Baby shower etiquette


Suggested ad (Babylist)

Your baby shower is a celebration of you and your growing bump, but even though you’re the guest of honor, you do have some responsibilities. Know what’s expected of you, and avoid those awkward social faux pas.

Who hosts?

Typically, the mother-to-be doesn’t host their own shower. Because guests will be “showering” you with gifts, it often falls to a close friend, or friend of the family to host the shower. This way it doesn’t seem like your family asking people over to give you all presents.

Who is invited, and when?

Whoever is hosting your shower will be in charge of making the guest list. However, that doesn’t mean your input isn’t important! If there are people you know you’ll want there, it doesn’t hurt to request some guests. Also, if you want a specific kind of guestlist, like women only or just friends no family, let your host know.

Your shower will likely be held four to six weeks before your due date. Invites should go out a minimum of two weeks beforehand, ideally sooner, so guests have plenty of time to set their schedules. If you’ve got out of town guests, they might need as much as a month of warning to plan a visit.

How do you announce your registry?

Putting registry information on your invitation can make it seem like you’re hunting for gifts. There are two simple ways to avoid this. The first is using a registry insert. When you register with a service like our partner Babylist, you’ll receive a tasteful card, similar to a business card, that you can place in your invitations. The information will seem more anonymous and separate from the invitation itself.

Another suggestion is to simply state that registry details are available from the host. This keeps it personal, and gives people the option to give a gift rather than feeling obligated.

Multiple registries?

If putting the information for one registry on an invitation looks a little greedy, can you imagine how three or four might look? It’s a difficult situation. When there’s one thing you love from a particular store, you shouldn’t’ have to register there just to include it. You also shouldn’t settle for an item just because it’s available at the store you’re registered with.

The solution to all your registry woes comes from our partner Babylist. They are what’s known as a universal registry. With Babylist, you can create a registry of items from as many stores as you like. Register anywhere, and then keep all your items in one, easy to navigate list.

Thank you notes?

Yes! They are pretty important. You should consider sending notes two or three weeks after the shower. These don’t need to be overly designed or a huge expense, something simple and personal is probably the best way to go.

When you use Babylist, you’re able to easily download a list of gift givers and which gifts they gave. That makes personalizing your thank you cards a lot easier.

You likely didn’t throw your own shower. Whoever hosted should receive a little something special from you as a way of saying thanks.

Details?

Type A moms are likely going to want to get their hands in on the party planning, but try to put trust in your host. Relax, and enjoy your shower. This is a celebration of you, not by you. If you end up needing to throw your own shower, which happens all the time, we recommend you keep things simple, festive, and with some room for your guests to guide the party.

With any luck, your contributions to the bay shower will start and end with you building your dream registry. We hope you get some fantastic baby necessities, and at least a few fun things too.

Tap the button below to start creating your perfect Babylist today!


Register now

This ad is brought to you by Babylist

Find the Ovia app for you!
Get our app at the Apple App Store Get our app at the Apple App Store Get our app at the Google Play Store Get our app at the Google Play Store