You need to decide on the size of the plates for your gusts before purchasing. In general, baby shower plates come in three main sizes:

1. Luncheon Plates: 7″ – 8″

2. Dinner Plates: 9 inches to 10 inches

3. Banquet Plate: 10.5″ – 11″

You may choose to use just one size of plate, or go with all three. You can give out luncheon plates for snacks and whatnot then move up from there. Then, if you’re serving many different types of food in buffet style, you could use the largest size for that, and save the medium size for the cake or dessert afterwards. There really is no wrong combination. It all depends on what type of food you’re serving, how you are going to serve it, and how many people are coming.

You may not like the idea of using paper baby shower plates. There are other alternatives. You can find plastic at any party store, just remember these are generally more expensive and will eventually end up in the trash just like the paper versions. However, plastic is much more durable than paper, so if you are serving heavy food it can be a good option. Truth be told, plate-making technology is very good nowadays; if you search around for a while you can indeed find some paper plates that are just as durable as their plastic counterparts. Generally, though, it’s obvious when you should have used plastic if your guests are cutting their paper plates in half trying to cut their steaks.

The ultimate baby shower plates are truly beautiful keepsakes, meant to treasure forever, and usually made to be attractive enough to put on a wall later on. There are a vast number of providers out there; you may even desire to make your own plate and customize it yourself. Most local art shops will have all the materials you need, some even have classes you can take.

Baby shower plates are an often overlooked item during the preparation phase, an afterthought: if the mother-to-be is expecting a baby boy, blue paper plates get a checkmark on the shopping list. But if you stop and think outside the box, you can turn an ordinary event into something to remember, starting with a simple item such as the plates you will serve the food on.

If you want to make the plates keepsakes for family members or even friends, you are going to need to customize them at least a little bit. Either way, go with the plates that meet your standards and do not make you go over the budget. After all, the plates are not really the focus of the baby shower. Try surprising her by putting a little extra thought into something that seems trivial — the baby shower plates — and make her day that much more memorable.

Baby shower plates aren’t really something that you need to stress over. But you should keep in mind that baby shower plates should be at least a little special.