Questions & Answers

When is it too early to have a shower/get together? I'm only 18 weeks as of now, but I'm due early January and I don't want to have it around Christmas time and be a burden. Plus it's going to be cold here in the winter and I want to have a Baby-Q for all members of our families. So I was thinking September maybe around 24-25 weeks before it gets cold and snowy. Maybe October. Is that too soon? Does it even matter how far along you are?

We are not having a shower for the baby even though it is our first. I am very shy and don't like all the attention and DH is the same way. We are thinking about doing a little low-key get-together for friends and family after the baby has arrived as a "meet the baby" party where people drop in and visit without anything big planned. We are thinking of doing it potluck so that people can bring food instead of gifts (we will happily take leftovers!). We plan to breastfeed, cloth diaper, and are buying all our baby stuff second-hand from consignment stores and craigslist so it's not too expensive to do it all ourselves - and as a lot of my family and friends are hard up for much money, it seems better for everyone this way so that we don't look greedy and don't embarrass anyone

I think the old-fashioned notion of your friends throwing the shower are out. My mother and aunt threw mine but I helped plan and all that. With my DD I had the shower at 36 weeks but I still had 5.5 weeks to go (little did I know) and that seemed okay. It gave us time to wash and put away all the little clothes and put stuff together which most of it we didn't need until she was older. I was out of work at that point so all I had to do was sit home and nest! :)

I'm 21 weeks and we're having our shower on October 6, at near 30 weeks. This way, we'll have plenty of time to pick up items we need that we didn't get, and be able to put everything together.

A friend of mine had hers 6 weeks before her son was born and she wished she'd had it earlier.

I'm having mine at 32 weeks.

I had mine at 26 weeks and to be honest I think it was a really good idea. I wasn't at the point that I was too big but we could still play all the silly shower games like measuring my belly with yarn. Also I found that having it earlier I was able to get everything we didnt reaceive at our shower and finish putting the nursery together. I am 33 weeks now and my nursery is totally done. I am getting so tired now that I would hate to still have lots of work to do to finish getting ready for baby.

I had my shower about 6 weeks before i was due. everyone likes to see a big belly! another idea for you would be to have a party after baby is born. a "Welcome Baby" party. people always bring gifts along and then it doesnt seem selfish, because they get to meet the baby at the same time :)

I'm due November 13th, and my shower is being held on September 16th! Hope this helps!