A typical baby shower lasts about 2-3 hours. As guests arrive, they are offered food and drinks and they mingle. Once all of the guests have arrived and had a chance to enjoy food and drink, about 30-45 minutes into the shower, the games begin. There are usually 3-5 different games lasting for another 30-45 minutes.
Baby showers last on average 2-3 hours, depending on what's planned for the celebration. Plan for enough time to enjoy all of the baby shower games and activities you have planned for the day. Factor in things like the opening of gifts, snacking on hors d'oeuvres and cake, and catching up with friends and family.
Traditional Baby Shower Length
Check with the guests of honor to see what they feel comfortable with and adjust if needed. Parent's magazine recommends a shower last three hours at the most. Don't be surprised if not all guests can stay for the entire duration of a particularly long baby shower.
The typical amount of time for a baby shower to last is about two hours. That gives your guests plenty of time to eat or snack, chat with the mom-to-be, play games (if you're offering games), and watch the mom-to-be open her gifts.
Drop-In or Come and Go Baby Shower - These are the same as a traditional baby shower except that guests don't stay the entire time. Rather, guests can drop in and come and go as their schedule permits or for as short or as long as they prefer to socialize.
Traditionally, according to baby shower etiquette, the host would be someone outside of your immediate family – like a close friend or relative. These days, the baby shower rules are more relaxed, with some pregnant mamas even hosting their own baby shower if they're not keen on handing over the reins.
The hostess traditionally pays for the baby shower and its associated costs. However, the hostess can divide up the responsibility and costs by asking a few close family members or friends to co-host.
A typical baby shower lasts about 2-3 hours. As guests arrive, they are offered food and drinks and they mingle. Once all of the guests have arrived and had a chance to enjoy food and drink, about 30-45 minutes into the shower, the games begin. There are usually 3-5 different games lasting for another 30-45 minutes.
When your guests first arrive, have them sign the baby shower guest book. Mom-to-be will look forward to flipping through the pages to remember her special day. Additionally, you can set up advice cards or a message wall where guests can write down words of wisdom or wishes for the baby and parents.
Should you open gifts at the baby shower? Tradition would have you open all the gifts in front of the guests. But, times have changed and it's more common not to.
Afternoon – 1pm-3pm
Afternoon is my favorite time to host parties and I think is the ideal baby shower time of day. You can serve snacks-only, and have lots of time to casually set up and decorate before hand. Plus, guests who are reconnecting at the party can continue on to go get drinks or dinner together!
In reality, though, some women find their baby shower to be a source of anxiety. If you feel more ugh than joy at the thought of having a baby shower, you should know that your feelings are valid.
If you choose to have games, 2-3 games are sufficient. After the games, it is again a personal preference, you can either allow your guests to eat and then open presents or open presents first and then eat. My personal preference is to let the guests eat and as they are finishing, open presents.
Do Men Go to Baby Showers – Conclusion. Yes! Men's attendance at baby showers is not something that's seen as taboo anymore. As men are more involved in raising their children than they may have been in past generations, they may want to enjoy baby showers.
Don't Schedule It Too Early or Too Late
A baby shower should not be held before the 20-week mark in pregnancy.
So, pick a few that you think your guests will enjoy. But don't go overboard. Usually, two to four games are enough for a baby shower—especially if you have a lot of guests. Plus, you need to save time for eating and opening gifts.
While traditional baby showers consist of women only, co-ed baby showers are becoming more and more common. However, if you're looking to throw a traditional baby shower and still have the dad-to-be attend, this is completely acceptable and appropriate as most dad-to-be's will want to thank guests before they leave.
While a hostess gift is not a necessity, but it is certainly a very kind gesture. Even though a baby shower is given out of the goodness of one's heart, a baby shower hostess gift just says, "Thank you." If someone throws you a surprise baby shower, you are not expected to have a hostess gift immediately.
Who plans and hosts a baby shower? According to tradition, baby showers should be hosted by a friend or distant relative (like a cousin or an aunt) instead of a close family member. This custom is believed to have developed in order to avoid the appearance that the family was simply on a mission to collect gifts.
Traditionally the host will pay but this will depend on many factors. This includes the venue, budget, size of the guest list, and how extravagant it may be.
Because gifts are central to showers, having a member of the honoree's (or husband's) immediate family host appeared self-serving. Today it is appropriate for anyone to host a baby shower, as long as there's a legitimate reason.
Every baby shower is different, but most ladies agree that 15 to 30 is the perfect number of ladies at a typical baby shower or about 30-40 for a coed. These numbers change depending on the size of the family, number of friends, and even work colleagues involved.