Baby Shower Etiquette
Emily Post Etiquette to ponder.....
"Mothers and sisters of the mother-to-be should NOT give the shower. Naturally, mothers and sisters should be invited, but as with any other gift-giving event, they should not initiate an invitation that bears an obligation on the part of the recipient to provide a present to direct relatives."
Q. Is it proper etiquette for an expectant mother to host a baby shower for her 2nd baby? A. While it is never appropriate for someone to host a shower (baby or bridal) for themselves, it is perfectly fine to throw a baby shower for a mother?s second or third baby, as long as the guest list is limited to close relatives and very close friends and/or guests who did not attend a shower for the first child. It is an especially nice event for the mother-to-be if several years have passed since the last baby was born, since the parents will have fewer hand-me-downs for the new arrival. Location can also play a part. When a growing family has moved to another city or town, it makes sense for their new friends to throw a shower, regardless of how many children the parents have.
Re: Baby Shower Etiquette
::raising hand::
Q. Is it proper etiquette for an expectant mother's sister to throw a shower for the FIFTH child and ask for $$$ in lieu of presents to build onto their 2 bedroom house?
Yeah, I was asked to make invitations to this shower.
I dont' agree w/ the first one. In this day and age, I think its fine for family to throw a shower.
On the second one, I agree. A mother to be should NEVER throw her own shower, and for 2nd or 3rd babies, I feel smaller events are more appropriate.
~Benjamin Franklin
DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10
Whatever proper etiquette is, in my "world" the mother of the bride or mother of the groom is at least on par with bridesmaids, if not the main decision maker and financer, for bridal showers.
With the baby showers I've been involved in so far it's been the mother of the pg woman, mother of her husband, sisters of expectant parents, aunts of the expectant parents, or a combination of the above that throw the only/main shower.
What I've seen mostly is large showers that include all family and friends, so to plan and finance such a big event usually falls on those closest to the expectant parents.
To me, it's just not that big of a deal for immediate family to plan it.
TTC #2 since April 2012
Year 1 - nothing
Year 2 - two m/c
Year 3 - unexplained diagnosis & 4 failed IUIs with Clomid/Letrozole
Year 4 - still unexplained & 3 failed IUIs with Follistim & Ovidral
Year 5 - trying on our own
I agree with this. IMO it SHOULD be the family that throws the baby shower. Bridal showers are something different all together.
eeeew.
In my area it's the norm for the mother of the mom-to-be to throw the shower. Mom and I threw both of my sister's. (Her kids were 13 years apart!) The second shower was a smaller affair.
That is by far the tackiest thing I think I've EVER heard.
This
I agree with both of them, although in todays society the "rules of etiquette" go out the window.
My aunt threw one of my showers and the others were thrown by friends/coworkers. My DD's was thrown by her friend...not by me.
As for 2nd (and subsequent) showers...never should the mother herself host it. I also agree that it should be VERY close family invited (like the mom-to-be's mom and sisters) and maybe her BEST friend...hopefully it is being thrown by her best friend! I had a shower for my 3rd child. There were 17 years between my 2nd and 3rd child and my best friend (who I did not know when my first child was born) was hostess. Everyone there (except my mom and sisters) were new to me (friends and church family) since we had moved during that time.