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Written by Simone Butler
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Saturday, 24 March 2007 |
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Word Count: 443 Throwing A Baby Shower : What You Need To Know
Throwing baby showers is a time-honored way to celebrate the impending
addition of a new member to a loved one's family. Traditionally, a baby shower
is a "girls only" event, often hosted by the baby's godmother, but today baby
showers can be hosted by any friend or relative of the mother-to-be, and can be
attended by whomever the host wishes to invite. The general purpose of a baby
shower is to give useful gifts to the expectant mother, such as layette items,
baby toys and clothes, and often gift certificates for useful things. It is not
untoward for the expectant parents to draw up a "wish list" of items they
especially need but may be having difficulty affording.
Baby showers are a relatively recent tradition, generally credited as having
their start in the US. A baby shower is usually a relatively casual event, held
in the afternoon or early evening, often with refreshments provided and
sometimes party Xbox And Xbox 360 Games You Want">games held as well. It is not uncommon to have a potluck shower,
where guests each bring a food item along with a gift, although fully catered
showers are also quite common. Party games, if the host chooses to have them,
generally center around the general theme of the baby and pregnancy, ranging
from themed versions traditional games like charades to activities such as
guessing the circumference of the pregnant guest-of-honor.
While many parents-to-be look forward to having a baby shower, some social
groups feel such celebrations are best left as family affairs, or believe that
it is bad luck to celebrate a birth before it happens. If you offer to host a
shower for an expectant friend, don't be hurt if she politely declines. In other
cases, the mother-to-be may have multiple showers! Perhaps one for co-workers
and casual friends, and one for close friends and family. Some women have a baby
shower only for their first child, while others may choose to have one for every
pregnancy.
Baby showers are not bound by rigid traditions to the same extent as weddings
and other life events, so don't be surprised if a new friend's baby shower is
nothing like the last one you attended. There is really no "wrong" way to throw
a baby shower, so if you have been charged with hosting a shower for a friend or
relative, it's an "anything goes" affair (so long as you have the guest of
honor's stamp of approval for your plans!).
About the author: Simone writes for
http://www.nappiesfromhell.co.uk/
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