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Older Moms Shun Traditional Baby Showers
The end of the over-the-top baby shower?
Unless you are the mom-to-be, a traditional baby shower can be an excruciatingly boring way to spend an afternoon.
Don’t get me wrong – I love babies and moms and am all for celebrating the joyous occasion. But playing silly games and watching someone open gifts for hours on end is not exactly my idea of a good time.
Happily, while traditional baby showers still reign, there is a growing trend toward more scaled-back and less gift-centric showers. And in an article at USA Today, the ailing economy and older first-time moms are getting the credit for this turn away from the over-the-top baby shower.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of women over the age of 35 having their first child has increased eight-fold since 1970. And along with a more mature mother comes a different kind of baby shower. Carley Roney, editor in chief of baby website TheBump, says the older first-time mom is more secure in herself and doesn’t feel the need to be the center of attention at a baby shower.
In addition, she may feel uncomfortable asking friends to spend money on her when a depressed economy has so many struggling financially. Besides, she knows what she wants and probably has the means to buy it for herself.
So instead of a party held prior to baby’s birth, many new moms are hosting welcome-to-the world parties that take place after the birth. Friends and family sip wine, nibble cheese and pass around the adorable newborn.
Other new parents are opting for low-key, co-ed get-togethers where the focus is on spending time with friends before life gets too hectic to do so. Assuming it’s not a baby gender party and fetus cupcakes aren’t on the menu, this sounds like a good time to me.
And even those who go the traditional route are asking their guests to refrain from buying gifts or, at the very least, requesting only relatively inexpensive necessities like diapers and rattles and even gently-used baby items.
I personally haven’t seen this trend play out among my own circle of friends. Of course, most of us are a little bit more than mature and aren’t having any more kids. What about you? What kind of baby shower did you have?
Image: clevercupcakes/Flickr
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5 Comments
Leigh commented on Nov 11 10 at 2:01 pmI was 34 and having my first and only child so it was very low key. I was given the basics in most cases which was fine by me. I don’t think we played any games, just spent time reminiscing. If I ever have to play the guess the melted chocolate bar in the diaper game again, I think I will hurl into one of the diapers.
Amy commented on Nov 11 10 at 3:03 pmFriends who have had baby showers in the past year or two have had second-hand baby showers, where they requested second-hand baby items and nothing new. This works great for attendees, who can unload their gently used stuff, and the soon-to-be parents get much more than they would have gotten otherwise.
PlumbLucky commented on Nov 11 10 at 3:20 pmCan’t say I’ve seen it amongst my friends, though I wish I have. I know my own showers (now now, I didn’t ask for two – separate sides of the family and locations) were very different from each other. One was very, well, not me. The other, well, it was very much so – quiet, at least in the number of people and that there werent’ any games played (but my aunts are pretty much the antithesis of the word “quiet”, it was a bawdy good time though) and there was no wild abundance of gifts for the baby. The one game we DID play was the sock folding game, and that was a riot due to my aunts, again. Mom’s youngest sister flipped the basket over and said “problem solved. Seriously, who the he!! folds baby socks????”
hawkmom commented on Nov 12 10 at 9:19 amWe asked that our guests bring their favorite children’s book instead of regular baby item gifts. Every body loved it! We got a great library of books for our son, and the best part was we didn’t get a single duplicate! I was as little worried that we would get 10 copies of good night moon, but most people picked out a book that they remembered from their own childhood. Several of our friends have borrowed the idea.
Mbaker commented on Nov 17 10 at 10:21 amMy best friend is insisting on holding a baby shower for my 2nd baby and instead of hurting her feelings by saying no I decided to ask for diapers, wipes or gently used baby gear for the local homeless shelter. Luckily my friend loves the idea as well and I don’t have to feel guilty about asking my friends and family to shell out when I have enough stuff plus if they already have a child they won’t even feel obligated to spend money on a gift.
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