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HELP!! GOT A BABY STAMP, BUT WHAT IS A BABY SHOWER?
Hi all. I need your help, if you can spare a minute. I've been asked to make a baby shower card. We don't really have them over here in the UK and I'm not really sure what they're for !
Is the card to the mum-to-be or is it to the baby? Is it to congratulate the new parents or a welcome to the new addition? What sort of thing do I put on it? Is it different from a new baby card?
I've got some great stamps for baby cards and some lovely knitted embellishments, etc, but no idea what I should be using!
Any help gratefully received cos I have to make it this week - eek! - and it needs to be sent to the US at the end of the month!!
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Hi there fellow UKer.... Took me a while to work out what a baby shower was, too. Now I've been to several.
It's a time for the Mom to Be to have friends around and the guests shower her with gifts for the baby, sometimes play some games, and just have some girl time. I've often used Congratulations type stamps and comments on the card - rather than welcome baby, as baby usually hasn't arrived :-) So, congratulations to the parents to be, etc. I found a site called creative baby showers! http://www.creative-baby-shower-idea...wer-craft.html
the gifts are normally for baby and the person who is organizing the shower has the gift list.
hope this helps!
jaydee
Hi all. I need your help, if you can spare a minute. I've been asked to make a baby shower card. We don't really have them over here in the UK and I'm not really sure what they're for !
Is the card to the mum-to-be or is it to the baby? Is it to congratulate the new parents or a welcome to the new addition? What sort of thing do I put on it? Is it different from a new baby card?
I've got some great stamps for baby cards and some lovely knitted embellishments, etc, but no idea what I should be using!
Any help gratefully received cos I have to make it this week - eek! - and it needs to be sent to the US at the end of the month!!
Thank you so much in advance
Hugs,
Debs xxx
Right. It sounds like a card to congratulate the parents to be on "the impending arrival" is in order. The "shower" is a term used for a party to shower someone with gifts (in the US we traditionally have bridal or baby showers).
If you know the baby's sex and name (and yes many times in the US the only thing you are waiting for is time and weight confirmation even the dates are pre-booked). Then those can be included.
The party is to gift the parents to be with most of the necessities they will need before the arrival of the child. The USA (from what I have experienced) doesn't generally have the same superstitions about baby items in the home before the baby is born - the thought is more along the lines of "be prepared".
Here's a link to what I did for a shower last summer - The card is at the bottom of the link. HTH.
So yes - do similar to a New Baby Card but you refer to becoming a parent rather than congratulations on the arrival.
The USA (from what I have experienced) doesn't generally have the same superstitions about baby items in the home before the baby is born - the thought is more along the lines of "be prepared".
Interesting - to my UK friends, does that mean that you in the UK do not get baby items for the baby prior to it being born? Or does that just mean that friends and family do not give gifts to the new baby and his/her mother until after being born?
Interesting - to my UK friends, does that mean that you in the UK do not get baby items for the baby prior to it being born? Or does that just mean that friends and family do not give gifts to the new baby and his/her mother until after being born?
I lived in the UK when my children were born - I wasn't given anything for the baby until after the birth from my UK friends and family - my US friends and family had a shower without me where they showed each other the presents and then wrapped them up to send before the baby arrived. Also shops in the UK will keep your purchases until the birth, so I presume its a pretty widely held superstition. My MIL nearly had a fit of the vapors when we went ahead and collected up everything and had it all set up before the baby arrived. By all means, they decorate but there is some old wives tale about the pram/babybed(babycot) in the house that most of the women I met in the UK adhered to. HTH.
For the record, it's not strictly a UK superstition. I'm a Jewish girl from Philadelphia. When I was pregnant, I made it very clear to all my friends (nicely) that I didn't want them to throw me a baby shower until after the baby had arrived safely. For the items I absolutely needed as soon as we came home, I picked everythin out (with the help of magazines, catagogues, etc.) in advance and gave my husband a list; he and my mom went shopping while I was in the hospital. My friends threw a shower after Michael and I were home from the hospital, and so did my colleagues at work; Michael was the Guest of Honor at both of them -- healthy and beautiful. (He's 24 now; where did the time go?)
__________________ Carol
*Olim velis me peraudire.*
Rock is dead. Long live paper and scissors!
It is not superstition, it's more cultural.
I was born and raised in Greece. No baby showers there.
Years ago the technology didn't exist for us to know the sex of the baby.
We waited until the baby was born and presented the parents with gifts.
Did you have absolutely nothing in the house for the baby? bed? sheets? towels? carseat? etc. I truly am curious.
I know I got the car seat out and put a doll in it to size up the straps as the hospital wouldn't let us leave without strapping them in.
Interesting - to my UK friends, does that mean that you in the UK do not get baby items for the baby prior to it being born? Or does that just mean that friends and family do not give gifts to the new baby and his/her mother until after being born?
I think most UK parents will have some essentials at home before the baby is born (a cot or "Moses basket", bedding, onesies, carseat etc) but our gift-giving tradition is very much a "congratulations on the new arrival" one, not a before the birth one.
I find it really interesting that this is one of the areas where our language seems to diverge most too, I had to force myself to type "onesie" there and I was about to go on to list other stuff but decided I'd have to think too hard about names for stuff (diapers/nappies etc etc).
I must confess I don't know anybody who adheres to the superstition that RiverIsis mentions of not having a cot or pram in the house before the baby's birth, though.
wow! what an interesting thread. i've learned a lot today
getting ready to throw a baby shower for a dear friend in a few weeks. they've already starting getting a few clothing items and are hoping to have the room set up i'm sure before the baby is born.
i know another person who is pregnant & already has the baby's room painted, crib set up, etc. and the baby's due date is still about 3 months away.
i guess we like to be prepared in america! though it certainly can be sad when tragedy hits and then there's a bunch of baby stuff to put away or return, too.
I think most UK parents will have some essentials at home before the baby is born (a cot or "Moses basket", bedding, onesies, carseat etc) but our gift-giving tradition is very much a "congratulations on the new arrival" one, not a before the birth one.
I find it really interesting that this is one of the areas where our language seems to diverge most too, I had to force myself to type "onesie" there and I was about to go on to list other stuff but decided I'd have to think too hard about names for stuff (diapers/nappies etc etc).
I must confess I don't know anybody who adheres to the superstition that RiverIsis mentions of not having a cot or pram in the house before the baby's birth, though.
I would have thought it was just Him Indoors' family;) except that the first time I was privy to the pram not in the house thing was when I was an exchange student and the pram for a friend was stored in my room. And my host family had the cot in their bedroom. We humans are a funny ol lot! :mrgreen:
So do your lot cross the baby's palm with silver when they first meet? That was a friend of mine, had never heard of that one before either!
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In the pursuit of learning... I decided to check on the origin of baby showers on google and came up with this thread on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Birth_Party
jaydee
I would have thought it was just Him Indoors' family;) except that the first time I was privy to the pram not in the house thing was when I was an exchange student and the pram for a friend was stored in my room. And my host family had the cot in their bedroom. We humans are a funny ol lot! :mrgreen:
So do your lot cross the baby's palm with silver when they first meet? That was a friend of mine, had never heard of that one before either!
Yes we do cross the baby's palm with silver or gold although I don't think this is done so much now as everyone is so concerned about spreading nasty germs via coins!! So usually if money is given then it is handed to the new parents.
My MIL thought it was terrible and a portent of doom to be have anything like a pram/cot in the house prior to the birth but with twins on the way I wanted to be prepared. The terry nappies (diapers) were bought, washed, dried and put away in readiness - this was just before 'disposable' nappies/diapers became the 'norm'. Bedding, some clothing, lotions, etc were also purchased and the room generally sorted. Anyway MIL's predictions were all false and we arrived home with two healthy identical girls! They are now 23 years old and Mothers themselves!
I would have thought it was just Him Indoors' family;) except that the first time I was privy to the pram not in the house thing was when I was an exchange student and the pram for a friend was stored in my room. And my host family had the cot in their bedroom. We humans are a funny ol lot! :mrgreen:
I wonder if it's a tradition/superstition that's dying out? Lots of my friends, my brother etc have had babies in the last three or four years and none of them did anything special about keeping cots out of the house beforehand.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RiverIsis
So do your lot cross the baby's palm with silver when they first meet? That was a friend of mine, had never heard of that one before either!
The UK is nothing if not diverse in its traditions! I live in the North East and the tradition here seems to be to tuck a coin under the baby's mattress. I think it's probably dying out but I have heard of old ladies still doing it if they stop to talk to a new mum out walking her baby in the pram, for example.
I loved this thread. I think it is so interesting to hear about the traditions from other countries/cultures. I think it is sad that so many of the traditions are being lost as many of them kept communities and people connected even if they might seem to be silly.
My son is getting married in May. I found out that the elderly women of the church my soon to be daughter-in-law is a member of, and where the wedding will be, holds a shower for the couple. The bride and groom has to attend and no one else is invited. They each bring the couple a small practical gift like kitchen utensils. Then they ask the couple a lot of questions and give them practical marriage advice!! I'm sure it is their way of helping the couple to get the best start in their new life and a way for them to share their experience. I would love to be a mouse and listen in!!
HELP!! GOT A BABY STAMP, BUT WHAT IS A BABY SHOWER?
