40 Moon and Stars Baby Shower Ideas for a Starry Afternoon

01 A midnight, apricot and star-gold palette that suits any baby

Moon and stars looks best in midnight blue, apricot, cream and a little gold. The warm colors keep it from reading as a boy-or-girl palette.

1. Midnight, apricot and star gold

• Midnight (#15224A) for the tablecloth, the sign’s letters and the cake
• Dusk teal (#33596B) for napkins and a second shade of night
• Apricot (#F1C39F), the warm color: melon stars and dried apricots
• Cream (#FFF4DE) for the sign, the wish stars and the meringue clouds
• Star gold (#F5C95F) for the paper stars, the lights and the sprinkles

Use midnight for the big pieces and set apricot and gold on top of it, so the blue never stands alone.

2. Pick your name: “Moon and stars”, “Over the moon” or “Twinkle, twinkle”

Pick one name and use it on the sign and the invitation. Each one sets a different tone.

• “Moon and stars” is calm: a quiet evening, soft lights, a lullaby game.
• “Over the moon” is joyful: it says how happy everyone is, and it suits a bigger, louder party.
• “Twinkle, twinkle” is for a shower with children: everyone knows the song.

02 How to make a starry room at 2 p.m.

Most showers happen in daylight, so bring the night inside: draw the curtains, cover one table in navy, and let warm string lights do the rest.

test it the day before

3. Make the room dark at 2 p.m.

• The windows: close the curtains or blinds. A window with nothing to draw takes a navy plastic table cover, 54 by 108 inches ($3.99 at Hy-Vee), taped to the frame with painter’s tape. (Hy-Vee is a Midwest grocery chain.)
• The light: buy lights labeled warm white, never cool white or daylight. Turn off the ceiling light and let the string lights, the fairy-light jars and the tea lights glow.
• The food table: two of Hobby Lobby’s 3-by-5-foot warm white curtain lights ($10.99 each, 3 AA batteries each, not included) hang side by side behind a 6-foot table and cover it end to end.
• A room too bright to darken: keep only the food table “at night”: the navy cover, the light curtain behind it and the paper moon above. The rest of the room can stay bright.
• Check it: the day before, at the hour of the party, turn everything on and look from the door.

03 Moon and stars baby shower decorations in five spots

Decorate the five places guests look: the door, the ceiling, the food table, the gift table and the guest tables. Paper and light do most of the work.

Total: $89.16.

Not included: AA batteries, painter’s tape, double-sided tape, glue, a sponge brush, scissors and a craft knife. The centerpieces have their own list below.

Prices are what Hobby Lobby, Hy-Vee, Walgreens Photo, Amazon and the publishers showed online on October 29, 2026, at the regular price, before tax and shipping.

Amazon prices change often, so yours may differ.

4. A welcome sign at the door: “Over the moon for [names]”

A sign on an easel by the door, midnight-blue letters and gold stars on cream, with your own names in the brackets.

• Print it: design it in any free editor and order a 16-by-20-inch poster from Walgreens Photo, $19.99.
• Stand it up: stick the poster to a 20-by-30-inch foam board ($1.99) with double-sided tape, trim the board, and set it on Hobby Lobby’s floor easel ($11.99).
• Add a moon: a little apricot crescent in a corner of the design, beside the letters.

Picked another name? Write “Under the moon and stars for [names]” or “Twinkle, twinkle, little star: welcome, [names]” instead.

18 stars, three heights

5. Paper stars hanging from the ceiling at three heights

• Buy: Hobby Lobby’s 25 sheets of gold foil cardstock ($7.49), its three star cookie cutters, 1½ to 5 inches ($2.99) and a 400-yard spool of clear nylon thread ($3.49).
• Make 18: trace the biggest cutter twice on each of 18 sheets and cut 36 stars. Glue them in pairs, gold side out, with the thread in between, three stars a strand, about a foot apart.
• Hang six strands: tape the end of each thread to the ceiling with painter’s tape, or tie them along a curtain rod, so the stars sit at three heights. About an hour, any evening before.
• After: the cutters go to the kitchen for the sandwiches and the cookies.

6. A warm string-light curtain behind the food table

Two curtains of 96 warm white lights, each 3 feet wide and 5 feet long, on the wall behind the navy table.

• Buy: two of Hobby Lobby’s cascading LED curtain lights ($10.99 each; 3 AA batteries each, not included) and Hy-Vee’s navy plastic table cover, 54 by 108 inches ($3.99).
• Hang them: tape the top wire to the wall with painter’s tape every foot, the two curtains side by side. Ten minutes, the morning of.

7. A paper crescent moon over the gift table

A crescent about 2 feet tall, cut from foam board, painted gold and hung on clear thread above the gifts.

• Buy: a second 20-by-30-inch foam board ($1.99) and a 2-ounce bottle of FolkArt’s metallic crown gold paint ($2.49), both at Hobby Lobby.
• Make: draw two circles that overlap, one a little off center, and cut out the crescent between them with a craft knife. Paint both sides; let it dry overnight.
• Hang it: poke two small holes near the top, thread the nylon through, and tie it to a curtain rod, a light fixture or a ceiling hook above the gift table.

8. Star confetti and battery tea lights on the guest tables

• Buy: Hobby Lobby’s ⅜-inch star punch ($2.79) and its six white LED tea lights ($3.99), batteries included.
• Make: punch about 100 little stars from the gold cardstock scraps and scatter them on the three guest tables, with two tea lights each.
• Good to know: each tea light runs on a coin battery, and Hobby Lobby’s label warns that a swallowed one can cause death or serious injury. Keep the spares in a drawer, and sweep up the confetti before toddlers find it.

04 Moon and stars centerpieces you can make the night before

Each centerpiece takes 10 minutes or less: a jar of fairy lights on a mirror, a paper moon on a stand, or three tea lights with gold stars.

For 20 guests, plan three tables of six to eight, so three centerpieces. Make one of each, or three of the same, the night before.

Total: $31.03, at Hobby Lobby. The other place-card holders stand the food labels, and the spare votive holders and mirror dress the food table.

10 minutes or less each

9. A jar of warm fairy lights on a round mirror

• You’ll need: Hobby Lobby’s 16-ounce mason jar ($3.29), its 9-foot strand of 50 warm white fairy lights ($3.99; 3 AA batteries, not included) and a pair of 7-inch glass craft mirrors ($3.79).
• Make: loosely coil the lights into the jar, tuck the battery box under the lid, and set the jar on a mirror, which doubles the glow. Five minutes.

10. A paper moon on a stand with a sprig of eucalyptus

• You’ll need: two sheets of the gold foil cardstock, one of Hobby Lobby’s 12 wood place-card holders ($2.99) and a faux eucalyptus pick ($1.99).
• Make: cut two 6-inch crescents and glue them back to back, gold on both sides. Slip the moon into the holder’s slot and lay the eucalyptus at its foot. Ten minutes.

11. Three candleholders with battery tea lights and gold paper stars

• You’ll need: three of Hobby Lobby’s 12 gold mercury glass votive holders ($10.99), three of its six LED tea lights ($3.99) and a handful of gold stars cut around the smallest cookie cutter.
• Make: set the holders in a little triangle, drop a tea light in each, and scatter the stars around them. Five minutes.

05 Moon and stars baby shower games, with the rules

Six night-sky games: four for the whole room, one during the gifts and one for the kids. All but Don’t say “baby,” which runs all afternoon, take 15 minutes or less, and every one has the materials, the steps and how to pick a winner.

Pick two for a two-hour shower, plus the bingo.

Total: $20.06, at Hobby Lobby and Hy-Vee.

Coed crowd? Our baby shower games for couples has 51 more, with the rules.

12. Finish the lullaby

Twelve lines of old nursery rhymes about the moon, the stars and bedtime. Guests write the line that comes next.

• Players: everyone, alone.
• Time: about 5 minutes.
• You’ll need: a printed card with the 12 lines below (everything before the “…”), a blank under each, and pens.
• How: read the key aloud at the end. Close enough counts: these rhymes change a little from book to book.
• Variant: play it aloud in two teams, one line each, back and forth.
• Winner: the most lines finished. Tie? Whoever handed in the card first.

The lines come from The Real Mother Goose, published in 1916, and “Twinkle, twinkle” from Jane Taylor’s 1806 poem “The Star”, both free to read on Project Gutenberg.

a minute to guess

13. How many stars are in the jar?

A jar of chocolate stars and a slip for everyone’s guess. The closest guess takes the stars home.

• Players: everyone, as they arrive.
• Time: a minute to guess; the answer comes near the end.
• You’ll need: Hobby Lobby’s 16-ounce mason jar ($3.29), filled from a 1-pound bag of Hy-Vee’s chocolate stars ($11.99), slips, a pen, an envelope and a kitchen scale.
• How: one guess each, with a name on the slip.
• Variant: closest without going over.
• Winner: the closest guess. Tie? They share the jar.

14. Guess the birth date, time and weight

A card each guest fills in now and the family scores after the birth. Nothing on it asks about the baby’s sex.

• Players: everyone, and anyone who can’t come can text a guess.
• Time: two minutes to fill in; the winner is known after the birth.
• You’ll need: the card below, printed four to a sheet, pens, and a box or envelope for the cards.
• How: the family keeps the cards. After the birth, they score them: 3 points for the exact date, 1 within three days; 2 points for the hour; 3 points for the closest weight.
• Variant: add the length, 2 points for the closest.
• Winner: the most points, announced in the family’s group text, with a photo of the card.

15. Don’t say “baby”, with star stickers

Every guest gets three gold star stickers at the door. Say “baby,” and whoever catches you takes one of your stars.

• Players: everyone, all shower long.
• Time: from the door to the cake.
• You’ll need: Hobby Lobby’s 114 gold star stickers ($2.49), three a guest, stuck on a sleeve or a name tag.
• How: catch someone saying “baby” and move one of their stars to your own sleeve. The parents-to-be are exempt, and reading a game card aloud doesn’t count.
• Variant: ban “moon” or “star” instead, which is harder at this party.
• Winner: the most stars when the cake is cut.

16. Night-sky bingo during the gifts

A 5-by-5 card with a gold star in the middle and 24 everyday baby gifts around it. Each gift that comes out of the paper crosses off a square.

• Players: everyone, while the gifts are opened.
• Time: as long as the gifts take; stop at 15 minutes.
• You’ll need: one card a guest, printed blank with a star in the center square, and pens.
• How: guests write the 24 gifts below in any order, so no two cards match, and cross each off as it’s unwrapped.
• Variant: blackout: the first full card wins.
• Winner: the first full row, column or diagonal; at 15 minutes, the most squares crossed off.

17. Connect the stars for the kids

Two dot-to-dot pages, a crescent moon and the Big Dipper, and a box of crayons on a low table.

• Players: kids about 3 and up, with a grown-up nearby.
• Time: 10 to 15 minutes.
• You’ll need: a page with 12 numbered dots in a crescent and a page with the Big Dipper’s seven stars numbered 1 to 7, printed for each child, and a box of 24 Crayola crayons ($2.29 at Hy-Vee).
• Make the pages: in any free editor, set 12 dots along a crescent and number them in order; for the Big Dipper, four dots for the bowl and three for the handle.
• How: join the dots in order, then color the sky around them.
• Variant: stick the glow stars from the favors on the finished page.
• Winner: no score: every finished sky goes up beside the wish garland.

06 Three quiet activities for guests who’d rather not play

A wish garland, notes for the night shift and a bedtime-story guest book let guests join in when they like, and the family keeps all three.

Total: $28.45, at Hobby Lobby. The rest of the cardstock makes the mini notebook favors.

24 paper stars

18. A wish garland: each guest writes a wish on a paper star

• Make the stars: trace the biggest star cutter twice on each of 12 sheets of cream cardstock and cut 24 stars, the day before.
• How: leave the stars and the fineliners by the gift table. Each guest writes a wish for the baby and clips the star to a length of jute twine with a mini clothespin.
• Hang it high: the clothespins are labeled as a choking hazard for children under 3. After the shower, the garland goes over the nursery door.

19. Notes for the night shift: advice for 3 a.m. feedings

• Print: four cards to a sheet of cream cardstock, six sheets for 24 cards, cut the day before.
• How: leave them on each table with a pen. The family keeps them by the bed for the long nights.

20. A bedtime-story guest book, one page a guest

• You’ll need: Hobby Lobby’s 8½-by-11-inch hardcover sketchbook, 80 white pages ($9.99), and the fineliners.
• How: write “Once upon a time, under a very starry sky…” on the first page. Each guest reads the last page, adds a sentence or two on the next, and signs it.
• After: the family has a bedtime story written by everyone who came.

More ideas with no winner and no pressure are in our guide to things to do at a baby shower besides games.

07 Moon and stars baby shower food for 20 guests

A moon and stars menu for 20 is star-shaped sandwiches, crescent bites, a half-moon cheese board, fruit skewers, one warm dish and a punch. Most of it is made the day before.

Feeding more than 20, or serving brunch? Our guide to how much food a baby shower needs scales it by guest count and time of day.

21. Star-shaped tea sandwiches, cut the night before

Cream cheese and cucumber between two slices of white bread, cut with the middle star cutter.

• Buy: three 20-ounce loaves of Hy-Vee white sandwich bread ($2.69 each), two 8-ounce tubs of Hy-Vee whipped cream cheese ($2.49 each) and two cucumbers ($1.29 each).
• The night before: cut a star from every slice, two stars a sandwich, about 30 sandwiches. Seal the stars in bags so they stay soft.
• The morning of: spread cream cheese on both stars, lay on thin cucumber slices, close, and trim the cucumber to the star with a knife. Keep them covered in the fridge.

22. Crescent-roll chicken salad bites

Baked crescent rolls, split and filled with chicken salad, then cut in two: little half-moons.

• Buy: three cans of Pillsbury original crescent rolls, 8 to a can ($3.49 each), a whole cold rotisserie chicken from the Hy-Vee deli ($8.99), a bunch of celery ($1.99) and a lemon (99 cents). Mayonnaise comes from the pantry.
• Bake 24 the day before: as the can directs, at 375°F for 11 to 14 minutes, until golden. Cool them and store them airtight.
• The chicken salad, the day before: pull the meat off the chicken and chop it, about 2 cups. Stir in ½ cup each of mayonnaise and finely chopped celery, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Refrigerate it.
• The morning of: split each roll, fill it with about 2 tablespoons of the salad, and cut it in half: 48 bites. Keep them in the fridge until guests arrive.

23. A cheese board with half-moon slices

A round cheese sliced into half-moons, cheddar cubes, crackers, grapes and dried apricots for the warm color.

• Buy: a 1-pound Hy-Vee longhorn Colby Jack ($4.88) and a 1-pound Hy-Vee sharp cheddar ($4.88), a party-size box of Ritz crackers ($6.98), a bag of red seedless grapes ($2.99 a pound, about $7.18) and a 6-ounce bag of Hy-Vee dried apricots ($4.99).
• Make: the longhorn is a long cylinder: slice it into rounds, then cut each round in half. Cube the cheddar. Cut the grapes into small bunches. Save six apricots for the cake.
• When: slice the cheese the night before and keep it wrapped; build the board just before guests arrive.

24. Melon star and blueberry skewers

Apricot-colored melon stars and blueberries on short skewers: the palette, on a stick.

• Buy: two cantaloupes ($3.99 each), a pint of WOW Joyberry blueberries ($6.99) and 100 Good Cook skewers ($2.99), all at Hy-Vee, and Hobby Lobby’s three mini star cutters ($1.99).
• Make 20: slice the melon ½ inch thick and cut stars with the 1¼-inch cutter. Thread three stars and four blueberries on each skewer, cut to about 6 inches.
• For the kids: a separate plate of blueberries cut in half and melon in small pieces, with no skewers.
• When: cut the stars the day before and keep them in a covered box in the fridge; thread the skewers the morning of.

25. A warm dish: slow-cooker meatballs

Meatballs in marinara, kept warm, with toothpicks on the side: the one hot dish on a cool table.

• Buy: two 1½-pound bags of Johnsonville homestyle meatballs, 28 to a bag ($8.99 each), two 23-ounce jars of Hy-Vee marinara ($1.99 each) and 250 Hy-Vee toothpicks ($2.49).
• How many: 56 meatballs, 2 or 3 a guest.
• Make: the morning of, heat them in the sauce on the stove to 165°F, or as the bag directs, then keep them at 140°F or warmer in a slow cooker.

26. Stardust popcorn, kept away from little ones

Kettle corn drizzled with white candy melts and dusted with gold sanding sugar, like a sky full of stars.

• Buy: two 3-packs of Hy-Vee kettle corn microwave popcorn ($2.69 each), a 12-ounce bag of Wilton white candy melts ($3.99) and a 2.9-ounce jar of Wilton gold sanding sugar ($2.99).
• Make: pop the six bags and spread the popcorn on two lined baking sheets. Melt half the candy melts as the bag directs, drizzle them with a spoon, and sprinkle the sugar before they set. Keep the rest of the sugar for the cookies.
• When: the morning of; store it in a big covered bowl.
• Good to know: popcorn is on the CDC’s choking list for young children, so it sits at the grown-ups’ end of the table.

brew the tea the day before

27. A galaxy punch that changes color, alcohol-free

Deep blue butterfly pea flower tea that turns violet when the lemonade goes in. Let guests pour their own and watch it change.

• Buy: a 40-bag box of LeafLea butterfly pea flower tea ($14.99 on Amazon), labeled caffeine-free and “Turns Purple With Lemon”, and two 76-ounce bottles of Simply Lemonade ($4.99 each at Hy-Vee).
• Brew the day before: for each batch, steep 4 tea bags in 8 cups of hot water for 5 minutes, as the box directs for iced tea. Take out the bags, cool the tea and refrigerate it in a clear pitcher or dispenser.
• At the table: fill glasses with ice and the blue tea, halfway, then top them with lemonade and watch them turn violet. Each batch, with one bottle of lemonade, makes about 17 glasses.
• How much: two batches, about 35 glasses, with 24 bottles of water: nearly three drinks a guest for two hours. Reddy Ice suggests 1 to 2 pounds of ice a guest, so two 20-pound bags.

Total: $164.68, about $8.23 a guest, before tax, at Hy-Vee, plus the tea from Amazon and the cutters from Hobby Lobby. Hy-Vee’s online prices vary by store.

Not counted: pantry staples, like mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and cups, plates and napkins.

Cooking for a guest who is pregnant, or for allergies and other diets? Our menu guide lists the foods to skip and how to label a buffet. The chicken salad is made from a ready-to-eat deli chicken served cold, one of the foods that list covers.

The make-ahead plan

1. 1
   A week before

   Cut and hang the paper stars, paint the moon, order the poster, and print the games and the cards.
2. 2
   The day before

   Shop, cut the bread stars, bake the crescents, make the chicken salad, slice the cheese, cut the melon, brew the tea, bake the cake, the cookies and the meringues, tint the frosting, ice and bag the cookies, cut the wish stars and the night-shift cards, make the favors and the centerpieces.
3. 3
   The morning of

   Fill the sandwiches and the crescent bites, thread the skewers, make the popcorn, frost the cake, heat the meatballs to 165°F, and hang the light curtains.
4. 4
   During the shower

   Bring the food out in small platters, swap them rather than topping them up, and throw away any perishable dish that has sat at room temperature for 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F); dishes kept at 140°F or warmer can stay out.

The rest of the to-do list, from the invitations to the thank-you notes, is in our baby shower checklist, and our baby shower agenda puts the games, the food and the gifts on a two-hour clock.

08 A night-sky cake, star cookies and cloud meringues

A sheet cake frosted midnight blue with gold star sprinkles serves 20 without fondant. Star cookies and meringues fill out the table.

28. A night-sky sheet cake with star sprinkles

A one-layer vanilla cake in a 13-by-9 pan, frosted midnight, scattered with gold and silver stars, with a crescent moon of dried apricots in one corner.

• Buy: a box of Betty Crocker Super Moist vanilla cake mix ($1.77), plus the water, oil and 3 eggs the box asks for, two tubs of Betty Crocker vanilla frosting ($2.18 each), and at Hobby Lobby, navy and black gel colors ($2.49 each) and gold and silver star sprinkles ($4.99).
• Bake: at 350°F for 24 to 29 minutes, as the box directs for a 13-by-9 pan, the day before. Cool it completely and wrap it.
• Tint the frosting: stir navy gel into both tubs, then a drop or two of black, until it reads as night. Tint it the night before: gel colors deepen as they sit.
• Decorate: frost the top and sides, shake the stars over it, thicker in one corner, and set six dried apricot halves in a curve for the moon.
• How many: Wilton counts 36 party slices, about 1½ by 2 inches, for a 13-by-9 sheet two layers high. One layer, cut 4 by 5 into 20 pieces, serves 20 with the cookies and meringues beside it.

Buying it instead? Hy-Vee’s bakery showed no plain sheet cake online on October 29, 2026. Its build-your-own double-layer 7-inch round, 8 to 12 servings, was $28.99, so two for 20 guests ($57.98). Ask if they’ll tint the frosting navy; if not, take white and add more stars and the moon yourself.

29. Star sugar cookies with white and gold icing

Cut-out sugar cookies iced white and sprinkled with gold: 20 for the table and 22 for the favor bags.

• Buy the dough: two pouches of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix ($3.69 each), about 48 cookies, plus the flour, butter and egg the pouch calls for cutout cookies.
• Bake the day before: roll the dough about ¼ inch thick, cut stars with the middle cutter, and bake at 375°F until the edges are light golden, as the pouch directs.
• Ice them: Wilton’s royal icing. Beat 4 cups (about a pound) of powdered sugar, 5 tablespoons of warm water and 3 tablespoons of meringue powder until peaks form, 10 to 12 minutes with a hand mixer. Thin it with a teaspoon of water a cup to spread it.
• The gold: sprinkle the wet icing with the gold sanding sugar from the popcorn. Let them dry, up to 2 hours, before bagging.

bake them the day before

30. Cloud meringues

Little white clouds, crisp all the way through, piled on a navy plate.

• Buy: a 4-ounce tub of Wilton meringue powder ($7.99 at Hy-Vee). It also makes the cookie icing. The sugar and vanilla come from the pantry.
• The meringue: Wilton’s basic recipe. Whip ¼ cup of meringue powder and ½ cup of water on high to soft peaks. Add 1⅓ cups of sugar a little at a time and whip to stiff peaks, 4 to 5 minutes, then 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
• Pipe clouds: on parchment, three small puffs side by side, touching, the middle one taller, or simple kisses. About 4 dozen kisses, or 16 three-puff clouds. Smaller ones crisp through more easily.
• Bake the day before: at 250°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until the outsides feel firm and crisp, then turn the oven off and leave them in for an hour. Store them airtight.

Total: $36.45, before tax, at Hy-Vee and Hobby Lobby.

Not counted: oil, butter, flour, sugar and vanilla from your pantry, a piping bag, and the gold sugar from the popcorn list.

Label the desserts: the cake, wheat and egg, and the frosting’s “Contains” line; the cookies, wheat, milk and egg; the meringues, egg.

09 Five moon and stars baby shower favors, with what each costs

Five favors, from a star cookie to a hot cocoa kit, each with its cost per guest and a tag line you can copy.

Choose one, plus the glow stars if children are coming. Every count makes 22 for 20 guests, so a late yes still gets one, except the glow stars, one pack a child; keep the tray by the door, above toddler height.

about 18 cents a bag

31. A star cookie in a bag: “Thanks for being part of our little star’s story”

• Cost: about 18 cents a bag, plus one of the cookies from the dessert list: Hobby Lobby’s 50 cello bags, 4 by 9 inches ($1.99), and two packs of 12 kraft tags (99 cents each). For 22: $3.97.
• Prep: a minute a bag, once the icing is dry.
• Tag: “Thanks for being part of our little star’s story.” Under it: wheat, milk and egg.
• Good to know: the cello bags are labeled a suffocation hazard for children under 5. Give kids their cookie on a napkin or in a small paper bag.

32. A hot cocoa kit for stargazing

• Cost: about 66 cents: a Swiss Miss envelope with marshmallows (8 for $3.49 at Hy-Vee), a cello bag and a kraft tag. For 22: three boxes, a pack of bags and two packs of tags, $14.44.
• Prep: a minute a bag, any day before.
• Tag: “For a night of stargazing.” Under it, copy the box’s “Contains: milk.”
• Good to know: marshmallows are on the CDC’s choking list for young children, so these are for the grown-ups.

33. A mini notebook: “Dream big, little one”

• Cost: about 9 cents of cardstock each: half a sheet of the activities’ cream cardstock folded over four sheets of printer paper, cut to match. Eleven sheets of cardstock make 22.
• Prep: punch two holes along the fold and tie them with jute twine from the garland’s spool, using a hole punch. Three minutes each, any evening before.
• Tag: write “Dream big, little one” on each cover with a fineliner.

34. A lavender sachet: “Sweet dreams”

• Cost: about $1.06: two 2-ounce bags of Hobby Lobby’s lavender buds ($4.49 each), five packs of five muslin bags ($2.49 each) and two packs of kraft tags. For 22: $23.41.
• Prep: split the lavender evenly between 22 bags, a heaping spoonful each, fold the tops over twice and tie them with jute twine. Two minutes each.
• Tag: “Sweet dreams.” The bags carry a small-parts warning, so the tray stays out of toddlers’ reach.

35. Glow-in-the-dark star stickers for the kids, age 3 and up

• Cost: $1.99 a child: Hobby Lobby’s pack of 16 glow-in-the-dark stars, with their adhesive strips, labeled “Age Grade: 3+” and as a choking hazard for children under 3.
• Prep: none: hand one pack to each child 3 or older, or to a grown-up for a younger child.
• Tag: “A sky for your ceiling.”

10 Gifts for the night: a bedtime basket and a first lullaby library

A bedtime basket of board books, a night-light and swaddles fits a moon and stars shower, and it’s easy to split between friends.

36. A bedtime basket: board books, a night-light and swaddles

Total: $66.95, before tax and shipping, at the regular price on October 29, 2026; split three ways, about $22 each. Roll the swaddles and tuck them in beside the books.

10 books for bedtime

37. A first lullaby library, from “Goodnight Moon” to “Twinkle, Twinkle”

Ten bedtime books about the moon, the stars and the night, each still in print. Copy the list into a shared note, so guests can pick one.

All but the last two are board books. Prices and ages are the publishers’ list prices, read on October 29, 2026. Any edition, new or secondhand, counts.

Want a bigger shelf? Our book themed baby shower guide lists 17 more books by age, and how to avoid duplicates.

38. A plush lamb or moon, for play time, never in the crib

• Pick one labeled for babies: the tag or the product page says it’s for all ages, from birth.
• What it costs: Baby GUND’s Oh So Snuggly plush, labeled “appropriate for all ages, from babies aged 0 and up,” are $25 at gund.com in the 12½-inch size. On October 29, 2026, the line had an elephant, a bunny, a puppy and a hippo, among others, but no lamb or moon, so check the label of any other.
• On the tag: “For play time, never in the crib.”

11 Moon and stars baby shower invitation wording, and one to open like a night sky

A moon and stars invitation needs the names, the date and time, the place and the RSVP date. Send it four to six weeks before.

four to six weeks before

39. Moon and stars invitation wording to copy

Swap your details into the brackets. More, including another moon and stars line, are in our baby shower invitation wording by theme.

40. An invitation guests open to a night sky

Rather send a link than a card? Twinkle Little Star, our night-sky baby shower website, opens on a little star asleep in its cloud bed. Guests wake it, it flies above your title, and they can skip the animation or replay it.

A sleepy moon’s mobile holds three felt ornaments, a cloud, a star and a crescent, for the date, the place, and the RSVP date or your contact. Two lambs hop a fence of cloud puffs, and seven stars draw a lamb.

Guests reply on a cloud, for 1 to 12 people at a time, and a calmer version plays for guests whose device asks for less motion. Build and preview it free with your own details, then publish for $29, once, with no subscription and no ads. See the Twinkle Little Star example, filled in with fictional details.

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