The classic time to host a baby shower is lunchtime, but recently tradition has given way to several different options. Some women prefer a slightly earlier time to celebrate and enjoy hosting a brunch. Others loved hosting a 'happy hour' shower with plenty of baby-themed mocktails at sunset.
A baby shower can be held at any time of day. There are no rules or etiquette as to when it should happen – it is generally down to whenever the mother-to-be would prefer.
Generally, two hours is a good estimate. It allows guests to mingle, play some games, and enjoy the food. You may also want to consider parking restrictions near your venue.
What Time of Day Should a Baby Shower Start? Baby showers are usually held in the daytime, starting anywhere from 11 AM to 2 PM, with 1-2 PM being the most common.
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.
That's up to you. Choose a time when you're not rushed or likely to be interrupted. Some parents opt for morning baths, when their babies are alert. Others prefer to make baby baths part of a calming bedtime ritual.
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. This helps to reduce the overall expense and alleviates some of the financial obligation of hosting a baby shower.
Open Gifts
First, you can have guests send their gifts to the expectant mom ahead of time. Then, during the shower, she'll open all the goodies for everyone to see.
From parents to college roommates, and anyone else who plays an important role in the parents-to-be's lives. It's safe to say that those who weren't included in the initial guest list are the people you shouldn't invite.
Baby Registries: The gift of giving
Guests have taken a lot of care in selecting their gifts, and part of the fun is watching the mom-to-be open presents. Proper etiquette suggests that gifts be opened toward the end of the shower to avoid the impression that presents are the primary purpose of the party.
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. Another option is a drop-in baby shower.
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.
Two to three hours will give guests enough time to get to know each other better and have fun with the mother-to-be. You should also keep in mind that the expectant mother will likely be tired after two hours of fun and celebration.
Kennedy said she'd suggest showering at night, about 90 minutes before bed. “The body naturally cools down as bedtime approaches, in sync with the circadian rhythm,” she said. “Showering artificially raises the temperature again and allows for a faster cool down, which seems to hasten sleep.”
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.
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.
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.
Traditionally, baby showers are intimate events, with the average number of attendees being about 20 and definitely fewer than 50. After you figure out who you want to invite, you'll have a baseline guest list.
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.
While traditional baby showers consist of women only, co-ed baby showers are becoming more and more common. However, if you're looking to throw a traditional baby shower and still have the dad-to-be attend, this is completely acceptable and appropriate as most dad-to-be's will want to thank guests before they leave.
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.
Though a gift is expected if a guest attends, guests should only be invited to help celebrate the upcoming arrival, not for the gift they bring. If a guest is invited to a shower but can't attend, there is no obligation to send a gift, though they certainly may if they want to.
Is it okay to just ask for money as a baby shower gift? Sorry, but no. While we all have more uses for cash than we do for 32 fleece blankets, you'd be out-of-line for requesting it. No one is obligated to give you (or baby) a gift, so what to give should be totally left up to the gift giver.