Baby Shower Etiquette

kwhiting4

Hi everyone ~

I was wondering what the rules are for 'proper shower etiquette'.  My husbands family- 2 of his aunts and my mother in law - are throwing me a baby shower.  Am I supposed to buy thank you gifts for each of them?  If so - what do you recommend??

I barely know the 2 aunts...

THanks!

ilovescottd

I think actual "ettiquette" would say to send an individual thank you note to each of them. However the "trend" has been to give a thank you gift.  I'm sure they don't expect it but if you got each of them something small, like a heartfelt note and a candle, I'm sure they would be surprised and like it.

Temp159135562506975

a note is fine- but if you feel you need to bring a hostess gift- make it something very small- just a token gift.

I got my sister and friend a gourmet box of jellybeans each for my shower this weekend - just something fun to say thanks with- but didn't cost much.

kwhiting4

Thank you girls!  One more ? - do you bring the gift to the shower or send it or give it to them later?? I'll probably give a thank you card and a small gift.

 

sls2063

I am giving little flower shaped candles as thank you gifts, but I know little travel hand lotions are nice and inexpensive too.  I tried to keep it to around 5-10$. 

APrice4UT

I gave my hostesses a basket with a coffee mug with some gourmet coffee, candy, and a bottle of wine.  You don't need to do that much but the coffee or wine by themselves might be an idea...

sls2063

I am going to give it to them when all the guests leave so they do not feel uncomfortable and its more private between you and them.

jolis_petits_bijoux

All that proper etiquette requires is a thank you note expressing your gratitude for the shower, sent after the event.

That said, many, many people are doing hostess gifts.  It's not technically "expected" - they're kind of like shower favors... not a requirement, but most people do them.

It doesn't need to be anything big or expensive.  I have two shower hostesses and only spent about $20 (a little less, actually) on each gift.  For one, I got a bath/body set in her favorite scent.  For the other, I got a manicure set with several bottles of nail polish (she loves to do her nails).

Other ideas would be a gift card to their favorite store.  Something else I thought of was a perennial flowering plant or a basket of annuals for the garden, but one of my hostesses doesn't own a home, so I didn't go with that idea.  It really just depends on what the person likes.  Generic ideas that are used often: a set of bath/body products, something decorative for the house (vase, for example), or cut or potted flowers.

BugAndBoo

Go ahead and get yourself a bunch of thank you notes, and start writing them now. ?Both my family and DH's family have showered us already, (separate times) and I'm working on TY notes today for DH's family. ?

As for any gift you receive, you should send a thank you note to each giver. ?I'd try to include your heartfelt thanks for the gift they gave, how you will use said gift, and thanks for anything else they did to help with the shower or baby.

If you receive multiple gifts from one giver at one time, one note is enough. ?If you receive another gift from one giver (after you have already sent a card) you should go ahead and write another thank you note to be polite. ?That's one less thing you'll have to buy for baby!!!

?Good luck and best wishes!?