How Early Should You Send Baby Shower Invites?

As a general rule, send baby shower invites three to four weeks before the event. That gives most guests enough time to arrange childcare, book time off if needed, and plan travel, without the date feeling so far off that people forget to reply.

Here's how to adjust that timing depending on your guest list.

General Rule of Thumb

Three to four weeks is the standard window for most UK baby showers. It's close enough that the event feels imminent, but far enough out that guests can genuinely plan around it. Sending invites much earlier than this risks people forgetting to RSVP; much later, and you risk guests already having other plans.

When to Send for Weekday vs Weekend Showers

Weekend showers are the norm, and three to four weeks' notice usually works well. If you're planning a weekday shower — less common, but it does happen — it's worth sending invites slightly earlier, closer to five weeks, since guests may need to arrange time off work or childcare around a working day.

Save-the-Dates for Larger Guest Lists

If your guest list includes people travelling from further afield, or the shower falls near a school holiday or bank holiday weekend, it's worth sending an informal save-the-date six to eight weeks ahead, followed by the full invite (with venue, timing, and RSVP details) closer to the standard three-to-four-week mark. This is especially useful for larger showers, where coordinating catering and seating numbers early makes planning easier.

Digital vs Paper Invites

Digital invites — sent via a group chat, WhatsApp, or an app like Canva or Evite — have become the norm for most UK baby showers, mainly because they make tracking RSVPs far easier than paper. Paper invites still work well for smaller, more intimate showers, or where a few guests aren't easily reachable digitally, but for larger guest lists, digital tends to save a lot of chasing.

Once your guest list is confirmed, Crown Banqueting Suite's baby shower venue in Ilford can accommodate groups of most sizes with advance booking.