Baby Showers

What is involved in a baby shower?

Baby Showers
Baby showers are a special way of showering expectant parents with love, gifts, advice and memories. While all baby showers are different and unique, they are all very special. Baby showers are used as a celebration of pregnancy and the upcoming delivery. Generally, a baby shower should be held approximately one to two months before the baby is due. This will allow the expectant parents time to purchase any baby necessities that were not purchased as gifts for the shower. It also helps to ensure that the mother has not already had the baby. Some baby showers are centered around a theme and some are not. Common themes are the desired nursery theme, baby necessities, booties, ducks, teddy bears or blocks.

Invitations

The invitation should include the name of the parent and child (if known), date and time of the shower, location of the shower with directions, the host name and phone number and where the parents are registered. You may also choose to give a date for responses, known as the RSVP.
Invitations should be mailed to guests approximately 4 weeks ahead of time. Give a longer notice to out of town guests.
Men can be invited to baby showers as well.
Can be themed or neutral.

Food

Most showers have finger foods and punch available for the guests to enjoy during the shower.
Pinwheels, meatballs, chips and dip, a veggie or fruit tray, crackers, cookies, mints and other small items are common.
A specially made cake is usally the main centerpiece for the shower.
Some shower hosts decide to have a full course meal with an afternoon tea.

Games

Games should be fun and easy to play.
Small prizes should be awarded to the winner of any game that is played.
From drinking bottles to changing baby doll diapers, there are lots of games to play at a shower.

Party Favors

In some areas it is okay not to give party favors to the guests for coming. However, most people will give a small party favor as their appreciation gift.
Potpourri sachets, stationary sets or wrapped candies are sufficient.
Attach a short thank you note or poem to the gift for your guests.

Etiquette

In the past, it was recommended that women only have baby showers for their first born. However, more and more people realize the equal importance of all babies and like to celebrate each one.
The mother-to-be and her mother should not host the shower. Instead, a friend, aunt, sister or co-worker should do the party planning.
The person(s) that host the party is the one that is responsible for paying for rentals, food, decorations, etc. It is never polite to ask guests to contribute or the parents-to-be.
Always send out thank you notes immediately after the shower. Thank your guests for coming, for their support and for any gifts that were brought.

Add a game

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Comments: Baby Showers

Comments 1 to 24 of about 59.
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sate - 575 days ago.
Simply the coolest family decals and baby on board sticker I found! All dad love it ;-) www.baby-onboard.com Good shopping!

dezire - 911 days ago.
this is my 3rd pregnancy I had a baby shower for my 2nd child would it be wrong for me to throw another baby shower???

LadyJade - 941 days ago.
I agree with missing...there is no harm whatsoever in hinting for a baby shower. My gosh you are having twins, I am sure all your family and friends would want to spoil them with something anyway, and that will also help you out greatly!!! TTC.OUR.FIRST. lol don't fool yourself, whilst a babyshower is a celebration of life, the core purpose is to bring a gift. Not for ladies to sit around sipping tea !lol That is why ladies have gift registries for their showers to, to ensure they are getting items they really need!!

1Day@ATime - 941 days ago.
Christinaf there is nothing wrong in hinting for a baby shower, that's what a baby shower is for to shower the twins with gifts for when they are born they have things they will need. A baby shower is a celebration of the arrival of the babies and comes with gifts. It's example you wouldn't be throwing a birthday party to celebrate the day of your child's birth with out expecting them to get some type of gift than there no need for the birthday party if no gifts were given to celebrate. I hope you do have a baby shower or Diaper shower!!!! Good luck Christinaf!!!!

excited.4.our.first - 942 days ago.
christina>>> sounds like your only having a baby shower for the gifts. I think that is the wrong reason. I will want to have a baby shower for all my children. not because i want gifts for them but because i dont see why one of them should get one but the other shouldnt. It is not a bad thing, that you would like to have another shower but dont do it just for the gifts. do it because you are celebrating the arrival of your twins ;)

christinaf - 942 days ago.
Hi ladies! I have a ? any positive/negative feed back would be greatly appreciated. I have a son who is 2 so I had a baby shower with him. I saved everything so we would have it for baby number 2 but I am now pregnant with twins and I feel like we will still need alot of stuff. I know they say you usually only have 1 baby shower but do you think it's awful that i hint around about having another 1 ?

wolflover - 948 days ago.
Hi ladies! I'm 18 weeks along and my due date is March 18th, I was wondering when I should have my baby shower. A friend of my mind thinks I should have it early december but I think early febuary would be best. Opinions please :)

dominique23 - 1008 days ago.
MYA2010- You should make a registry, so people know what you need, put everything you need on there, who knows someone might get you a crib or some of the more spendy items. and as far as the planning goes..you can tell your SIL what things you would like, if you have a theme in mind, like frogs or elephants or whatever you want to do. or you can just tell her to do it however she wants. Usually when someone is hosting a baby shower for you, they pay for everything and do the planning and decorations. but if you want to do it different you can too. just up to you.

MYA2010 - 1020 days ago.
I am 22 weeks pregnant; my SIL asked me y'day if i would love a baby shower. As i am duei n December she suggested having the shower in October. I have never been to a baby shower before so i dont know what to expect or even what to do. Do i do a gift registry? do i pay for things? do i plan food? how long do they go for? i dont want to tell anyone what the sex is so how do i decorate? sorry i am just completly clueless.... HELP ME PLEASE!! LOL

xlxsparkzxlx - 1031 days ago.
Hi everyone, I'd like some advice I am not due until January 23rd, I am throwing my own shower but my mom would like my shower to be in October so my grandparents can be a part of it before they leave for Florida. And as to not interfere with holiday festivites Is this just ridiciously too soon?

mma5125 - 1112 days ago.
I am hosting my own baby shower mainly because of my bridal shower experience, I had it a week to my wedding and I was rushing, my sister has 2 kids with a teachers salary. my mother lives in Nigeria. I dont want to put any financial burden on my friends so I am planning a co-ed party. we dont do showers were i come from, We do host parties when the baby is born and guest bring thier gift. In this economy, if I am waiting for someone to throw me a shower, i may not have one at all, Plus I have control and I can plan it my way. I understand the etiquette but not every one is fortunate, yes my co-workers are planning one for me , but my husband want's to have his party and invite his friends, I am due August 13, my shower is June 5th. I'm expecting 65 guest.

Jaxon.Stellas Mama - 1112 days ago.
Hey everyone, I need some etiquette advice. I'm having my second baby in September and I'm thinking of having a 'diaper shower'. It will be much more laid back and low key than the first one and I would like to just ask for diapers. I think each baby should be celebrated but I'm worried this will come off a bit selfish. I was just looking for some thoughts and opinions on a second shower. Thank you all!!

happybabymama(Shellie) - 1171 days ago.
This is my first baby and i'm having my baby shower May 8th which will put me at almost 35 weeks. My friend is throwing the shower for me and its going to be at my church.

beccanbaby - 1249 days ago.
I am due on June 1st and I plan on having my baby shower in late April in case I deliver early in May...My BFF is throwing the party but we can't decide where to have it. I believe it will be rather big and I'm hoping the weather will be good enough to possibly have it outdoors..doubt it tho cuz I live in Maine. hehe

shellbz - 1281 days ago.
I had a baby shower with my first daughter which was 2 years ago and now I'm having another. Both thrown by my step-dad. This second one is much smaller in size, more intimate but I just registered for replacement things. Towels, washcloths, diapers, wipes. I have already purchased the bigger items except the double stroller I'll now be needing. LOL Oh, and a mattress. My dad bought me the stroller as a gift that I'll be receiving at my shower on Sunday. He's really very thoughtful and I'm very grateful he's so giving!!!! Every baby should be celebrated, no matter how small the party or rather 'sprinkle' rather than shower:0)

nikkilove37 - 1292 days ago.
I'm due 12/21 and I just had my shower on Saturday 11/7. We did it a little different, I have a large family so I did a display style shower so I did not have to open all the presents and I could walk around and talk to everyone. So basically it was a 3 hours lunch at a nice restuarant and all presents came not wrapped so they could be set out on a table for everyone to look through and instead of cards everyone signed a matting board for a photo that will hang in the babies room so she can keep it forever. It was great!

~Mendy-Tinksfairydust76~ - 1310 days ago.
With my son in 1998 my inlaws threw me a shower...Then we divorced and I got remarried in 2005 and that same month i had a girl, my bff threw me a shower....in 2008 i had another girl, no shower...now almost 11 years after my first boy, a friend of mine is throwing me a shower...i have nothing for boy...i need the small stuff, clothes and such...but i do have the big stuff already: changing table, crib, carseat, high chair....so this time its all about me needing clothes and cloth diapers...my shower is on Nov 7th, im due Nov 25th....

babyonboard1209 - 1323 days ago.
i just had a baby 3/15/08 and had a wonderful baby shower, i got everything i needed for my baby boy, i am now pregnant with my second child a baby girl and just dont think i should have a baby shower since that was only 1 1/2 ago so im buying this babies items my self

babyonboard1209 - 1323 days ago.
i just had a baby 3/15/08 and had a wonderful baby shower, i got everything i needed for my baby boy, i am now pregnant with my second child a baby girl and just dont think i should have a baby shower since that was only 1 1/2 ago so im buying this babies items my self

manda-may - 1344 days ago.
My boys are now a year old, but for my baby shower we broke the mold a bit and did our own thing so that it suited us. We had it for both of us, so we had both men and women present. I know that this is probably shocking to some, but it suited us and we had a great time. I had already had a baby shower at work, but wanted to have one at home for family and friends. I wanted my partner to be part of it if he wanted to, especially since I knew that some of his male friends were kind of excited about the whole baby thing too and would like to be part of the celebration... none of them had girlfriends to come to an all girl shower, and the one who did have a partner is gay, so if I had a girls only shower then that would have eliminated them both. My sister took charge and arranged the whole thing. She organised a mix of games that would be ok for boys and girls... there were even a series of team quiz sheets about everything from babies to matching symbols to super heroes, so everyone felt able to take part. Having a baby (or babies in our case because we had twins) is an exciting time for both parents, so I was really glad that we did the shower together and that ALL of our friends got to come along... it was great!!!

babyMammaLG - 1345 days ago.
I AM HAVING MY BABY SHOWER SUNDAY ON THE 20TH... WE HAVE INVITED OVER 70 PEOPLE SO WE HAD TO GET A SHELTER HOUSE... WE ALSO TURNED THE TABLES A LITTLE BIT AND MADE IT A BBQ/POT LUCK/BABYSHOWER.... SO THERE WILL BE FOOD OUT THE YING YANG HAHA.... WE HAVE 5 GAMES PICKED OUT AND CUT LITTLE PARTY FAVORES... AND SENCE THERES SOOOO MANY PEOPLE COMING WE HAVE ORDERED 3 CAKES OF DIFFRENT SIZES *OH YES* IM LIKE IN WONDERLAND WITH ALL THE FOOD AND CAKE LOL.... ITS FOR A GIRLSO EVERYTHING IS PINK PINK AND PINK.....

shellbz - 1355 days ago.
I am now pregnant with my second daughter and with my first I had complete control over my baby shower. My step-dad offered to throw it for me which worked out great because I was able to make almost all the decisions and it turned out perfect! If my mom was alive she would have thrown one for me, so my step-dad felt it was his job. He is really a great person and now wonderful grandfather to my daughter:0) I had been to way too many cheesey baby showers to know what I did and did not like. It was very fun but if you're going to help plan it be prepared for the stress you may feel if things don't turn out the way you want.

DJs Girl - 1409 days ago.
I haven't had any MS yet but yesterday and today is the first days that I've been really moody. I feel like snapping and crying at the same time. lol I'm just always sooo tired and I'm tired of being tired. I just want my energy back. Even my DH is getting annoyed with how I'm always sooo tired and how I don't want to do anything. It's hard for him to understand. Anyways, I am soooo excited to finish this trimester and then have my baby shower. hehe

alison33 - 1409 days ago.
DJ's girl~ It's okay. I was soo ill last week I hated the world, my husband was like my gosh, what is your problem? LOL This week I feel great! I hate the pregnant hormones ;P

DJs Girl - 1409 days ago.
That's awesome. =o) I'm still not 100% sure on the date. I really wanna find out the sex beforehand but I don't want to leave it too late. October or November is really the only time I can do it as I don't want to do it close to Christmas and I don't want to do it after Christmas.