The concept of a baby shower seems simple enough, but there is quite a good deal of etiquette one must learn and planning and preparation one must do before a baby shower is thrown. If you have a friend who's expecting and you want to get a head start in welcoming the little one into the world, here are some tips on throwing a baby shower that stands out from the rest.

First thing's first: who's in charge of hosting a baby shower? If you're related to the mother-to-be, you're probably not supposed to. It's an old tradition that only non-related friends (co-workers, neighbors, college buddies, etc) put together the baby shower. However, if you are a mother or sister, it's alright to throw a baby shower – just make sure you're not stepping on anyone's toes!

Now, who should you invite to the baby shower? Fortunately, you don't have to worry about this much. It's best to ask the pregnant woman you care about so much who she'd like on the guest list. While you want to handle all the stress and preparations, it's best that the calendar date and the guest list is determined not by you, but the mother-to-be.

Still, while your friend (or sister, etc) is expecting a baby, you may not want her to expect a baby shower. So in order to properly plan the get-together, without giving away the surprise, you might want to ask her other family and friends for advice.

Usually, a baby shower has an all-female cast, but if you feel like bending the rules, why not? You'll just have to change up the format of the shower a little to ensure that the guys in attendance feel included in the festivities.

In the invitations, you may want to include any stores the mother-to-be is registered at, and of course other miscellaneous information you deem important.

Now that you've done some pre-party prep, you have to choose the setting of the baby shower. A cozy home is usually a top choice, but you don't have to go with that. You can hold a baby shower almost anywhere – at a restaurant or a country club; whatever you think will be most convenient and appealing to the mother-to-be is alright.

But not only should you worry about where the shower takes place, but you have to be careful about when it takes place as well. Usually about two months before the baby's due date, it's the perfect time to hold the baby shower. This means the party's center of attention will have a nice round belly to show off, but won't bail early by going into labor and also, she'll still have time after the shower to shop for the items she didn't get at the shower, before the newborn makes his or her way out of the womb.

So, now you've figured out the time and place and have sent out all the invitations. What next? Your baby shower can be memorable, if in addition to the standard “gift-giving” segment of the shower, you also feature games! The “Name Game” is an original little activity, in which you tell all your guests to think of a name for the baby and then write it down on a piece of paper. After they do this, you then instruct them to make up as many regular words as possible, but only using the letters of the name they chose! There's also the “Baby Food Game,” where guests have to take a stab at what the ingredients are in different baby foods that are separated from their packages and labels. There are variety of other games that your baby shower attendees can play and they really keep the spirit of the celebration alive and everybody thoroughly entertained.

Another great idea is to use this gathering of women, many of whom may be mothers themselves, to dig up as much motherly wisdom as possible. You might pass around a journal or buy a big poster board for guests to write on, with advice and hopeful wishes for the mother-to-be.

The biggest priority you have as a baby shower hostess is to make sure the expecting mother is at ease at all times – does she have a comfortable chair to sit in? Is she hungry, thirsty? Any pregnant woman deserves a healthy amount of attention and help, on any day of the week, and that can't be more true than during a baby shower.

Some women are okay with having a baby shower for their second-born, third-born, and so on. However, the reason that is not too common is because the logic goes that the mother already has plenty of resources at her fingertips and thus, doesn't need to hold another party where she gets gifts and advice. But if you're intent on celebrating every baby, rather than just the first, you can hold a more modest baby shower – where guests either bring nothing at all or just the bare essentials (like diapers). The choice is really up to the you, the party planner, and the mother.

If your mother-to-be suddenly becomes a mother and you realize you never threw her a baby shower, it's not too late! Consider throwing “welcoming shower!”