How to Plan for a Baby Shower in Malaysia

The proud daddy and mummy to be :)



Yes, if you notice the title .. I have explicitly stated in Malaysia. Why? Because it is so darn hard to plan for a baby shower here!! There are not enough of resources and information that is relevant and available in Malaysia unlike those overseas countries!! :(

But being the resourceful person that I am *ahem*, I refuse to give up and somehow I managed to pull together a simple and splendid baby shower for a good friend of mine. First for the group. Kau tim everything within a week (cos there was a last minute change of venue - initially was suppose to be a BBQ session in my condo but because of the rainy days, the plan was scrapped off at the last minute). 

And of course, being the nice person that I am, I shall share on tips, pointers, and a how-to guideline on planning for that perfect baby shower without breaking your wallet. *heart*

(1) Theme / Decor:

Initially, I was thinking of hiring those professional party planner to do up a simple decor for the venue. Alas, the pricing was from RM1,000 onwards which is waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy over the budget. So, I opted to DIY instead.

The theme that I had in mind was Yellow Rubber Duckie and trust me I was searching high-and-low for those damn ducks. And it was so darn expensive - around RM20 for a pair. Ridiculous! Refusing to give up, I stumbled upon a toy shop in Old Town PJ (a treasure trove for cheap toys, wholesale arts & crafts items, and junk food) and bought these duckies at a discounted price of RM2.00 each (retailing at RM2.50 each) :p

Direction: The shop is located in the same row as BSL Supermarket in Old Town. Drive further down, you will see a shop on your left selling toys called Hew Sun. Alternatively, you may drive further down along the road and look for a shop named Lin Wah (they sell cheaper).



Quack! Quack!

Of course, the yellow rubber duckies in itself is rather plain, so I bought pink ribbons (cos the baby is a girlie) and tied them to the duckies. To further decorate the place, I bought a few mini carriages and pink glitter butterflies to be put around as centerpieces. The carriages cost RM2.50 each, and a packet of 10 butterflies cost RM9.50.

My pretty carriages decked in pink butterflies.

Direction: The shop is next to McDonalds in Old Town.

Note: For those who has the budget, you may contact and engage in the professional assistance of Razzle Dazzle Party Box or Parties - Party Planner.

(2) Favours / Gifts:

Was thinking on what favors that is cute and affordable to give out to the guests and as I was googling, I chanced upon a site which sells relatively cheap favours - House of Favors. Their service is pretty efficient too so you need not worry about reliability. I bought these cute acrylic pacifiers for RM7.20 for a pack of 12. They come in pink or blue colours. The pacifiers can also double up as decor pieces as well.

Cute blue acrylic pacificiers *heart*

(3) Customized Cakes / Cupcakes / Cookies:

Did you know that cupcakes are so darn expensive over here?? For standard customisation of a box of 20-30 pieces of cupcakes, please be prepared to fork out at lease RM90-100. Yes, you may gasps now. Fortunately for me, in my true blue kiamsap-ness nature, I somehow managed to find one which serves decent pricing and yummy customised cakes/cupcakes/cookies. They are Babycakes by Good Eats and is based in Shah Alam. Really nice and accomodating people. Will definitely purchase more from them in future. :)

For a minimum order of 25 pieces of customised cupcakes (without fondant), it cost just RM1.50 a piece! What a bargain!! And I get to choose two flavors - I chose orange and vanilla. Yums~! Taste-wise, the cupcakes were delicious! :)

Taste as good as it looks :) *ngom* *ngom*

Aside from that, I also ordered customised cookies for each of the guests. The cookies are SO CUTE!! The cookies are individually packed and comes with a customised tag too! Minimum order is 20 pieces for RM2.50 per piece. If you want to insert sticks (like a lollipop), it costs RM3.00 per piece. This makes GREAT gifts and favors for any occasion. I asked for baby rompers and milk bottles. Noticed that the rompers are customised with the parents' initials? So cuteeeeeee ~~!!

Cuteness overload~~!!!

(4)  Poster aka "Guest Book":

Got this awesome idea (in my opinion) from my own wedding not too long ago. Instead of a guest book which will be kept under the bed to collect dust, why not do a poster where the guest can sign their names and write congratulatory messages? That way, the parents can put up the poster and post as a memento.

The poster was of course DIY by yours truly. Pretty simple - just buy the frame from IKEA at RM19.90, and buy a small baby clothes (you may be creative and use a baby bip, napkin, rompers, dress etc) and "frame" it up! I bought the cute baby-top for RM10.00 in a small kiosk in Plaza Damas. Simple, cute, and unique. :)

Nice, eh?

(5) Venue:

This was the toughest because it will ultimately make or break our budget. Plus, for a small pax of 20 people, it was really difficult to find a venue where we could book the entire place. After much toiling searching, I remember driving pass this quaint English-like cafe in Plaza Damas when I go for my Kim Gary lunches during the weekdays.

The said cafe is none other than Elise Coffee & Tea House in Plaza Damas. Quickly called the owner up, and thankfully the venue is available on the date. And the major plus point is I can take the entire venue as it fits comfortably 20-22 pax. Secondly, the pricing is very reasonable! I only need to spend a minimum of RM600.00 only! Unbelievable! :D

What did i tell you about being cosy and English? :)

The buffet costs RM38 per person and it consists of 9 dishes. The array is fantastic and tastes pretty good too:

1. Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
2. Mushroom and Shrimp Spaghetti
3. Pan-Fried Lamb Shoulder
4. Mash Pumpkin
5. Stuffed Roast Chicken
6. Mini Sandwiches
7. Salad with Apple Cider Dressing
8. Tiramisu & Chocolate Mousse (as dessert)
9. Lemongrass (drinks)

Yummylicious

The desserts are kept chilled in a chiller. Presentation wise, it looked really really yummy! It taste yummy too actually. :)

Here are the simple decor that I DIY earlier, just put them randomly to make the already quaint and pretty venue to look more "baby-friendly". Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. It matches with the settings of the cafe. Coincidentally, the cafe has also Christmas-y decor which has been put up. It suited the occasion perfectly! 

(6) Games:

Don't forget the games too ya! It makes the baby shower so much more fun and it brings everyone closer together. I've googled for them and came up with 4 simple games; (i) Don't Forget Daddy! (basically it's a game on how well do you know the Daddy), (ii) Finish up the Nursery Rhymes, (iii) Baby Animals, and (iv) Baby Shower Charades. All of the games threw us into fits of giggles. :)

Nursery Rhyme  -Failed!

Baby Animals - Failed!

And there is the 101 guideline on how to plan for a baby shower.
Good job Geri! *pats self at the back*

The Group *hugs*

Love;
Mrs Lee