When Is It Best To Hold A Baby Shower

A baby shower is a great way to spend some time with your family and close friends and being showered with a lot of usueful baby gifts is also good fun. Another great aspect of baby showers is that they are relatively simple to plan, though deciding just when you ought to hold your shower can sometimes present problems.

For first time parents holding your baby shower before the birth seems like the perfect solution as you probably will not have any baby gear yet and this is something that you are going to need as soon as the baby arrives. But, a baby shower is also the ideal time for family and friends to see the new baby so that holding the shower after the baby arrives also makes perfect sense. So, here is some advice which you might find useful when making a decision about timing.

One benefit of having your baby shower after the birth of the baby is that the guests are going to know the gender, name and birth statistics of the baby. A knowledge of these details makes it much easier to choose gifts, particularly if the gift is going to be something that you want to have engraved. Also, having the party a month or two after the birth allows you time to get back to looking your 'best'.

Holding a baby shower after the baby's birth also works particularly well when the child is a second or third child as normally you will already have all of the basics to hand and your family and friends can concentrate on purchasing essential everyday bits and pieces such as clothing and diapers.

But, having your baby shower before the new baby arrives means that you, rather than the new child, can be the guest of honor. All eyes will be focused on you and you will get all the pampering. Also, having looked through all of the gifts you are still going to have another month or two to go shopping for the items you still need. A lot of expectant mothers will of course know the gender of their child and have already chosen the decorations for the nursery so gift giving can still be specific. Planning for your party before the birth also gives you something to look forward to at a time when you may well simply be wishing that your pregnancy was over.

Another thing to consider is what you want to play in the way of games for your baby shower. For a lot of people games are an important part of any party and the games which you choose may well differ depending upon whether the party is held before or after the birth. There is a huge range of games you can play including things like baby shower trivia games and these also need to be taken into consideration when thinking about when to hold your baby shower.

Deciding just when you should have your baby shower is very much something that has to be done on a case-by-case basis, although you must not delay your decision on when to hold it as nothing can be done by way of planning until you have come up with a date. If you are going to have it before the baby arrives then it is a good idea to schedule it for the seventh or eighth month of your pregnancy and, if you are going to hold it after the birth, then it is a good idea to wait at least five or six weeks after delivery to allow you time to bond with your new baby.