We Can Bearly Wait Baby Shower Ideas: Decor, Food, Games and Favors

Teddy bears, balloons and a single good pun: the “we can bearly wait” shower is one of the easiest themes to put together, because the idea carries itself. This guide covers the palette, the invitation wording, decor, food, games and favors, and a simple schedule.

For the full planning order, read how to plan a baby shower step by step. Everything else is gathered on the baby shower planning hub.

The Palette

The look is soft and calm. A classic mix is:

• Soft blue (dusty, not bright) for balloons, napkins and signs
• Honey tan or sand for ribbons, wood and the bears themselves
• White or cream for tablecloths, plates and cake stands
• A little gold or a pop of a soft yellow for stars and balloons

If you do not want blue, the theme works well in sage and cream, blush and cream, or yellow and white. The bear is what makes it a theme; the colors are yours to choose.

Invitation Wording

The pun is the main attraction, so lead with it.

We can bearly wait! Join us for a baby shower in honor of ____.

We can bearly wait to meet baby. Please come celebrate with us.

Beary excited for baby. Lunch, cake and games to follow.

After the line, add the date, start and end time, address, hosts, an RSVP date and the registry. If you are asking for diapers or books, our diaper raffle guide has wording that stays friendly.

Decor Ideas

Borrow the Bears

You probably have the best decor already: any teddy bears in the family. Ask guests to lend one for the day, and sit them in a row along a shelf, around the cake table or on the gift table. Tie a small tag on each with the owner’s name, so it goes home with the right person.

A Balloon Garland

A garland of soft blue, white and tan balloons around the entry or behind the food table, plus a few gold stars, makes a backdrop for photos. Foil balloons in the shape of a bear or a star are cheap and look like more than they cost.

The Tables

Use a cream tablecloth, with a runner or small bunches of eucalyptus or dried grass. Use wooden cutting boards and baskets for food, in honey tones. A few jars of honey with the lids tied in ribbon make a sweet centerpiece, and guests can take them home.

A “Teddy Bear Picnic” Corner

A blanket on the floor with a few bears, children’s books and a basket of snacks is a lovely spot for small guests, and for photos.

Food Ideas With a Bear Twist

You do not need to name every dish, but a few small labels make the theme obvious and get a smile.

Savory

• Bear paw rolls: soft dinner rolls with a few cuts, or cinnamon rolls shaped into paws
• Honey-glazed ham sliders or chicken salad sandwiches
• Sandwiches cut into bear shapes with a cookie cutter, with fillings such as peanut butter and jelly or cream cheese. Mark any with nuts.
• Veggie cups with dip: “bear necessities”
• A cheese and fruit board

Sweet

• Honey cake or honey cupcakes with a bear topper
• Bear claw pastries or almond pastries from a bakery
• Teddy bear shaped crackers or cookies in small bags
• “Honey bunch” yogurt parfaits with granola and honey
• Berries and cream: “beary” good fruit cups

Drinks

A punch with lemon and a splash of honey syrup, lemonade, iced tea with honey and water. Honey should not be given to babies under one year old, so if infants are attending, put a note on anything made with it.

To work out quantities, use the baby shower food calculator. For 25 guests at a 3 hour afternoon shower with light bites, it gives about 188 appetizer pieces and 63 sweets as planning estimates (the afternoon setting trims the food and lifts the sweets), so you can shop with confidence.

Games and Activities

• Guess how many honey sticks are in the jar. The winner takes the jar home.
• Baby bingo while gifts are opened
• Teddy bear pass: pass a small bear around while music plays, and whoever has it when the music stops answers a question or wins a small prize
• Wishes for baby cards at each seat, or a guest book for the little one
• Bring a book instead of a card: a “books for baby” request, with a note inside the cover

See printable baby shower games with answer key for ten more games and how to play each.

Favors

Honey sticks in a small bag, a mini jar of honey, a packet of tea with a tag, a cookie with a bear stamp or a sachet of hot cocoa all fit the theme. A tag with “Thank you for helping us wait” suits each of them. Favors are optional; a good cake matters more.

Cake and Cupcake Ideas

• A small round cake in soft blue or white buttercream with a bear face piped on top
• Cupcakes with a bear-ear detail: two small round cookies or candies for ears on each one
• A “teddy bear picnic” cake: a flat cake with a blanket pattern and a small bear sitting on it
• A honey cake with a simple glaze and a sprinkling of oats or sliced almonds
• A star-shaped sugar cookie at each place, as a dessert and a favor in one

Ask the baker for a small, plain bear topper rather than a custom figure, which is cheaper and easier to find. Use any bear-shaped topper or cookie cutter you like, as long as it is a plain teddy bear and not a licensed character.

A Teddy Bear Picnic Version

If you want a more casual shower, turn the theme into a picnic. Hold it in a garden, a park shelter or a living room with blankets on the floor. Serve finger food in baskets: sandwiches cut into bear shapes, fruit, cheese and crackers and cookies. Use paper plates in a soft color, and sit guests on cushions or low chairs. The format works for a small group of 10 to 15, and it keeps the cost and the cleanup low.

Keeping It Gender Neutral

Many guests ask whether a theme suits a surprise. This one does. The bear and the pun do not name a gender, and the palette can be anything. Avoid pink-or-blue wording on signs (“boy or girl?”) unless the parents want it, and let the games focus on the parents and the baby rather than guesses about gender.

Mistakes to Avoid

Three small things go wrong with this theme. First, bears everywhere: five or six is plenty, and more makes the room look crowded. Second, honey on everything: honey is lovely but sticky, so give it to guests in sealed sticks or jars rather than open bowls. Third, balloons that pop on the way to the party: inflate them at the venue, or buy a garland strip you can assemble there.

A Simple Schedule

For a 3 hour shower beginning at 1 pm: arrivals until 1:20, welcome at 1:25, lunch until 2:05, open time to 2:30, three games until 3:00, cake and photos until 3:15, the diaper raffle draw at 3:20, gifts until 3:50 and goodbyes at 4:00. The timeline generator builds this for any start time and prints it.

Budget Notes

A bear theme is cheap to decorate, since the decor is bears, balloons and honey jars. Plan the numbers with the budget calculator before you buy. A shower for 25 guests at $500 gives $200 for food and catering with every category in use, as a planning estimate.

Printables for the Theme

Our We Can Bearly Wait suites cover the printed items in three kits. The Printable Suite is $14.99 and includes 14 printables you edit: the invitation, welcome and menu signs, food labels, cupcake toppers, favor tags, a diaper raffle sign and tickets, and thank-you cards. The Host Kit is $22.99 and adds a PDF of 10 games with answer keys. The Everything Kit is $34.99 and adds a big-screen game show and a planner with a checklist, RSVPs, budget and gift log. Editing is easiest on a laptop or computer, and the files also open on a phone or tablet. Digital download, nothing ships.