Ideas for a Baby Shower With a Race Car Theme

Invitations

• The invitations will need to grab the attention of your shower guests and incorporate the theme of the shower. Simply take blank, white invitations and paint black squares on them to resemble the checkered flag commonly seen at race car events. Another option is to create a car-shaped invitation from red card stock paper. You can create a window in the car and place photos of the mother-to-be or parents-to-be as the driver or drivers in the car. The invitation's wording should reflect the shower's theme. For example, "Start your engines and get ready for the arrival of Baby [Insert baby's last name]" can be written on the front or inside of the invitation. Include all the party details inside.

Decorations

• Car-themed decorations can be placed all around the party room, and the room can even be transformed into a race track to wow shower guests. Place black and white tablecloths on tables. Cut out pictures of popular race car drivers and cars and scatter them on the party tables. A large toy race car can serve as a centerpiece on each party table. Race car tableware will be ideal for the table settings. For a special touch, place finish line flags and orange cones around the room. Black and white balloons can greet guests as they arrive. A banner hanging on a wall can read, "Let's welcome our new driver [Insert baby's first name] to a family of winners."

Food

• Foods commonly found at race tracks will be satisfying to your guests' stomachs. Serve typical race car foods like hot dogs, cheeseburgers, fries, popcorn, hot wings and pretzels. Place the foods in checkered bowls. Another option is to make the party foods' appearance coincide with the theme. Make car-shaped sandwiches filled with tuna or egg salad using car cookie cutters. Stick red, yellow and green chocolate-colored candies with marshmallow fluff on graham crackers to resemble traffic lights. Create vegetable cars with celery sticks by sticking crackers with peanut butter on the sides. For beverages, serve sports drinks. A race track cake will be a fitting shower dessert. Fondant race cars with the parents-to-be or a baby inside can be placed on the racetrack.

Games

• Games will get all the shower guests better acquainted with one another. A simple relay race will encourage teamwork. Let guests participate in their own race to correspond with the car race theme. Divide guests into two equal teams. Create a start and finish line in a wide, open space indoors or outdoors. Provide the first person in each team with a toy baby doll. On the word "go," the first person on each team must run from the start line to the finish line and then run back to hand the doll to the next player on that team. The team that gets all the teammates through the relay the fastest wins the game. Contests for the the worst driver's license photo or guessing the number of toy cars in a large plastic bottle will also be entertaining games for shower guests.