If you're planning a baby shower for a mom-to-be in your family or circle of friends, your first instinct might be to prepare the food yourself. Doing so can be thoughtful, but it will also be a lot of work — especially if the event's guest list is long. Instead, think about contacting an event catering company in your community and coming up with a menu together. A lot of people get baby showers catered, so there's a good chance that the catering service you choose has handled many of these events and can offer you some appropriate food suggestions. Here are some ideas to add to the menu of this gathering.

Mini Sandwiches

It's uncommon for a baby shower to include a sit-down meal. Instead, you'll likely want a variety of finger foods that the gathered group can enjoy throughout the shower. There are few better choices than mini sandwiches. They're delicious, easy to eat, and your catering service can provide you with a wide range of appealing choices — all built carefully and sliced into easy-to-manage pieces. Talk to your caterer about some unique types of sandwiches. For example, consider Brie cheese, pears, and caramelized onions as one sandwich combination.

Fresh Fruit

Another example of a light fare that can work well at a baby shower is a platter or two of fresh fruit. This food adds a splash of color to the party and is something that virtually everyone will enjoy eating. If you know the gender of the baby, consider asking your caterer to provide fresh fruit in the appropriate color. For a baby boy, blueberries, blue plums, and blue grapes can be good choices. For a baby girl, pink grapefruit, pink lady apples, and dragonfruit can all be appropriate to include. Pair the fruit with one or two dips — perhaps a whipped cream dip and a yogurt dip.

Baby-Themed Cookies

Of course, you'll also want some baked goods to have available to the assembled group, and a good option to explore is baby-themed cookies. Your catering service will give you the option of a number of styles of cookies, all cut with baby-themed cookie cutters. For example, there might be cookies shaped like baby rattles, baby strollers, baby bottles, and more. The caterer can ice these cookies in pink or blue if you know the gender of the baby. If you don't know this information, a combination of colors will be a good choice.

To learn more, contact an event caterer.