Baby Shower Invitation Ideas: 11 Themes With a Free Matching Website

The invitation is the first thing guests see of a baby shower, and it quietly sets everything that follows: the colors, the mood, even whether people expect a brunch or a backyard party with games. A few weeks later they open the link to RSVP, and on the day they walk past a welcome sign and fill in a bingo card. It all feels more put together when those pieces look like they belong to each other.

Below are eleven baby shower themes we designed, each with invitations, games, signs and thank-you cards that match, and a free baby shower website in the same design where guests RSVP. After the themes you'll find what to write on the invitation, when to send it, and how the website works.

Baby shower invitation ideas, theme by theme

Every theme below comes as a set of 25 designs in six colors: the invitation, a welcome sign, games like bingo and a diaper raffle, food labels, favor tags, thank-you cards, and even the birth announcement for later. Pick one theme and every piece follows it.

1. Little Bear: a crib mobile and a teddy bear

A crib mobile turns above the names while a teddy bear sits among leaves and another floats away on a bunch of balloons. It's sweet without being babyish, and it works for a boy, a girl or a surprise. The colors run from Sweet pink to Baby Blue, Sage and Lavender.

See the Little Bear suite · Preview the website

2. Little Elephant: watercolor sky and a swing

A little elephant swings from two balloons across a pink and blue watercolor wash, with a soft bank of clouds underneath. If you're planning a gender reveal, this is the one with a boy and a girl elephant side by side.

See the Little Elephant suite · Preview the website

3. Cuddle Club: watercolor plush toys

Hand-painted plush toys, a bear in suspenders, a little lion and a bunny, sit on a painted shelf under a soft rainbow. The palette is warm and neutral, Honey and Oat, so it suits parents who'd rather skip pink and blue altogether.

See the Cuddle Club suite · Preview the website

4. Rainbow Hop: a big rainbow and a bunny

A giant rainbow arcs behind the names and a white bunny hops along the grass below it. It's cheerful and bright, a good fit for a spring shower or a rainbow baby.

See the Rainbow Hop suite · Preview the website

5. Pond Party: a frog in a party hat

A round little frog peeks out between lily pads while balloons drift past. The deep pond green makes it one of the bolder themes here; switch to Bubblegum or Sorbet for something lighter.

See the Pond Party suite · Preview the website

6. Stork Delivery: a classic, with a clothesline

A stork flies over a clothesline hung with two tiny bodysuits, and a baby sleeps on a cloud under the names. The dashed frame looks a little like stitching, so the whole thing feels soft and traditional.

See the Stork Delivery suite · Preview the website

7. Moon Kitten: playful and bold

A kitten in a blue bundle floats in on a heart-shaped balloon, and the names are set in big, round capitals. It's the most playful theme in the group. Cat people tend to love it.

See the Moon Kitten suite · Preview the website

8. Nursery Line: modern line drawings

Navy line drawings filled in with peach and sky blue: birds on a branch, socks on a string, a pram under the moon. It's the most grown-up of the eleven, clean and a little Scandinavian.

See the Nursery Line suite · Preview the website

9. Peekaboo Toys: toys peeking over a hill

A pink elephant, a mint teddy bear and a long-eared bunny each peek up over a rolling hill, with bunting strung across the top. Kids at the shower will spot them first.

See the Peekaboo Toys suite · Preview the website

10. Boho Giraffe: earthy colors

Terracotta, mustard and blush shapes spill over the edges of the page, and a polka-dot hot air balloon drifts above the names. A giraffe and a rocking horse turn up further down. It's a natural pick if the nursery is going in a boho direction.

See the Boho Giraffe suite · Preview the website

11. Over the Moon: a dreamy night sky

Wavy pastel bands, a sleeping moon in a pink nightcap and a striped hot air balloon floating over a bank of clouds. "We're over the moon" is right there on the invitation, so the wording almost writes itself.

See the Over the Moon suite · Preview the website

Pick a color once

Each theme comes in six colorways. Choose one on the website preview and the matching cards switch with it, so you never end up with a pink invitation and a blue welcome sign by accident.

What to write on a baby shower invitation

Keep it short. Guests need five things, and everything else can live on the website:

• Who it's for: the mom-to-be, or both parents if it's a couples shower.
• When: the date and the time, with an end time if you have one.
• Where: the venue name and address.
• Who's hosting: "Hosted by Sarah & Mia" answers the question of who to ask.
• How to reply: the RSVP date and the link to your website.

The registry is better on the website than on the card. A few lines that work:

• "Please join us for a baby shower honoring Emma. Saturday, April 10 at 2 pm, The Garden Room, Portland."
• "Oh baby! A little one is on the way. Come celebrate with Emma and Jake."
• "We're over the moon. Join us for a baby shower for Lily Rose."
• "Little feet are coming soon. Please RSVP by March 20 at the link below."

On Ceremono the names, date and venue come from your event, so you type them once and they appear the same on the invitation, the website and every card after it.

When to send baby shower invitations

Send them four to six weeks before the shower, and ask for replies about two weeks before. That gives out-of-town guests time to plan and leaves you a week to give the caterer a final count. For a virtual shower, two to three weeks is plenty.

Most showers happen in the last two months of the pregnancy, around weeks 28 to 34, when the mom-to-be is still comfortable and there's time to use the gifts before the baby arrives. If you're sending a save the date first, do it about two months out.

A free baby shower website, with RSVPs

Every theme above is also a full website, and it's free. You share one link, and guests open it on their phones without an app or an account.

• RSVPs built in. Guests say if they're coming, how many people they're bringing (little ones included) and any dietary needs, and leave a note for the parents. They can even suggest a song for the baby's first playlist. Every reply lands in your guest list.
• Everything guests ask about. A countdown, the schedule, a map to the venue, the registry and a short list of questions and answers.
• Yours to edit. Change any text or photo right on the page, move sections around or hide the ones you don't need. Nothing changes for guests until you press Publish.

You can try any of the designs without signing up: open the baby shower website designs, switch the colors and look at them on a phone.

Gender reveal and first birthday, same design

Each of these websites changes its words, and a few of its pictures, for three occasions: the baby shower, a gender reveal and the first birthday. On a gender reveal the RSVP asks "Team Boy or Team Girl?", and Little Bear swaps its single balloon bunch for pink and blue ones. A year later the same theme turns into a first birthday party.

So if you love a design, you can keep it from the shower to the birth announcement to the first birthday invitation.

Games, signs and the little extras

A shower has more paper than most people expect. Every theme includes the pieces that usually get thrown together the night before:

• Games: baby bingo, a prediction card, advice for the parents-to-be, a gender vote card and a diaper raffle ticket with its sign.
• Signs: a welcome sign, a gifts table sign, a games sign and a sign for the drinks.
• Table pieces: a menu, food labels, cupcake toppers, favor tags and a "books for baby" card to tuck into the invitation.
• After the shower: thank-you cards and the birth announcement.

There's also a QR card for the tables. Guests scan it and add their photos and wishes to one shared album, which is a nice thing to look back on once the baby is here. You'll find all of them in the baby shower games section of the shop.

How to put it together

1. Choose a theme and a color from the baby shower shop or the website designs.
2. Create your free website and add the schedule, the venue and the registry.
3. Personalize the invitation and put your website link on it.
4. Send it four to six weeks ahead and watch the RSVPs come in.
5. Print the day-of pieces the week before: games, signs, labels and favor tags.
6. Send thank-you cards within a few weeks, then the birth announcement when the baby arrives.

Every card downloads as a print-ready PDF or as an editable file for Canva, so you can print at home or take it to any print shop. A single design is $4.99, and a whole theme with all 25 designs is $24.99. The website is always free.

Questions people ask

Who usually hosts a baby shower?

Traditionally a close friend or a relative, though today the parents-to-be often host their own, and plenty of showers are co-hosted by a few friends. Put the hosts' names on the invitation so guests know who to ask.

Can I use the same theme for a couples or co-ed shower?

Yes. The invitation lists whoever you name, so "Emma & Jake" works as well as "Emma". Themes like Nursery Line, Boho Giraffe and Cuddle Club are easy picks when you want something neither pink nor blue.

Do guests need an account to RSVP?

No. They open your link, fill in the form and they're done. Only you need an account, to edit the site and download the cards.

Can I print the invitations myself?

Yes. Download the print-ready PDF and print it at home on card stock, or send it to a local print shop. The invitations are 5 x 7 inches, a standard size that fits an A7 envelope.

Find your theme

You can look around without an account. Browse the baby shower websites and switch their colors, or see every baby shower suite. When one feels right, the website is free and ready in a few minutes.