When planning a baby shower it is often the special touches that add warmth to the celebration. Not only can your shower run a little smoother, but your mom-to-be and guests will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

To add a festive touch, simply place helium balloons outside your front door to greet your guests and expectant mother. Another cute idea is to place a sign on the lawn advertising the upcoming arrival. You can find many adorable signs that can be either purchased or rented at party stores.

Decorating for a shower is always fun, but many people forget about the bathroom. Adding a scented candle, some special soap and lotions will add warmth to the room.

As your shower guests arrive, be sure to take the time to introduce them to one another. If you are putting together a seating arrangement, place people who know each other or have common interests together. This will help keep everyone comfortable and avoid the awkwardness that can sometimes happen when guests have never met.

Help make your expectant mom feel pampered and relaxed on the way to and from the baby shower. Arrange a designated driver to pick her up and drive her home.

Your expectant mom will want to remember her shower and have something to look back on. Ask a shower guest in advance to be the designated photographer. Have them take a picture of each guest with the expectant mom. You could take this idea a step further and after developing the pictures, place them in a keepsake photo album for your mom-to-be.

Another idea that your expectant mom will greatly appreciate is designating a gift recorder to keep track of who gave her which gift. With all the excitement and wrapping paper, she is bound to forget who gave which adorable sleeper or stuffed teddy bear. You could also take this idea further and create a shower game. As your guest arrive have each of them write their name and address on an envelope. Place the envelopes in a bowl for a draw during the shower. The name pulled will win a prize. In the meantime, your mom will have all her envelopes addressed and ready to mail once she has filled out her thank you cards.

Depending on the style or type of shower you are hosting, you may have the expectant dad and other male friends and relatives in attendance. If this is the case try to stay away from anything too frilly when picking your invitations. Look for gender-neutral decorations and party games.

A simply way to add warmth and closeness during a shower is to have each person come up and present their gift to the expectant mom. While she is unwrapping her gift she can introduce the gift-giver to the group and share a little story about how she knows them. This is a great way for everyone to get to know one another and perhaps even share some laughs over the stories being told.

You can let your expectant mom know how special she is to you and your guests by surprising her with a small keepsake from her shower. It can be something as simple as her invitation nicely framed for her to take home.

When you plan your next baby shower for a close friend or family member, keep these ideas in mind. They are simple ways to add warmth and love to your celebration.