Decorations, pomp, and color aside, having food at your baby shower is the best way to wow your guests. A baby shower lunch buffet would be great if planning an afternoon party. And you’d want to treat your guests to a great time with sumptuous meals.
That’s why we have many baby shower food ideas to help you set up a lunch buffet that your guests can’t resist. Let’s dig in!
What Do You Serve at a Baby Shower for Lunch?
There are many meal options to serve at a baby shower for lunch. But your menu choices will depend on a few things, including:
- The number of guests
- Your baby shower style (formal or casual)
- The mom-to-be’s preferences
- Guests’ food restrictions (or allergies)
- Your budget
- Time of the day
Generally, a baby shower lunch menu will include a variety of finger foods or appetizers, soups, salads, cold cuts, vegetable trays (with dips), meats, bread, desserts, and drinks. Here are a few light lunch menu meals and easy baby shower foods you can serve:
- Finger sandwiches (with protein or veggie fillings) – served with salads, dips, desserts, and drinks.
- Bruschetta – Use baguette rounds or ciabatta slices with your preferred spread, including olive tapenade, chopped tomato, peas, and mint. Check out more bruschetta recipes.
- Italian pasta salad – is a meat, pasta, and vegetable combo you can serve for individual or group helping.
- Southwest egg rolls – served with avocado ranch and queso Blanco or other dips that go with Mexican dishes.
- Lunch kebabs – served with mortadella, artichoke, bread, and sun-dried tomatoes are a crowd-pleaser.
Baby Shower Lunch Buffet Menu Ideas
A buffet-style lunch is ideal when hosting a baby shower party at home, as it allows everyone to choose what works for them. Treat your guests to a wide array of delectable foods and treats that will match their preferences.
However, you’ll want to plan a menu with the guest of honor in mind (the mom-to-be). Include pregnancy-friendly options like pickles and olives. And you may want to leave out restricted foods, including undercooked or processed meat, alcoholic drinks, and unpasteurized foods.
Plus, some guests might have diet restrictions or allergies. Hence, it helps to label various food types, mainly if you include vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Planning a baby shower lunch buffet can be overwhelming, but getting a printable menu from your favorite food site may be a lifesaver.
Here are some baby shower menu ideas to help you prepare the perfect lunch buffet:
Pick Your Main Dish
Your main dish can be a warm food such as protein, starch, or vegetable.
These include:
- Pizza
- Chicken Rustico
- Steak Teriyaki
- Mac-n-cheese
- Grilled Chicken
- Fried rice, Pulao, or Biryani
- Charcuterie board
Each main dish can have a side dish like grilled vegetables, butternut squash risotto, assorted vegetable or chicken salads, or Pasta Alfredo. Also, serve it with a choice of salad, dip, or stew.
What Are Some Popular Finger Foods?
Finger foods are the in-thing in contemporary baby showers. They work perfectly for casual parties where guests have all the time to mingle and have fun. Additionally, these delightful foods are inexpensive and usually easy to fix.
Finger foods you’d love to incorporate into your baby shower lunch buffet include:
- Mini quiches – are bites of pure bliss that can have different flavors depending on the ingredients. They’re a party staple that
- Party pinwheels – These playful and less messy pinwheels include tender tortillas with creamy cheese and crunchy fresh veggies.
- Crispy baked cauliflower ‘wings’ – These vegetarian delights will keep your guests addicted to the buffet table. They’re easy to prepare and will need less than ten ingredients.
- Stuffed puff pastries – You can use avocado, cream cheese, salsa, and egg stuffing to make these savory puff pastries.
- Buffalo chicken meatballs with cheese dipping sauce
- Mexican street corn deviled eggs – This gluten-free recipe adds a twist to boring deviled eggs.
- Mini chicken waffles – These bite-sized chicken waffles are a delightful appetizer.
- Spring herb hummus garden – This colorful ‘garden’ comprises fresh vegetables (or veggie slices) ‘planted’ in hummus.
Decide Your Desserts
For that sweet tooth moment, have a variety of crowd-pleasing delights on your buffet table. These may include:
- Cupcakes – are a baby shower staple everyone will love.
- Cakepops – are a sweet addition to your dessert table.
- Fresh fruit salads – You can have them on skewers or in creative watermelon baby carriages
- Cookies – Use customized cutters to make adorable cookies that match your baby shower theme
- Brownies – Choose your favorite brownie variation for easy-to-bake treats your guests will enjoy.
- Pound cake – Want an alternative to cupcakes and cake pops? Prepare or go for a store-bought coconut cream pound cake.
- Trail mix – This healthy choice of dessert will have your guests frequent the dessert table.
Speaking of desserts, for more great ideas, check out this great list of inspirational baby shower desserts we know your guests will love!
Don’t Forget Drinks
Everyone deserves a nice, sweet drink after a hearty meal. So keep your guests hydrated by providing water and tasty beverages such as:
- Strawberry lemonade – gives a flavorful kick during a summer baby shower.
- Sangria punch – is a non-alcoholic punch consisting of fruit juices and fresh fruits
- Tropical punch – comprising your favorite tropical fruit juice with lemon-lime soda
- Mocktails – like ginger beer with squeezed lime and a salty cayenne rim
- Homemade flavored sodas – made from different syrups and springs of fresh mint to garnish
- Iced tea or afternoon tea – depending on the season and time of the day
How Much Do You Feed Guests at an Afternoon Baby Shower?
There’s no hard or fast rule on how much you can feed your guests at an afternoon baby shower. Instead, your budget, location, and how long your baby shower party takes will determine your party’s food quantity.
You should go all the way to please your guests, but it can be expensive to feed a crowd with full meals. So, it would help to pare down your afternoon menu if you’re on a tight budget or plan to have a brief party.
You can include savory dishes, treats, and a special drink. Or having an array of mini-meals such as brussels sprout, ham and cheese sliders, and snacks would be a better alternative.
Most hosts offer their guests five pieces of food for afternoon baby shower parties. These can include a starter, a main dish/finger food, a complementary side, and a dessert. However, there’s no fixed way to do this, so go for what works best.
Note: You can also consider a potluck baby shower menu where you request each guest to bring a meal to the party. You then provide the main course as the host.
What Time Should a Lunch Baby Shower Start?
Most lunch baby showers start at midday. However, depending on your schedule, you can start earlier or later.
For instance, you can have your baby shower earlier than noon and combine it with breakfast to have brunch instead of lunch.
Or you can wait and have it from 1 or 2 pm if you’d love an afternoon luncheon. And this is a popular time to have a lunch baby shower, especially if you’re hosting the party at your workplace to celebrate a colleague. Moreover, this timing is suitable as the guests will have ample time to interact during and after the meal or while playing baby shower games.
But whichever the case, it would help to confirm with the mom-to-be and the guests the best time to start the baby shower.
How Long Should a Baby Shower Lunch Be?
Typically, a baby shower lunch can last about two hours. That is enough time for guests to settle in the venue, eat, and participate in the day’s activities.
However, your baby shower party can be shorter or longer than two hours, depending on your schedule and style. For example, a baby shower lunch can last up to three hours since guests have a lot of fun mingling and playing baby shower games.
On the other hand, a baby shower party can last only 45 minutes, depending on the setting. For example, it is wise to keep the party shorter in a workplace baby shower luncheon, where everyone will have to return to work after the party.