Baby Shower Planning & Etiquette
Baby Showers are a time filled with celebration. So to ensure everything goes smoothly for you if you’re hosting a Baby Shower, here are some guidelines for hosts, guests, and parents-to-be.
Is making the baby shower a surprise a good idea?
If your guest of honor doesn’t like surprises, doesn’t take surprises well, or was hoping for a specific type of event, you could put her in an awkward position. So just think it through before making any decisions
Who should host a baby shower?
Tradition has it that a shower should not be hosted by a close family member because it was meant to avoid the appearance that the family was on a mission to collect gifts. Like other traditions, this rule of thumb hasn’t been followed as much these days. It’s considered perfectly acceptable for a sister, mother or mother-in-law to host or co-host.
When should the shower be held?
Showers are typically given four to six weeks before the baby’s due date.
When should the invitations get sent out?
Send invitations early enough the give the guests four to six weeks’ notice.
What about the dad-to-be and male guests?
It’s becoming more and more common to include men on the guest list. It does change the chemistry of the party. Something you might want to consider is the personality of the dad-to- be; some may relish sharing in every aspect of the pregnancy while others may be uncomfortable with the idea of being a guest of honor at a baby shower.
Second Baby Shower? When to shower?
Can a shower be given to celebrate a second baby OR one even further down in the birth order? Since a big reason for giving the expectant first time mom a baby shower, it’s purpose is to help new parents acquire the supplies they’ll need, it’s not necessary to give a traditional baby shower for parents who are having their second or subsequent baby.
Parents who have a large age gap in between children OR who are having a different gender from the first child, consider throwing a small “baby sprinkle”. This is a scaled-down version of a full shower. With this event there may be only a small registry or none at all.
