How Many People Should Attend a Baby Shower. Every baby shower is different, but most ladies agree that 15 to 30 is the perfect number of ladies at a typical baby shower or about 30-40 for a coed. These numbers change depending on the size of the family, number of friends, and even work colleagues involved.
Who Do You Invite to a Baby Shower? Close friends and family members should be invited to the baby shower. You should always consult with the mom-to-be on the guestlist though, just in case she has any co-workers or friends she wants to add to the list.
As you create your guest list for your baby shower, you might wonder if there's anyone who shouldn't be invited. The simple answer is you can invite anyone you'd like to your shower.
When to Send Out Baby Shower Invites. Invitations are sent out three to six weeks before the shower. This gives guests enough time to respond, and get/send a gift if they are going to.
Traditional baby showers only focus on the mom-to-be and typically only include female guests. Whereas a coed baby shower celebrates both parents and invites both men and women to join in on the fun.
A baby shower is technically a party to honor the mother, so her name goes on the baby shower invitation by default. However, many modern baby showers are co-ed and also include the father. If that's the case, the mother's and father's names can both be included at the top of the card.
These days, many couples use their baby showers as a way to bring together their families and communities, and the baby shower is as much of an event for a mother as it is for a father. With that said, the decision for a father to attend is usually left up to individual couples.
As much as guests would love for the mom-to-be to open their gifts, proper etiquette is respecting her wishes and not asking her to open the presents during the shower.
The typical amount of time for a baby shower to last is about two hours. That gives your guests plenty of time to eat or snack, chat with the mom-to-be, play games (if you're offering games), and watch the mom-to-be open her gifts.
Strict rules like “female guests only,” “the parent-to-be or their immediate family can't host the shower” and “you shouldn't have a shower for any baby after your first” were largely indisputable 60 to 80 years ago. Some people love sticking with those traditions, but with new decades come new flexibility.
Should you open gifts at the baby shower? Tradition would have you open all the gifts in front of the guests. But, times have changed and it's more common not to.
Baby showers last on average 2-3 hours, depending on what's planned for the celebration. Plan for enough time to enjoy all of the baby shower games and activities you have planned for the day. Factor in things like the opening of gifts, snacking on hors d'oeuvres and cake, and catching up with friends and family.
It is considered inappropriate for you or your spouse to throw the baby shower. It is considered rude to ask someone to throw you a baby shower. Typically a close friend or one of the grandmas-to-be will throw a baby shower. It is acceptable to have a sister or other family member throw the baby shower.
A baby shower might seem like the perfect function to bring your kids to since it's all about the upcoming special delivery, but don't just assume they're welcome. “It's okay only if it's been specified on the invitation or if the host has let you know when you RSVP,” Post advises.
Don't Schedule It Too Early or Too Late
A baby shower should not be held before the 20-week mark in pregnancy. Showers held too late, after 38 weeks, run the risk of the baby joining you for the baby shower. Use these two marks as your best guide.
For a fancier event, a nice dress or skirt-and-blouse combo are a safe bet. If you prefer pants, opt for dress pants and heels over jeans or leggings. For a casual affair, however (think: at someone's home or a park), jeans might be totally acceptable with a dressy top or a blazer.
The name says it all: Instead of a bigger party where first-time parents are showered with gifts, a baby sprinkle is a more casual, relaxed gathering where the guests of honor are "sprinkled" with support and potentially smaller gifts.
Jack and Jill Baby Shower Name Meaning
Jack and Jill baby showers are co-ed. Even before the nursery rhyme was around, the phrase “Jack and Jill” meant a general boy and girl pair. For a baby shower, this means that both of the baby's parents will be part of the day, and they can each invite friends and family.
Here are a few suggestions for invitation wording that asks for cash gifts: “As new parents to be, we're excited to welcome our new family members into our lives! We already have everything we need, so no need to bring a present. Cash and gift cards are welcome, but not required!”
So, don't be afraid to tell your close friends and family that no one is throwing you a baby shower. Sometimes, your loved ones may assume that someone else is doing it, which is why they haven't offered. If still no one offers, there's no need to worry.
Many hosts opt for a weekend date to host a baby shower. Weekends are often ideal because less people have work scheduled and are able to attend. Saturdays and Sundays are also the time-honored choice, so more traditional mothers will likely prefer this option.
Most showers include games, gift opening, eating, and drinking. The key is organizing these activities to create a fun flow that keeps guests entertained and engaged. Give guests 15 to 20 minutes to arrive and offer drinks to people as they come through the door. Once everyone is there, start an activity.
How Many Baby Shower Games You Should Have? A typical baby shower lasts about 3 hours, so you can expect to play about 5 games at most. You will want to have enough games to keep everyone occupied but not so many that you are rushing people through each game.
Essentially, you don't want to have the shower any less than two weeks before the due date. Therefore, we would suggest that the best time to throw a baby shower is between 26 and 33 weeks.
A polite thing to do is to inform your guests of your decision to not open gifts so they know what to expect during the shower. The hostess can say something short and sweet like “Just to let you know, gifts will be opened after the shower.