Community Voices for Health

By: Lauren Carmichael

I see this come up all the time in the mom groups I follow. People will ask if it’s tacky to plan their own shower because they do not have a close family or friends to throw one for them. People will also ask opinions on showers for the second and third babies. The discussion of gender reveal parties mixing with baby shower parties or wondering if a couple should find out the sex despite not wanting to for their baby shower seems to come up too.

Here is how I feel about it all:

DO WHAT EVER YOU WANT TO DO.

If you want to pay to throw a party and celebrate with friends about new life in your family- DO IT. Do not let anyone tell you they think it’s tacky, especially if they are not going to plan a baby shower for you. No one can force anyone to go to their party. I don’t understand how people are offended by someone throwing their own party with their own money. This notion that people only want gifts doesn’t make any sense when you consider how much it costs to host events. The nice thing is, if someone does not want to buy a gift for someone else, they don’t have to!

Just because a lot of people are privileged enough to have showers thrown for them, the reality is that not everyone has female family members that can afford to throw them a party. There are bigger fish to fry in life other than who is throwing themselves a party for whatever reason they choose.

The idea of celebrating one baby and not the rest has always made me feel a little sad. How is one life more exciting and celebratory than the next? It makes perfect sense to me why people have parties for every kid. If someone wants to spend all this money on a hall and catering and décor; and for some reason, people are convinced the hosts are going through the trouble so that they have to buy them a present, I recommend looking up pricing on throwing an event and decide if it would be worth it to go through the trouble and money of throwing a shower for a cute baby outfit andsome diapers.

“Sprinkles” are the perfect compromise to the ever growing debate about multiple showers. It is a way for everyone to get together and take pictures and talk baby without the expectation of an elaborate gift.

Gender reveal parties are growing in popularity. Probably because they are so exciting! If you want to have a gender reveal, DO it. If you want to reveal the sex at your shower, DO IT. If you don’t want to find out or if you don’t want to host a party because you are pregnant and exhausted, DON’T DO IT.

It is no one else’s business. Whoever wants to be there to celebrate with you, will be there. That’s all that really matters.