Curious - Do You All like or Dislike Baby Showers?

I don't care for them. I only go if it's for a close friend or family member. Otherwise I just send a gift. I much rather go to a "meet the baby" party/dinner.

I enjoy a baby shower if it is for a good friend, close family member but when you get invited to Great Aunt Mary's neighbor's granddaughter's baby shower--it's gone too far!
I also like showers that are a little more...how should I say it....sophisticated...sans the lace umbrella and big, decorated card box! lol

I think the games are generally ridiculous and the gift giving often somewhat awkward esp when the parents do not need the gifts and some people invited are actually less well off than the parents.

I only like them if they are more like cocktail parties where gifts are given.

I hate them more than anything. I dread them. They are torture in the purest form for me. Especially the ones with cheezy games!! And the ones where every gift must be sent around. The only ones I even remotely like are co-ed and it is more like a party. Too bad they are few and far between.

Hi Helene! I used to HATE baby showers and would generally go with a bad attitude or not go at all.
Then I realized that life wasn't just about me and it's not about what I like, or my comfort or what my personal tastes are.......it's about welcoming a new baby and congratulating new parents. I finally got over my selfishness and could celebrate other people.
Now I have a great time at baby showers and I will play as many games of "find the diaper pins in the rice" and "The Price is Right- baby item edition" as need be.
It is about helping out prospective parents but it's also about celebrating a huge change in their lives. Gotta love it!

I like them if they are about friends and family gathering together to celebrate a new baby. I dislike them if they are basically a Gimme Party for new parents. It should be about the celebration, not the gifts (not that gifts aren't fun, but they shouldn't be the purpose of the party, IMO). I do think it's tacky when parents throw showers for their kids, because it does look greedy, or when people who hardly know you invite you (you know then that they just want the gift). My best friends threw me a beautiful party, and I was so honored that they were there with me, and we played cute little games and I was able to see people that I love and miss, and I hope I will one day have the opportunity to return the favor.

I like them as long as I don't have to play the "games" that are invented to entertain. I love celebrating an upcoming birth and the giving a great gift. Plus it's a great time to catch up with all the chicks and seeing what's going on in eachothers lives.

I don't like anything that's all about the presents, which is what wedding and baby showers are. I do like get togethers to celebrate a new life, or a new stage in life, so I like engagement parties and baby welcomings. Honestly, I think that showers are just boring - who wants to sit around and watch someone open gifts?

In general I dislike baby showers. They typically aren't especially fun parties, plus there's the obligation to buy a gift. Basically, they are an excuse for the mom-to-be to get presents and the guests are just there to do the giving.
If there are people I really like in attendance, they are more fun, and I'm playing up my cynicism about showers for the purpose of explaining my feelings, but overall, no, I don't like babyshowers.

I'm with DeniseP. If it's a good friend or in my case, good coworker, as us teachers tend to be close, then its fun. If it's for someones, something or anothers, neices, whatever, then no. No fun.
Showers where I work are fun as everyone knows each other well and we don't play games. We meet at the end of the school day, eat cake, give gifts and go home. We will all see each other tomorrow, so no need to hang out for hours. I have been to a couple family showers with the games and I don't mind them so much as long as they are not the old who got the 'poopy diaper' game with the hershey kiss.
I was in walmart a couple months ago and kept hearing some one yelling,"Regina, hey, Regina". I didn't turn around, as my name is not Regina- thats my sister in laws name. Turns out, it was my husbands, half-brothers, stepsister wanting me- Beth- to come to her daughters baby shower. I only know this woman from walmart (she works there) and have Never met her daughter. She didn't even know my name! Needless to say, I didn't go. So last time I saw her at walmart she turned her head and acted like she didn't see me! Mad, or embarrased about the wrong name? Don't know, don't care!

I like them better than wedding showers!!!

I don't like them. I did not have one when I was pregnant either. I did not want the attention.......and

Bottom line..........the invitation is just an invoice. I prefer to personally give a gift and use my time another way.

EDIT to Laura...........I have no problem giving a gift to someone, the invitaions to a shower, etc to someone I hardly know is an invoice in my opinion. I see it as the more people invited the more stuff they get. That is why I prefer to be more personal with my gifts and handle it one on one. The birthday parties we have thrown for our daughter which have been pretty large.... are specifically worded.... no gifts.

I like them alright if it's someone I'm pretty close to. And like another person said, I really dislike the games, especially the baby food jar game and the candy bar in the diaper game....I almost always sit those ones out, just plain not fun to me :-)

I dont like them. I'd rather just buy something after the baby is born with a visit. I've only attended one baby shower and I dont even remember whose it was, I think it was someone I worked with and so it was a peer/work pressure thing to go to it. It confirmed why I dont like them.
You dont know half the other ladies, everyone wants to spend time with the pregnant "friend" but dont get to because it's a shared environment. The games are just dumb. jmo

My answer comes from maybe a different perspective. I don't hate baby showers but... I was pregnant with my first when I moved out of state about 500 miles from my closest friend or family member. My friends and family had organized a baby shower for me over Christmas (just a month out from my due date). Unfortunately my son stopped moving a week before the shower. All of my guests had to return their presents and many lost shipping costs. Some had personalized gifts that they couldn't return. I had to shut down my registry the day after leaving the hospital so that some people who didn't know yet and who were last minute shoppers didn't go out and waste their money. It was an emotional experience for me and because of this, I will never give a gift before a baby is born.

With my second child, she made it to term but due to my previous pregnancy, I wasn't allowed to travel so there would be no shower. My husband and I bought everything that we'd need right away(he's a student and I work from home so we don't have tons of money either). What I found out is that you really don't need much. Craig's list, church sales and garage sales (which in December aren't so common!) were the source of much of what we needed and we didn't buy anything until 2 weeks before our daughter was born. The amazing thing was that for the next month, gifts rolled into our house, things that friends and family thought we could use. That was amazing and so generous.

What we did do was host an open house here for my husband's friends and colleagues at school here and I cooked a brunch for them all (I love to cook so this made me feel normal for a day!). We did make a trip home to our old stomping ground 2 months after our daughter was born and we hosted an open house there at my parent's house. I baked a ton of lassagnas and made salads and bought some bread and my family and friends filtered in and out over 3 hours. It was so great because I got to personally thank them for their presents and they got to meet our little one. I actually liked this better because it was more personal and my friends and family got to celebrate my daughter. Some people brought gifts but there was no expectation. Those who wanted to send me a gift when my daughter was born did. I did get some duplicates so I either returned one and got something else that we could use or I passed the gift on to a friend who could use it. To be honest, I was just grateful to have a healthy, happy, living child.

I've had a few friends who delivered preemies and what worked best was to throw them a welcome to the world party. I get that some people see a shower as a way to shower the mom with presents but I see it as a way to shower them with love by celebrating a new life. It doesn't mean that the life can't already be here. The two 'Welcome to the World' showers that I threw for friends after their little ones were out of the woods, were so great, such a joyous celebration because their family was now o.k., healthy and happy and they got lots of things that they could use including cute little outfits and lots of creative gifts. The icing on the cake is that we all got to swoon over the new baby too.

I'm not as into the baby games but more into some baby themed activity. I saw one where each person coming to the shower was given a size and told short or long sleeve for a onsie. They went out, bought one and then decorated it any way. My MIL brought one that she had something professionally printed since she's not crafty. Others painted, sewed or tie dyed them. The mom to be ended up with a wonderful selection of different sized and decorated onsies. People can be very creative, even when they're not crafty!

Just my two cents!

I LOVE babyshowers for people I love (friends and family). I'm so *excited* for them, and so thrilled to be buying baby things. I get really irked at the "no present" showers. That's denying me the joy of giving / expressing my excitement in a way that is tangible.

I HATED having baby showers (I don't like being the center of attention... and I'm a tomboy... the baby shower I got "imput" into was a beer & burgers BBQ and I made sure that most of my friends came -aka guys straight or gay, other tomboys, and a few lesbians-) at most baby showers there's just too much estrogen for me to feel comfy. My work threw me a baby shower, and in addition to the whole omg... I HATE being the center of attention... it was girly to the 9th degree. Ugh. Icky. Get me OUT of here!!!

For me it's not the "helping out" aspect I love about babyshowers, it's an excuse to have a party to welcome a new baby into a community. And I get to get all creative. Diaper cake, or handmade blankie, or art, or whatever. And that party NEEDS to happen before the baby is born or the parents won't be in any place to be at/ have a party. And a newborn is going to be less than appreciative of their calm being interrupted. So the party happens before they can complain about it.

Used to hate them, now that I have kids - they're not SO bad. Still hate the games, but I guess I just have a better understanding of the anticipation and beauty of the birth of a child that I can appreciate more of the event. Also, now that I have kids of my own, I am less likely to just have grown up conversation and get out by myself so it is often a nice time to catch up with friends. Would rather do it at the bar during the present opening, but that's just me! :)

I like baby showers as long as I don't have to play "Baby Bingo" or someother silly game.

At my shower (and my sisters), my mother and MIL had an elegant luncheon in my honor and I opened gifts while people had dessert. Nothing cheesy and NO games! They had wine and champagne as well as sparkling juices. It was really very nice.

I love baby showers I dont care if it's your fourth kid! I love cute baby clothes! I was given a shower for each child I had which surprised me and pleased me and made me feel so very fortunate to have great friends and family!

I love baby showers but have a few pet peeves about them:

-I think it is tacky to have baby showers for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 20th etc. children. I may be in the minority but oh well. In my opinion, the purpose of a shower is to 'shower' the mother with gifts for bringing home a new baby. It's a party for the MOM not for the baby!

-I think that the host of the baby shower should definitely consult with the mom-to-be and tailor the shower to her needs and what she wants. For example, if the mother loves playing games then the host should arrange for games. If the mother hates games, then the host should not include them, etc.

-I'm not a fan of couples showers. Although there is probably a small percentage of men who like couples showers, I'm fairly confident that most men hate them (unless there would be beer, wings, and football on tv in another room).

Just my two cents!

It depends. Some are more fun than others. I always prefer smaller parties at someone's house or a nice restaurant than ones that are so big a party room or rec hall needs to rented. I do not enjoy "the hostess passes around envelopes for everyone to address their own thank you note" Games can be fun or dreadful. Personally, I find word searches or unscramble the word type games quite boring. I like the dice game. My least favorite game was at a shower for me. I was close to delivery and feeling very sensitive about my large size. The game was "guess how many inches around my belly" After everyone's guess, I was "measured" I tried to put on a happy face, as I did not want to be rude to my hostess, but it was really hard for me not to cry.

Wow this is the first time I've ever been asked this question.

I think the whole idea of showers is wonderful. I had them for when I was married and had my first child. And I think its a wonderful thing to give to future couples and parents to be, but do I really enjoy going to them? No, not really. But I do go to them.

I'm not a fan of baby showers, though greatly needed an appreciate the generosity of the one I had. But I didn't like my baby shower as far as how it was done and I, personally, didn't like the attention. But I had a pretty miserable pregnancy!

I know people who love baby showers, but they are all single women in their 30's with baby fever! LOL! I think it depends on how social people are as individuals as for comfort level and how it's hosted. My host served only foods I COULDN'T eat and had games everyone dreaded. On top of that, the host also had everyone talk individually about how they met me and my boyfriend, which was both lengthy and uncomfortable for people who either didn't know me that well or had anxiety about speaking in groups.

I really did need the gifts and was so appreciative, so showers have a wonderful purpose! But surely there has to be a way for them to be more fun for folks without kids and for those who care about the expectant parents but who are not so baby-feverish! :) A good host would probably be able to pull it off though!

I have to say I have never known anyone who has had a "gimme party". All the showers I have attended are to celebrate the new person joining our lives. I figure if you are too selfish to look at the party for what it is meant to be just don't go, don't get a gift and don't pretend to be a friend. I can't believe the negativity. I just love an opportunity to love on another mom and another blessing. I guess I am just sad/shocked to know so many people make it all about what they will be giving up instead of being over joyed to spend time blessing another person whether they need it or not. We all need to shown love don't we.

I like the games, the time to get together with friends and family. But I don't see the point of them for more than the first child, esp. if there is not a financial need.

I hate them and love them. Every child is a blessing and every parent deserves their special day, even for the next children. ( this hits me hard because people think having a child is so easy when its not)
However demanding gifts or attention is ridiculous. I usually just send a gift if I dont feel like going to the obscure friends/coworkers shower.

I like to see the stupid games chucked out the window and just have a regular party celebrating mom/dad and baby.
My shower was awkward and uncomfortable but appreciated. I live with no family and friends AT ALL within 2k miles of me. It was a party thrown by a coworker of my hubby and all the wives from his workplace. Not only were they uninterested, it hurt me I knew no one and very awkward seeing all the attention getting from people I never saw again. When I had my second child I said "oh hell no" to another one of those showers.

Let the showers stay, modernize them!!

Not my favorite thing to do unless it's a close friend or family member -- or if it's for me and MY baby, hahaha! I HATE the stupid games and the clucking over each and every outfit unwrapped. (For the record, I had no games at my own shower :)

I like them when they are held AFTER the baby is born. Otherwise, I either don't get to meet the baby or if I do, I feel like I need to bring ANOTHER gift!

PS> I like some games. But not ordinary ones. The same people win the word scramble every time. It's better when it gets mixed up!

I like baby showers. I don't like baby shower games though. LOL
It's fun to meet other people, it's great to shower the mama with love and support. It's fun to see all the baby things that people get. I love to just hang out with other women.
Maybe it's the crowd you know. I was especially blessed with my girlfriends that came to my shower. I don't know if deep down they harbored some kind of resentment...don't think so!
I guess if people feel like that with a baby shower I have to wonder if they feel like that with birthday parties, bridal showers, weddings, funerals...ect.
L.