Throw a The Very Hungry Caterpillar Baby Shower!

About two weeks ago I had the privilege of co-hosting a baby shower for MY baby sister, Janice! I’m so excited to see her enter the wonderful world of motherhood! Today I’m going to share with you photos, free printables, and ideas that you can use to host your very own The Very Hungry Caterpillar Baby Shower!

Janice really likes children’s literature. I think I saw more children’s books on her Target Baby Registry than I did diapers and wipes! She’d made the request that we ask shower attendees to bring a book instead of a card to her baby shower (I know this is not an original idea but whoever had this idea was brilliant!) and I thought it would be really fun to theme the entire shower around children’s literature. And, what better book to use than the classic picture book from Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Baby Shower Decorations

Decorations really help to set the scene for a baby shower! Luckily, since this book is so popular, finding decor was pretty easy. For this baby shower we used the following items for decorations and table settings:

Caterpillar Paper Cups
Caterpillar Paper Plates
Caterpillar and Strawberry Napkins
Caterpillar Bowls
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Centerpieces
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Swirl Decorations
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Paper Lantern Decoration Kit (we hung this above the food table)

We used solid color tablecloths for the tables and each table had a colorful bucket of gummy caterpillars (worms) for guests to snack on.

I want to take a moment to call out the plates/bowls/napkins we used. They were a higher quality than your typical paper party products. I was really impressed!

Special The Very Hungry Caterpillar Photo Opp Area

We also used streamers, Caterpillar Party Garland, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Photo Booth Props, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar mylar and latex balloons to create a special area for photos of Janice with her guests. The photo wall was a big hit and such an easy way to create photo keepsakes from the baby shower.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Baby Shower Welcome Table

I set up a welcome table for guests as they first entered the room. On that table, I included a basket and a request that each attendee write her address on an envelope (provided) for Janice to use for thank-you cards.

I set up a clipboard with a sheet so shower attendees could sign up to bring a meal to Janice after her baby was born.

Lastly, instead of a traditional guest book, we used a board book for The Very Hungry Caterpillar and had guests sign inside cover. This made for not only a meaningful guestbook, but a useful one too! Now every time she reads the story to her son she can remember his baby shower too!

Below are copies of the printouts I made for the table. If you’d like to use these for your own baby shower, simply click on them to open in a new window and print.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Diaper Cake

I had never made a diaper cake before but I really wanted to try for Janice’s baby shower. I made a The Very Hungry Caterpillar diaper cake and was so pleased with how it turned out! If you’re wondering How to Make a Diaper Cake, I’ll show you how. Trust me, they are so much easier to make than they look and so fun to give! This cake got a lot of compliments!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Baby Shower Games

We played 3 games at Janice’s baby shower. The first was very specific to The Very Hungry Caterpillar and one I made up myself.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar “How Many” Party Game

I asked guests at the party to label how many of each food the caterpillar ate through. Some of the foods included were not eaten at all. They had to answer with a number between 0-5. The person with the most correct answers won!

Below is a free printout you can have for the shower game and also an answer key. To print, just click on the image to open in a new window for printing.

Name That Storybook Baby Shower Game

As I mentioned, Janice really loves children’s book. So, I created a game where party attendees matched up lines from classic children’s books (and a few non-classics that were favorites of Janice) with the name of the book.

The Price Is Right – Baby Edition Baby Shower Game

You may have played this game at other baby showers in the past. It didn’t really go with our theme, but it was a game show that Janice always loved and one I knew just about everyone would be familiar with.

For this game, you’ll want to choose items you already planned to gift to the mom-to-be. (Examples include a small package of diapers, wipes, baby lotion, baby shampoo, nail clippers, blanket, sleeper, socks, etc.) I purchased 15 items but you could do fewer if you’d like. You’ll hold up the items one by one and guests guess the price. (I used manufacturer’s suggested price but you could also use the price you paid – just make sure guests know which you are using since those prices can vary by a good bit.) Guests then add up the total. The winner is the guest whose total is the closest to the actual total, without going over!

You won’t need an answer sheet for this game since it will depend on the items you decide to use, but I do have a free printable for you for the game sheet if you’d like it. Again, just click on it to open it, enlarged, in a new window, then print.

We concluded the shower with gifts. Janice was given so many great gifts from her baby registry. I think she had a great time! I also received a number of compliments from party guests who all said that they loved the theme!

It was so much fun to have a part in throwing this The Very Hungry Caterpillar baby shower for my sister! I can’t wait to meet my nephew in a few short week!