It seems to be a rite of passage for moms-to-be to hold a baby shower ahead of the arrival of a new chapter in their life.
Regardless of the fact that mom may not want to hold a shower, it seems to be the done thing so many moms go through the ritual to play along with the rules of modern motherhood.
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If you have attended a baby shower you will have likely been invited a few weeks ahead of the event, been asked to choose a gift from a specific list on a registry, nibbled on a predictable buffet, sipped on overly sweet cocktails, and been made to take part in cringe-worthy games.
You will then have asked yourself “why do I Have to do this?” And “why are baby showers so boring?
We take a look at the main reasons baby showers are boring and how you can make your event as enjoyable as possible.
Origins of Baby Showers
The baby showers that we know (and don’t necessarily love) these days are a modern take on a Victorian pastime in which tea parties were held for new moms when their baby was born.
As these tea parties progressed guests began to bring gifts that were a token handmade gesture.
Since the baby boom and the very increasing consumer society we live in, baby showers have escalated to the larger, more gift-focused events that we know of today.
What Mom Wants
While we may find baby showers boring there will be some people that want to hold a baby shower because it is fun and others may want to attend and have as much fun as possible even if it isn’t the thing.
If you are a mom it is completely your choice as to whether you hold a baby shower or not. If you hold one because you feel obliged to or you want to hold it but are worried it will be boring for your guests then there are things that you can do to make it more enjoyable for your guests.
If you are a reluctant host of a baby shower as a close family member or a friend, there are lots of options to keep up the fun levels with minimal input from yourself.
If you plan the event well you can spend the actual baby shower relaxing and having fun with the mom-to-be.
Guests who RSVP to say yes to attending the shower it is time to put your friend or family member first and support them in making the shower as enjoyable as possible.
If you feel really pained at the thought of spending too much time at the baby shower you can set the host’s expectations by letting them know that you can only stay for a short amount of time.
Guest List
Whether you are the mom or the baby shower host, one of the best ways that you can prevent the event from being boring is to invite the right people.
Think about the friends and close family members that will make the baby shower enjoyable and limit sending invites to people with who you do not generally like spending too much time.
By inviting people that you don’t really like or you feel do not support you then the whole day will seem like a chore making small talk.
Of course, there may be an aunt that you have to invite or the college friend you haven’t seen in years that you feel obliged to invite but keep the majority of your guest list full of people you enjoy sending time with.
Try not to make the guest list too large as this can be demanding on mom’s time during the event and if mom gets tired then guests will leave mire quickly if the number is smaller.
If, however, you want to make the shower more of the party then invite as many as you like and crank up the music.
Open House
One of the best ways to host a baby shower that is not boring is to keep it open-house. An open house baby shower allows for guests to come and go as they please and at different times so there is no set structure of events.
This makes it easier for people to leave if they don’t want to play the games or watch the present opening for a long period of time.
As well as being easier for the guest, an open house means that there a new people coming at intervals to talk to the mom so she does not get bored or overwhelmed.
Gifts and Gift Registry
One way in which you can alleviate some of the boredom of hosting a baby shower is to look at the gifts. It is custom for all guests to shower the mom with gifts for either herself or the baby.
This is, obviously, a great thing for the parent but it can make it a boring time for those watching mom open a large number of presents during the party.
If mom has a huge pile of gifts there can be an agreement that she will open a few select gifts and open the remaining gifts at a later date or all gifts can be left for mom and any other parent to open together once guests have left.
Many moms and dads, especially if they are first-time parents will over-register in which they put a huge pile of items on the list, many of which are not needed.
If the list is curated to contain everything that is needed and surplus items are limited then the shower can be spent doing more fun activities than just opening presents.
Games
The games and activities at baby showers are one of the main things that put people off attuning baby showers. While some of the games are fun to do once they can be repetitive and when you have a lot of friends having babies it can be tedious to sit through another round of baby bingo.
If you do want to have games but don’t want to bore your guests you can get creative and thinks of games that you have never played before. You may want to look outside of the US to see what other cultures do at their baby showers.
Alternatively, you can set up a craft table so that your guests make unique gifts and keepsakes.
Food
A nice afternoon tea with cupcakes and champagne is cute but it can be boring.
To make the food and drink more exciting at a baby shower you can perhaps book a trendy food truck to come and park in your garden or outside your venue and you can enjoy food that will challenge the norm and delight your guest.
Alternatives to a Baby Shower
As a mom or a host, if you absolutely cannot contemplate having a baby shower do not be afraid to go against the norm. Instead, you could contemplate some of the following activities
- Take it back to Victorian times and hold the event once your baby is born. You can look forward to celebrating the birth of your baby and can keep gifts to the things that you actually come to know that you need and living with the baby for a few weeks. You can even enjoy a cocktail or two.
- Book your favorite restaurants and invite your best friends and very close family members—you get to eat the food you want and enjoy the company of the people you really care about
- Book in several lunches dates with different groups of friends so there is no pressure to entertain everyone at once. This is especially beneficial if you are an introvert
- Host your baby shower online and have guests send you their gifts in the mail
- Instead of accepting lots of individual gifts, you can ask anyone who wants to buy a gift to put their money into one pot of funds so that you can buy big-ticket items. If you feel that you have everything that you need, especially if you are a second-time mom then you can always do something for charity or use the money for decorating the house or doing nice things for the whole family
- If you have children already and your friends also have children you can have a family-friendly party so that everyone can get involved
- Take a few friends along to a pregnancy-friendly spa where you can get a massage and a facial to truly relax before the baby comes along. You can ask your friends to pool together to pay for the cost of the spa in place of a traditional baby shower gift.
- Host a dinner party at home so you and your partner can have both sets of friends over to celebrate the forthcoming birth
However, you choose to host your baby shower you can stray away from the norm to make it more exciting for both you and your guests.