Although they're traditionally hosted by friends or family, there's nothing wrong with organising your own baby shower. It can be a lovely idea if your closest friends and family are long-distance and will need to travel to you, or you don't have a local bestie close by.
Yep, you read that right: we think it's totally fine for parents-to-be to host their own baby shower. While Emily Post may be rolling in her grave, we completely understand that some expecting parents might want a certain level of control over the celebration of their little one.
Traditionally, close friends, cousins, aunts, sisters-in-law, or co-workers of the mother-to-be hosted baby showers. Because gifts are central to showers, having a member of the honoree's (or husband's) immediate family host appeared self-serving.
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.
Who plans and hosts a baby shower? According to tradition, baby showers should be hosted by a friend or distant relative (like a cousin or an aunt) instead of a close family member.
Who Traditionally Pays for a Baby Shower? The hostess traditionally pays for the baby shower and its associated costs. However, the hostess can divide up the responsibility and costs by asking a few close family members or friends to co-host.
The survey of more than 2,000 Australian parents found more than half hosted a baby shower, with 27 per cent paying for the party themselves. Almost half of the parents-to-be shared the cost with family, while the rest (28 per cent) allowed family and friends to carry the cost.
While a baby shower is usually thrown for a first baby, a baby sprinkle typically celebrates a family's second (or more) child, has fewer guests, presents and overall to-do and doesn't last as long as a baby shower.
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.
A typical baby shower includes playing games, watching the mother-to-be open gifts, eating, and drinking. However, games aren't a must. Some baby shower hosts and hostesses are foregoing the typical games in favor of other activities. Ask the expecting mother what she thinks about games and what she would like to do!
The Guest of Honor: who do you honor on a baby shower invite? It may or may not seem obvious, but the mom-to-be or the parents-to-be are the guests of honors at baby showers. If the baby shower is more traditional where only women are invited then the guest of honor will be the mom-to-be.
Traditionally, baby showers are held in the third trimester of pregnancy from 28 to 32 weeks. This is because this is a great time to start planning and hosting your event. Mom-to-be is comfortable and mobile enough to enjoy herself but is still weeks away from labor.
Average gifts from family members range from $50 to $200. A cousin might spend $50, while a grandma or close Aunt might aim for a higher priced gift. If it's a really close friend, your budget might hover around $100.
The average baby shower budget should be about $400, but you should roughly plan out what the shower will look like before setting this amount. Naturally, the costs will increase as the budget does; this is typically true for virtual baby showers.
As host, you'll be busy keeping an eye on the food and mingling with guests. Assign the gift-list job beforehand to a friend or family member of the mom-to-be. They'll jump into action when the time comes, and you'll remain free to be an “I've got everything handled” party host.
We'll break it down by relationship: For coworkers or acquaintances, people tend to spend around $30 to $50. For friends or distant relatives, many people spend between $50 and $100. For close friends or family members, most people spend between $100 and $200 or more.
A baby sprinkle is a type of baby shower to celebrate a family's second child. Instead of a traditional shower, the gifts are often diapers, wipes and a few outfits since many families who are expecting their second child already have a lot of the gear they'll need.
Yes! Men's attendance at baby showers is not something that's seen as taboo anymore. As men are more involved in raising their children than they may have been in past generations, they may want to enjoy baby showers. Coed baby showers are a natural progression.
If you're worried that no one will offer to throw a baby shower for you (which is highly unlikely), talk to your best friend or a close relative and, if you're comfortable doing so, ask her to take the reins.
Baby Shower Gifts $100 and Up
Swings, cribs, bouncers…all those big baby items tend to come in around $100-$250. If the thought of spending that much is overwhelming or not in your budget consider splitting a big item with another family member or friend.
Yes, you can really ask for cash. Given that it's not a traditional approach, you may feel a little awkward doing so, but we're here to assure you that it's okay! The baby shower is both about celebrating together and getting you ready for the new member of your family.
There's no hard and fast rule, but many baby showers happen one or two months before the baby's due date. Throwing the shower sooner is fine, too; maybe there are scheduling constraints or concerns about the baby arriving early, for example.
Traditionally, the event is just for the women, female friends, and female family members of the expectant mother, men have previously not attended the baby showers. However, in recent years more and more couples are having a larger event to celebrate together with all their friends and family.