You have settled on a day to have your baby shower, but now you are contemplating the time. Should it be the morning, mid-afternoon, or closer to the evening? 4pm sounds like an ideal time.
But, is 4pm too late in the day for a baby shower? The answer to that is: it depends.
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Choosing a day
Baby showers are usually held at the weekend. But you need to decide, will it be a Saturday or Sunday? That depends on the work schedules of your friends and family. Who can come on what day?
Then you need to consider weekend commitments. Saturday may be a busy day for some of your intended guests. The same for Sundays.
What are the typical weekend plans of your family and friends? There could be Saturday sports for some.
Church on Sunday morning, afternoon, or evening. Maybe some people like to go for a drive on Sundays and explore the countryside with the family.
Ask those on your invite list which day they prefer. Then settle on a day. You aren’t going to be able to please everyone with your final decision.
Travel time
Now you have a day in mind, you need to think about how far your friends and family have to travel.
A baby shower usually lasts between 2 to 4 hours. So if you’re having a shower at 4pm, then the finish time will be around 8 at night.
If you have friends or family who have to travel a couple of hours to get to the shower, that makes it a late night for some.
What is there to eat?
Lunch is over and, at 4 o’clock, it’s not quite dinner time yet. That’s where you need to think about what food to offer the guests.
If it’s just light snacks that are provided, then your guests will be feeling a little hungry when it gets close to dinner time.
Remember that a shower can go on for several hours. At 4pm, you run the risk of guests leaving early to have their dinner.
You can always have your guests bring food and have a shared dinner.
This may go on for a while
With the shower, there are games to play, presents to open, and food to eat. That’s where you need to balance finishing the party at a respectable time with not rushing through everything (such as the games).
Perhaps, 4pm is a bit late in the day for some.
As we touched upon, there could be some guests who have traveled a fair distance. Yet, you don’t want to cut the time short. A shower that is over in an hour is a bit of a non-event.
Also, if it’s a Sunday, there may be some of your friends and family who need to get ready for work the next day. Having them get home late in the evening may not be ideal.
Consider yourself as well. You’ll be in your third trimester of pregnancy.
At this stage, you will find that you get exhausted and tired more quickly. You may not be running the baby shower, but being the focus of attention for several hours may be a little more than you can handle.
Start earlier
If you feel that 4pm is too late for your baby shower, don’t be afraid to reconsider the time.
Look at 2 or 3 o’clock as options. By starting a little earlier means that there is no rush at the end.
You will be looking at around early evening when the shower finishes. That’s okay as your guests can get back home for dinner.
Those who have come from far away can return home at a decent hour. It also allows you time to clean up and sort through the gifts before you go to bed.
People will still have most of the day for themselves
A baby shower at 4pm allows your friends and family to still have the morning and lunchtime for themselves. That gives everyone time to have a morning sleep in (if so inclined), do the housework, or any other chores they want out of the way.
Additionally, your guests still have plenty of time to spend with family before coming to the shower.
Those who are traveling don’t feel the need to hurry to get to your place. That makes for an enjoyable, relaxing journey.
For you, there is time to get yourself prepared for the shower. You can go through any last-minute checks before people start arriving.
Having the morning and most of the afternoon free also lets you relax if you feel tired.
4pm isn’t too late for a baby shower
4pm can be a great time to have a baby shower.
But, of course, everyone is different and some will say that it’s too late in the day.
The naysayers will tell you that having a shower at that time is getting close to dinnertime. That means having guests leave earlier than planned as they feel hungry.
Also, those who travel will be arriving back home late at night.
Holding the shower at 4pm allows your guests to have most of the day to themselves. No one feels the need to rush in the morning and you have time to get yourself ready.
Usually, a baby shower will last about 4 hours. If you feel like there is a chance that the shower will go into overtime, consider starting it earlier. Maybe 2 o’clock. That still frees up everybody’s morning.
Think about how long you can last. You don’t want to be a party-popper, but you are in your third trimester. Your guests, the compassionate people that they are, will understand if you can only go for a couple of hours.
It’s all about having a shower that is relaxing, fun, and enjoyable for everyone. A celebration of the new life that you are about to bring into the world. A party that you don’t feel like you should have to rush through.
Have a great time!