My baby shower is this week!!
This weekend is my coming baby shower!! I'm so excited!! Time is quickly flying by! It's the first marker in my third trimester reminding me it's not long to go til baby is here!!
Now, before the day arrives and I gush about how wonderful my day was, how much fun was had by all, how much I love my friends and family, the silly games we all played, how gorgeous the weather was (that one is me wishing!!) and what an amazing job my mum and little sister did organising everything, I wanted to dispel any misinterpretations of just what a baby shower is... Baby showers are not some Americanised idea to get gifts out of friends and family. When I first said I wanted a baby shower I felt I had to continually justify why I wanted one, which is why I'm writing this post.
Perhaps 30 years ago, the concept of a baby shower was an alien idea, and maybe it's a generational thing, or an idea you wouldn't be familiar with until your peers start having kids, but these days for women my age its completely the norm. A lot (in fact all 8 out of 9 so far) of the mums-to-be I know either asked friends to arrange a baby shower for them, or their friends took it upon themselves to hold surprise baby showers for them. Naturally I wanted to celebrate my pregnancy too, it looked like so much fun! So I was initially a bit surprised at the response I received and felt like the materialistic monster for saying I wanted a shower.
The point of a baby shower is to celebrate the coming arrival, play games, catch up with friends you may not have seen in a while (and may not see for a while once baby is born as you'll be so busy/tired/occupied) and share birth stories, tips and experiences. The idea is NOT to get a ton of gifts.
Yes, sometimes the mum-to-be will have a list of things they still need or would like, so if friends ask what to buy, the host can tell them what's left on the list, but this is more of a practical nature than to get people to buy you a ton of big expensive gifts. Friends will want to buy baby presents, and without some idea of what you need, you're likely to end up with clothes. Lots of clothes. More than likely, 20 newborn baby grows, which baby will grow out of quickly and possibly not even get around to wear, or clothes that are not suitable for the season because childless friends won't necessarily consider how big/old baby will be by a certain time of year. It makes much more sense for friends to buy baby things you need from a list rather than waste their money on things you don't need or won't use. It's not about getting friends to buy you buggies and high end big expensive presents, or even getting you presents at all. It's about getting together, catching up and celebrating! The gift aspect is a small part of something much bigger and much more fun!
Anyway now it's generally understood that a baby shower isn't bad taste and everything is fine.
I've heard there's been lots of emails flying around organising the big day so a big big BIG appreciative thank you in advance to mum and my sis for arranging this coming weekend. I'm really really looking forward to it and love you both lots and lots and lots. I cant wait til it's my sister's turn. I have TONS of ideas for hers when the time comes!! :)
Now, before the day arrives and I gush about how wonderful my day was, how much fun was had by all, how much I love my friends and family, the silly games we all played, how gorgeous the weather was (that one is me wishing!!) and what an amazing job my mum and little sister did organising everything, I wanted to dispel any misinterpretations of just what a baby shower is... Baby showers are not some Americanised idea to get gifts out of friends and family. When I first said I wanted a baby shower I felt I had to continually justify why I wanted one, which is why I'm writing this post.
Perhaps 30 years ago, the concept of a baby shower was an alien idea, and maybe it's a generational thing, or an idea you wouldn't be familiar with until your peers start having kids, but these days for women my age its completely the norm. A lot (in fact all 8 out of 9 so far) of the mums-to-be I know either asked friends to arrange a baby shower for them, or their friends took it upon themselves to hold surprise baby showers for them. Naturally I wanted to celebrate my pregnancy too, it looked like so much fun! So I was initially a bit surprised at the response I received and felt like the materialistic monster for saying I wanted a shower.
The point of a baby shower is to celebrate the coming arrival, play games, catch up with friends you may not have seen in a while (and may not see for a while once baby is born as you'll be so busy/tired/occupied) and share birth stories, tips and experiences. The idea is NOT to get a ton of gifts.
Yes, sometimes the mum-to-be will have a list of things they still need or would like, so if friends ask what to buy, the host can tell them what's left on the list, but this is more of a practical nature than to get people to buy you a ton of big expensive gifts. Friends will want to buy baby presents, and without some idea of what you need, you're likely to end up with clothes. Lots of clothes. More than likely, 20 newborn baby grows, which baby will grow out of quickly and possibly not even get around to wear, or clothes that are not suitable for the season because childless friends won't necessarily consider how big/old baby will be by a certain time of year. It makes much more sense for friends to buy baby things you need from a list rather than waste their money on things you don't need or won't use. It's not about getting friends to buy you buggies and high end big expensive presents, or even getting you presents at all. It's about getting together, catching up and celebrating! The gift aspect is a small part of something much bigger and much more fun!
Anyway now it's generally understood that a baby shower isn't bad taste and everything is fine.
I've heard there's been lots of emails flying around organising the big day so a big big BIG appreciative thank you in advance to mum and my sis for arranging this coming weekend. I'm really really looking forward to it and love you both lots and lots and lots. I cant wait til it's my sister's turn. I have TONS of ideas for hers when the time comes!! :)
Comments