HOW TO | BABY SHOWER ETIQUETTE

A tradition born during the post-war baby boom of the late 1940's, early 1950's, a baby shower is such a fun, meaningful way for the expectant mom's community of close friends and family to celebrate the miracle of a new baby. Not just all about cake, games and gifts, a shower is a celebration, a chance to share parenting tips, and to help the new parents outfit their nursery. {and it's F. U. N. did I mention it's fun?!} I love it when we can host a baby shower here at FrenchGardenHouse! It gives all of us the opportunity to feel connected to the big event, because....who doesn't love babies?! Recently, we had the honor to host our eldest daughter's shower for a friend she's known since middle school, and the party turned out so darling! {If I do brag so myself, my girl put together the perfect shower!} The theme was navy blue, white and gold, and safari animal theme. I'll apologize for the photos now, I always think I'll have plenty of time to take some fabulous shots. The reality is that I was still in my "work clothes" when the first guests rang the bell, and took a few shots on my phone. Luckily, I wasn't the hostess, my daughter and her friend were, so I could dash around the back to get changed and put on some lipstick! HERE ARE A FEW "ETIQUETTE" TIPS FOR HOSTING A BABY SHOWER. {The rules have changed somewhat since the 1950's} WHEN & INVITATIONS. Having the shower when the mom-to-be is between 28-23 weeks is ideal. She will still have some energy to really enjoy it, for one thing, and will have a darling manageable bump. There are so many cute invitations to choose from. In years past, we always sent out printed invitations via mail. These days? My girls often use one of the many e-mail invitation services available. Remember to include the following essentials: the mom's {or parents- if it's not for ladies only!} name(s), the date of the shower, time and location, and a request to RSVP. The tables in the back garden were layered with white tablecloths, and then topped with blue and white overcloths. Mason jars sprayed gold, and a variety of white pots and vases in different sizes and shapes were filled with branches clipped from the front garden.

We set tables for 35 guests in the garden.

REGISTRIES. There are varying opinions about registries. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather give baby a gift that his or her mom and dad will love, than just buying something they might already have or something that doesn't fit their personal style at home. I always want to know what's on the registry, even if I have something in mind to give that isn't on it, because the registry will give you a really good idea of what the mommy and daddy love. I know that baby showers are celebrations, and gifts aren't mandatory, but I've never been to one where everyone didn't bring some kind of gift! So I personally think it's fine to include where "baby" is registered.

How cute are those safari animals sprayed gold?

WHAT TO SERVE. There are some things an expectant mama should avoid, so always check with her about that. The party is for her, so make sure you are serving something she can enjoy along with the other guests. We tend to have luncheon type of showers, so the food is light. For this shower the luncheon consisted of: Mushroom Bruchetta {recipe coming up in two weeks!} Baked Cheese Appetizer Caesar Salad Chinese Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing French Croissants with Chicken Salad Filling Fresh Fruit Cupcakes Tiny elephant cookies. Even though the mommy-to-be probably won't drink, along with a delicious sparkling non-alcoholic drink we served infused water, iced tea and white wine. GAMES. Be considerate of your guest of honor. If the shower is for a friend you know to be very self-conscious and shy, then having everyone cut a string to guess the size of her tummy might make her cringe. {other moms? Think it's hilarious!} At this shower each guest was asked to create a "one-sie" masterpiece with permanent fabric markers, the cute results were hung on clothes lines throughout our garden. They were so adorable, and as they were provided in different sizes, the mommy will have fond memories of the friends who created them for at least a year. And they played the string game. And a game with a tray filled with baby necessities where everyone had to guess how much each item cost to purchase. The tray was later part of the gift for the expectant mom. {I will admit, I personally am not a fan of games - so I cleaned up some things inside during game time. naughty....I know!} If you don't think your mom-to-be and/or guests would love to play games, we've had plenty of showers here without games, they are optional. OPENING GIFTS. Lately it seems that more and more people aren't unwrapping gifts at parties. While I understand that some moms may be anxious to unwrap a pile of glittering presents in front of a gathering of people, it really is part of sharing the joy of having a baby. We all want to ooohhhh and aaahhh over those darling little things, soft cuddly animals, and books that take us back to our own, or our children's childhood.

The favors were peanuts, with a little elephant tag "thanks for showering our little Peanut!"

What I loved most about this shower is that when it was time to open the gifts, the hostesses asked each gift giver to come sit in a chair next to the mom-to-be. They took a photo with the two of them and the gift. Then they asked the giver to give the expectant mom advice, sitting right there next to her. It was so touching - I had a hard time not to cry - the advice was everything from funny stories to very tearful stories about how hard it can be to be a first-time mom. Everyone had something to share, women who have been around children but aren't moms themselves, young moms, seasoned moms, aunts and grandmothers. Each story and advice was precious. It elevated this shower from a group of women who really didn't know every person there to a group of women united in supporting and rallying around the honored guest.

{That's my beautiful girl on the left in the solid navy dress!}

And isn't that what a shower really is supposed to be? A time to celebrate and honor the expectant mom, to let her know that she is loved, and that she has the support of everyone around her? THANK YOU NOTES. It is still good manners for the guest of honor to send a hand written thank you note to everyone who came to the shower. At some showers, we have provided boxes of thank you notes in the theme of the shower, and asked each guest to write their own name on the envelope to make it easy for the expectant mom. The shower ended with all of us praying for and over the mommy-to-be, and when it was over, we all felt like we had been showered with love and gifts ourselves. I hope that you enjoy giving a special shower for an expectant mom as much as we did! Don't forget you can still enter the tureen give-away my friend Kelly is having! DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TIP OR TRICK YOU LOVE FOR A BABY SHOWER?