Many people think that the baby shower is for mommy, but the truth is that it is just as much for the baby as it is for her mother.
Of course it is not directly for the baby, her mommy is the center of attention but the modern baby shower has gone away from being a celebration about the coming arrival and more in the direction of classic party.
A party is always a good thing, but when it comes time to celebrate the baby shower you should make sure the setting and the activities fit the celebration. One thing to keep in mind is that when you are the one organizing the shower you do so in accordance with good taste.
Keeping Up With Trends
One of the trends that you will see mentioned almost everywhere are the new couples baby shower style of parties. I find these to be on one hand a really beautiful expression. I feel that it is only fitting that daddy gets to join in with the fun as well as the other close male family members and friends that might be invited.
Unfortunately I have also noticed a trend that has been appearing lately in these so-called co-ed baby showers.
The trend is toward celebrating a normal party with the pretense for it being placed on the baby shower.
What happens more often than not is that a large amount of alcohol is consumed and general shenanigans ensure. Baby bottle beer drink offs and other activities are common place.
When you keep up with trends in this way you can’t help but see that these baby showers are in no way planned with baby in mind.
Few parents would want to expose their infants to parties like these and I feel that most of you will see the danger in taking part in such celebrations.
The Baby in Baby Shower
As I have already mentioned the baby shower is about the unborn child just as much as it is about her mother. That means that certain precautions should be made to avoid hosting an event that would be unsuitable for an infant or small children.
Just because you are taking the necessary precautions to avoid hosting a party that gets out of hand it doesn’t mean that you can’t put enjoy many of the modern trends that are popular today for baby showers.
We have already discussed the couples baby shower. And this is really a great opportunity for you to celebrate the arrival of your child together. It will give you a chance to thank your friends and family together for their generosity for the baby. But so far we have been focusing on you. And as I mentioned earlier the point of a baby shower is the baby.
A new trend has sprung up lately that is definitely seen as taboo by some. But what could it be?
The Gender Neutral Shower
Even today many of the baby showers that you will see being celebrated focus on a certain sex. Only a few, the gender reveal comes to mind, focus on both or neither.
But there are some benefits in having a gender neutral shower.
When you want to focus on the child you should do so without focusing on the gender. While everybody knows that you will be having a little boy or girl you don’t need to reveal in the fact. A lot of the different style of baby shower take this to the extreme and decorate the home in pink or blue to really drive the message home.
The benefit comes for the child and yourself as well. By not needing to focus on the gender, and in so doing the gender stereotypes, you are avoiding placing expectations on your child that shouldn’t be there. Some people find the gender neutral baby shower improper. But it is this mentality that gives the gender stereotypes the authority they enjoy.
If you want to host a baby shower that makes use of the modern trends that free you from old clichés you will enjoy a unique experience that provides you with a great opportunity. One that is gaining momentum. And encompassing many parts of modern parenting.
Recap
So far we looked at the different aspect of hosting a modern baby shower. This mainly covered avoiding certain negative influences when you plan the entertainment and refreshments. To put it differently if you wouldn’t call it a baby shower, and you would remove the decorations could you still recognize the purpose of the get together? If the answer is no then you should go back and rework some of your plans.
You want to make sure that you focus on:
* The Baby – This is the true purpose of the baby shower
* The Parent(s) – That is present
* The Theme – Will you be hosting a traditional gendered shower or do you plan on being daring and styling something that breaks with certain conformity?
When you look for inspiration note the showers that have successful captured the spirit of the day. Make a mental note as you go through the different aspects and ask if children could be present. In the past it was quite common for young pre-teen girls to participate in the baby shower. If you would feel uncomfortable with the thought of having children there rework it until the image fits.
Grown men consuming alcohol from baby bottles isn’t exactly the imagine most of us would want our children to be given. Nor does it convey the true spirit of a baby shower.
However, not everything about the modern baby shower is bad. You can take a lot of ideas from the different trends that have sprung up. For example the gender neutral shower.
Just remember the things we’ve discussed her and you will be on your way to a modern family friendly baby shower.