more information on who to invite.

General Tips for Baby Shower Invitation Wording

• Language clarifying that the event is a baby shower (many invitations include a baby shower quote and visuals of a baby or baby gear)

• Who the shower is for (the name of the mom-to-be or the parents-to-be)

• Who is hosting the shower, so guests know who to reach out to for information

• The date of the shower as well as the start and end times

• Address (send a map or directions on a separate sheet, or add a link to Google maps)

• How guests can pass along any dietary requirements

• Details of the gift registry, or gift suggestions if there is no registry

• RSVP contact details, and when you would like RSVPs by

You could also add the following details:

• The baby shower theme (if there is one)

• Gender and name of the baby (if known and with the permission of the parents-to-be)

• What refreshments will be served, so your guests know whether to expect a full meal or just some light snacks

• Dress code (especially if you would like your guests to dress to reflect the theme in some way, of if you would like the shower to have a particular feel to it like informal and relaxed, or elegant and formal)

• Anything special guests should bring (e.g., one of the shower games might call for guests to bring a baby picture of themselves)

• Whether significant others and children are invited.

Baby Shower Invitation Template

Your text doesn’t have to be complex. You can use this baby shower invitation template as a basis for your invite: A baby [boy] [girl] is on the way; please help us prepare for the very special day! Join us for [mom-to-be’s name] baby shower on [date] from [start time] to [end time]. [Address] Hosted by [host’s name]. [Insert refreshment type, e.g., A light lunch] will be served. Casual attire. [Add anything special you would like guests to do. For example: Please add a touch of baby pink or baby blue to your outfit.] Details of the baby shower gift registry can be found at [insert details of the gift registry]. To make the day even more special and fun, please bring [add anything you need the guests to bring; e.g., a childhood photo of themselves] as we’ll need it for one of the baby shower games we’ll be playing. RSVP by [date] to [host’s contact details]. Please let me know when you RSVP if you have any special dietary requirements.

20 Baby Shower Invitation Wording Examples

Although a lot of what goes on the baby shower invitation simply conveys the details of the event, there are some playful little phrases you can add to make sure your invite stands out. Below you’ll find 20 sample ideas of what you can add to the top of your baby shower invitation.

Baby Boy Shower Invitation Wording Examples

Baby Girl Shower Invitation Wording Examples

Gender Neutral Shower Invitation Wording Examples

Gender Reveal Shower Invitation Wording Examples

The Bottom Line

Sending out baby shower invites is an important part of organizing a baby shower. It helps set the tone and ensures that all of the mom-to-be’s loved ones have all the information they need. As the host, it can be really exciting planning a baby shower and creating the invitation is just part of the fun. For more guidance on planning a baby shower, check out this helpful baby shower checklist and our comprehensive guide on planning the perfect party, full of creative baby shower ideas.