Paperlust’s Best Baby Shower Decoration Ideas and Inspirations

Putting together a baby shower and looking for decoration ideas? We’ve got two great tutorials for you today: A baby wish wall, and baby shower gift tags that can double as decor. These are easy to assemble, look fantastic, and double as useful and practical. Yay! Bonus: These baby shower decorations mostly rely on paper, an easy material to get hold of, and one of our absolute favourites (I mean, we are ‘Paperlust’).

Creative Baby Shower Decoration Ideas for a Wish Wall

You will need:

• Scrapbook paper
• Stencils (bought or DIY)
• Scissors
• String or twine
• Mini pegs
• Pens

How it works:

1. Before the big day, get to the local craft shop and buy yourself some scrapbook paper. It should be light-coloured and not too busy so that when people write on it the text can be easily read. The paper can be in a range of different colours, but make sure it all works together nicely. Think about the colour scheme of your event and the colour scheme you have planned for the baby’s nursery or playroom (you’ll understand why in just a moment!).
2. Use a stencil to trace shapes onto the paper. You can use any shape you like, so this will fit in with any baby shower theme! We chose to use animal shapes, but you could do stars and planets, letters and numbers, baby items, or something else entirely. The shapes should be large enough for guests to write messages on and to use as decoration around the room.
3. Use your scissors to cut out the shapes! You’re going to want enough shapes for all your guests to have at least one or two each, plus spares in case some people want a do-over. If you’re busy with other planning, you might want to outsource some of this cutting work to other friends who will be attending the shower.

4. The day of the shower is here! Place strings along a wall, leaving enough room between rows for the shapes to be pegged on them. Make sure the strings are easy to reach. You can have the shapes already pegged up at the beginning of the event, sitting nearby in a basket or piled on a nearby table. Leave plenty of pens nearby.
5. Ask your guests to write wishes for the baby on the shapes and peg them up on the wish wall throughout the baby shower. You could include a fun reading of the wishes later in the proceedings, or just let everyone read the notes on the wall.
6. When the baby shower is over, these decorations can be reused to decorate the nursery. Simply string up the wishes along a wall. Alternatively, you can stick the wishes in a scrapbook, or just hold onto them in a memory box.

Voila! A great bunting-style baby shower decoration that doubles as an activity, and can be whipped up the day before the big day with items you probably already have at home.

Unique Baby Shower Ideas with Gift Tags

You will need:

• Paper stock
• Computer, printer and ink
• Scissors, knife or guillotine
• Hole punch
• Twine, string or ribbon

How it works:

1. Use a Word document or a program online to create a design for your gift tags. They might be traditional gift tags to give ‘thank you’ gifts to your guests, or you could use a similar design as place cards or to keep track of whose drink is whose. Work out what you want to say and if you want to have any pictures on them to match the theme or colour scheme of your baby shower. Depending on the size you are hoping for, you might choose to make the design four to a page, six to a page or eight to a page. You could even go larger or smaller if you wanted to.
2. Print out your design on the best quality paper your printer is compatible with. Ask at your local stationery and office supply shop if you’re not sure. To avoid smudging, make sure you leave enough time for the ink to dry before you try to do anything with them and remove each page from the printer tray as the printer spits it out.
3. Trim your gift tags to size. This is easier with a guillotine or a craft knife, but if you have a steady hand scissors will do just fine. Try to keep them consistent.
4. Punch a hole in the corner of the tag, where it won’t affect the design or disrupt readability. If you don’t have a hole punch, cut a small hole with scissors or a knife. Don’t make the hole too close to the edge of the paper or it will be in danger of tearing.
5. Thread twine, ribbon or string through the hole and tie it to whatever you’re planning to decorate: a gift, a glass, a flower. It’s entirely up to you.

There we have it! Two beautiful baby shower decoration ideas that can be made just with paper and a few other bits and pieces. Happy showering!

Baby Shower Decoration Themes for 2026

Strong themes make decoration decisions infinitely easier – every purchase either fits the concept or it doesn’t. Here are the themes driving baby shower styling in 2026.

Earthy neutrals (terracotta, sage, warm ivory): The shift away from pastel pink-and-blue has accelerated. Terracotta vessels with dried pampas, sage green tablecloths, and warm ivory paper goods create a sophisticated, gender-neutral aesthetic that photographs beautifully and doesn’t skew toward traditional baby color codes. This theme suits parents who lean toward modern, minimalist interiors.

Maximalist floral: An abundance of fresh or dried flowers as the primary decoration – oversized bouquets in floor vases, flower crowns for the guest of honor, floral centerpieces on every table, and blooms woven through the dessert table display. Works best for garden venues or bright, naturally lit spaces. Coordinate invitation florals with the real arrangements for a cohesive visual story.

Safari or jungle: Tropical foliage (palm leaves, monstera, banana leaf), animal figurines on the dessert table, rattan and natural wood textures. A classic gender-neutral choice that’s stood the test of time because it creates immediate visual impact without requiring a precise color palette.

Books and storytelling: Vintage children’s book covers displayed as art, reading-corner-inspired seating area, build-a-library station as part of the activity. This theme works for literary parents and creates something meaningful – guests bring books, the parents leave with a home library.

For invitations that match your chosen theme, baby shower invitations from Paperlust are available across all aesthetic directions – floral, modern, botanical, and classic.

DIY Baby Shower Decoration Ideas

Not every shower has an unlimited budget – but with the right DIY approach, handmade decorations can look better than purchased ones. Here’s where to invest your time.

Paper flower backdrop: Large paper flowers made from tissue paper or cardstock create a stunning photo backdrop for a fraction of the cost of real florals. Templates are widely available online – they take time but no specialist skills. Group them in a tight cluster in the party’s color palette and the result is genuinely impressive.

Book page bunting: For literary-themed showers, vintage book pages folded into bunting triangles add a charming, thematic touch. Use pages from books that have significance to the parents or that represent the baby’s future reading life.

Photo string lights: Print 4×6 photos from the couple’s relationship – engagement shots, travel photos, family moments – and clip them to fairy lights strung across the venue. A personal touch that turns generic lighting into a visual story.

Custom labels on food items: A simple but impactful detail – custom labels on water bottles, snack bags, jam jars, or honey pots with the baby’s name or shower theme. Custom labels from Paperlust Print Shop can be printed in small quantities to match your theme precisely. They take a buffet from generic to genuinely personalized in minutes.

The Dessert Table: Making It the Room’s Focal Point

The dessert table is where decoration decisions make the biggest impact – it’s the most photographed spot at any baby shower. Here’s how to style one that earns its own Instagram moment.

Create height variation: Use cake stands, risers, and stacked books or crates to create different levels. A flat table of treats looks like a spread; a layered display with height variation looks intentional and styled.

Three-color rule: Limit your dessert table palette to three colors maximum – your primary (e.g. sage green), your secondary (ivory), and your accent (terracotta). When everything connects to the same palette, the table reads as a unified display even with multiple food types and container sizes.

Label everything: Printed tent cards for each food item look professional and help guests with dietary restrictions navigate quickly. Match the font and colors to your invitation design for end-to-end consistency.

Frequently Asked Questions

What decorations do you need for a baby shower?
Feature wall/backdrop, table centerpieces, styled dessert table, balloon arrangements, welcome sign, and coordinated tableware. Custom labels and paper flowers add personalization at any budget level.

What themes are popular in 2026?
Earthy neutrals (terracotta, sage, ivory), maximalist botanicals, safari/jungle, and literary themes. Gender-neutral palettes have overtaken traditional pink and blue.

How do you style a dessert table?
Create height variation, limit to three colors, label everything, use the back-center as the visual anchor. It should read as a unified display, not a flat food spread.

What are budget-friendly ideas?
Tissue paper flower backdrops, book page bunting, photo string lights, custom labels on store-bought items, Mason jar vases, and balloon garlands. DIY done well beats expensive purchased decorations every time.