Planning a baby shower can be an exciting time for the expectant mother as well as her family and friends. Understanding the reasons for scheduling a baby shower earlier or later than usual can help the mother-to-be and her planner to choose the best time for her shower. Here we explain the typical baby shower timing and the various shower timing factors to consider.
Who plans the baby shower?
The tradition started with baby showers being planned by a friend or relative of the expectant mother to prevent the appearance of the immediate family expecting to receive gifts. However, after becoming more common, a baby shower can be planned by the expectant mother’s sister or best friend.
It has always been courtesy to include the expectant mother in the timing and guest list of her shower. However, it is usually up to the planner to decide the theme and activities.
Common baby shower etiquette
Although the expectant mother should have her preference for timing, you should avoid scheduling a baby shower too early or too late.
- Too early: Earlier than 20 weeks means the expectant mother might not be showing as much as she’d like to be. Each passing week also decreases the risk of complications. However, it is better to schedule a shower earlier than later.
- Too late: Later than 38 weeks can be too close to the pregnancy, and the baby could already be born before the shower.
While there is no perfect time to plan a shower, consider that baby showers traditionally were scheduled for late in the third trimester at about 37 to 38 weeks when family and friends commonly lived nearby.
Because family and friends can live further away, other factors need to be considered Many showers are scheduled about four to six weeks before the pregnancy, or at 34 to 36 weeks. However, some planners schedule showers earlier in the third trimester.
Baby shower timing factors
While a third-trimester baby shower is the common timing, here are seven additional factors that can cause a baby shower to be scheduled earlier or later than usual.
1. Location of family and friends
When family and friends of the mother-to-be live further away in a variety of geographic locations, planning a shower can be quite a task. The planner must coordinate the schedules of many people, and sometimes that means planning the shower for earlier or later than the common timing.
The shower planner might have to contact family and friends many times to figure out the dates when every person is available. This includes considering the time for possible lengthy travel arrangements.
2. Seasonal planning
When finances become an issue for baby shower guests, it can be challenging for one or more guests to pay extensive travel costs for the gathering. In these cases, the planner may choose to find the time when all of the guests will be around to schedule the shower.
For example, if a holiday, reunion, or other family gathering is taking place during the pregnancy, the planner may choose to schedule the shower when everyone is already going to be in town to avoid forcing people to make multiple trips.
3. Expecting more than one
When twins or multiples are in the picture, the arrival of the babies has a higher chance of happening earlier in the pregnancy. In this case, it makes more sense to schedule the baby shower earlier.
In the case of triplets or more, the planner must also consider the preparations that the expectant mother must make about the nursery, supplies, and other factors.
4. Cultural and religious beliefs
Some cultures and religions have beliefs and traditions that include not having a gathering or shower before the baby is born. If the soon-to-be mother decides to follow these traditions, a baby shower may even take place after the baby is born.
The planner must consider scheduling the shower anywhere from a few days to a few weeks after the birth to allow time for the mother to get acquainted with her child as well as to respect the mother’s religious or cultural tradition.
5. Traveling preparations
While many baby showers take place late in the third trimester, this may change if the expectant mother must travel to her shower. If most or all of her family and friends live in the same area in a geographic location that requires her to travel extensively, the shower could be scheduled for the late second or early third trimester.
The reason for scheduling an earlier shower is to avoid premature birth in an area where the mother is away from her doctor or hospital. Her insurance might not cover her if she conceives her child in a hospital in a different city or state.
6. Expectant mother circumstances
There can be circumstances of the pregnancy that affect the timing of the baby shower. If the mother-to-be expects to have her baby earlier than the typical birthing schedule, this can cause the shower planner to schedule the baby shower for much earlier than usual.
7. Multiple baby showers
There are many reasons for planning multiple baby showers. If the mother-to-be wants to have a baby shower with her friends, but her family or in-laws also want to throw her a baby shower that doesn’t include everyone she wants, she can always choose to have more than one baby shower.
It is quite common for an expectant mother to have two or more baby showers hosted by different people. She could have a shower planned by her best friend that her close friends attend, a shower planned by her mother-in-law that family and relatives attend, and a shower planned by her coworker that her colleagues attend.
Conclusion
The baby shower planner has more to think about on top of invitations, shower games, and other activities. Between the planner and mother-to-be, consider the factors that can change the timing and scheduling of the baby shower, and make your choice based on all of the unique circumstances.
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