Baby Showers 101

Most people in their life time have attended a baby shower. Many of us, including myself, have been fortunate to have one thrown for us. However, there is a big difference between going to one or being the women of the hour and throwing one. This is an article to cover the basics for anyone who is about to throw one and has no idea where to start.

The first question that must be addressed is who is going to throw the shower. Today just about anyone can throw the shower as values and traditions are rapidly changing. However there was a time when only close friends were the ones who were supposed to have this job. The reason was because when a relative throws a shower it can give the impression that they are trying to get gifts for their family member instead of wanting to celebrate the upcoming baby with family and friends.

The invitation list must be decided early on. Close family and friends for both the mother and father to be should be invited. A traditional view of a baby shower is to keep the lit intimate, less than 25 people, in order to allow the guest of honor time to spend with each guest. However when big families and lists of close friends are involved this may not be possible. Make sure before you finalize the list you allow the mother to be to go over it to make sure that no one was left out and that everyone being invited is someone she is comfortable sharing her special day with.

In the ever changing world of baby showers one thing that might need to be considered is throwing a modern co-ed shower. This would allow both the men and the women to celebrate together in one place. If this is the way you want to go you may want to reconsider the decorations, the food or the activities to best suit everyone's tastes.

If the couple wants something in between the traditional and the modern you might consider two parties, one a traditional baby shower and the other a dinner or activity for the men. The woman's shower would not be affected by the men's festivities but the new father to be will still be able to celebrate in his own way with his male family and friends.

Now that we know what type of party is being thrown, who is throwing it and who is being invited it is time to decide when it will be. An ideal time for a baby shower is near the end of the sixth month through the beginning of the eighth month. This will ensure that the mother to be will have a small chance of going into labor before the party. This will also help the expecting parents know what they do and do not have in time to finish shopping and to put all the baby's new things in place before the arrival.

The invitation design can be anything from a basic white to a theme that is being used in the nursery. If possible the invitation should either correspond with the nursery theme or the party theme. The invitation should include the guest(s) of honors name, where and when the shower is being held, a map to the shower, the hostess's name and number, when to RSVP by, the sex of the baby is known, the shower theme if any and any places the parents to be are registered to and under what names.

Now that all preparations have been completed it is time to look forward to the shower. A typical shower is 2 to 3 hours in length. The beginning is usually when the hostess and the guest of honor will thank each guest for coming. During the period of everyone's arrival is usually time for people to mingle. After everyone is there, there is usually some king of food either a sit down meal like a brunch or a variety of finger foods and desserts. After the food you may choose to play a couple of games. Finally, the guest of honor gets to open her presents. As the hostess besides providing the party and the food, you may also want to buy door prizes, prizes for the baby shower games and party favors.

There you have it, the basics of throwing a successful shower.