Having a baby is a lot like getting married: lots of people do it but you want to make yours special. Obviously, your little bundle of joy is always going to be one-of-a-kind in your eyes and that means you want all of the celebrations around his or her birth to be special, too. One way to do that is by choosing unique or unusual invitations for his or her baby shower.

Most parents (or shower hosts) stick to traditional invitations – some shaped like bottles or strollers, others decorated in pink or blue depending on the sex of the baby. However, you do have options which can help set your baby shower invitations apart from the rest of the crowd.

Here are some fun ideas:

• Mommy’s Tummy – These invitations focus less on the baby and more on the mother (and less face it, baby showers are all about the mom-to-be – she deserves the attention after all). They are black and white and just focus on the tummy of a pregnant woman – it’s simple and different.
• Duck Baby – These invitations are definitely cute and unique. They have a mommy duck followed by her two baby ducks. Each duck can be printed with part of your invitation message. All three are printed separately, then joined using twine or string. The effect is quite charming and guests will be delighted when they remove them from the envelope.
• Chick Scroll in Bubble – If you want something that’s not only adorable but also stands out in terms of its presentation, then these invitations are definitely a great choice. They consist of two pieces. One piece is a printable scroll on which you can print all of the baby shower details. The other piece looks like a puffy bubble. The scroll slides into the bubble. To look at the party details, recipients gently pull on the cute chick and the scroll is slowly revealed.
• Baby Shower Detachables – These unique baby shower invitations include a detachable bottom section where guests can write their advice for the new parents. They can either send that part back as an RSVP or they can bring it to the party. Some baby shower hosts have used the advice slips in a drawing for door prizes or other activities.
• Diaper Bag Invitations – Nothing says “baby” like a diaper bag so these invitations could be the perfect symbol of parenting. They come in two parts: one part is a printable invitations where you can list the shower basics. That part is then inserted into a paper diaper bag and pulled out by the recipients.

Remember that no matter how unique your baby shower invitations are, you need to get them in the mail to your guests in a timely manner, particularly if they are already parents who will need to make babysitting arrangements for their own special bundles of joy.