Hi Kristine, what can you tell readers about the current trends in baby shower invitations and baby showers in general?
We are seeing more upscale and trendy showers. Many invitations are being sent out with chic imagery as opposed to the traditional iconic baby imagery. This is definitely a shift from previous years that only featured babies and bows. Today's expecting mothers are stylish, sophisticated, and modern and their baby showers are more creative, reflecting their own personal style as opposed to the traditional baby theme.
Are more showers hosted in a home or in a restaurant?
Baby showers are occasionally being held in restaurants, but a home is still the most common location.
How popular are the traditional girls-only showers? Are hostesses still organizing the classic baby shower games?
Women-only showers are still very popular, and the “norm” for the event. However, in lieu of gifts and games hostesses are asking guests to bring their favorite children’s book as a gift. This opens up discussion and stories that supersede the traditional games.
What are the top themes for baby showers?
The book theme is incredibly popular. The idea here is to start the baby's library, which is revealing on several levels: 1) it formalizes the desire for babies to get a head start to success. Culturally there is a tangible desire for kids to be educated from the onset, and this is an articulation of that and validated by the mother's friends and family; 2) there is more permanence to a library than clothes and toys; 3) even in a digital age where kids can learn to read and write with technology, the popularity of the book shower indicates that people still see the value of physical books as a developmental tool. It's great to see that even amid the fashion and style of shower invites, there is still social and cultural significance to the shower itself.
Are the traditional baby shower gifts still popular?
Because of the popularity of the book theme shower, the most popular gift is a children’s book. It changes the notion of what a shower is for -- instead of loading the mom up on time-sensitive items like diapers and bottles and onesies (which admittedly she still gets, in addition to the books) it builds a resource for the mom that will last several kids or even several generations. The book theme is more a reflection of the social and cultural values of getting an early start on education, and friends and family building a collection of books that will last the baby a lifetime. It often becomes very personal, as friends and family leave notes to the child inside the book.
Have gift cards become more popular as gifts than in the past?
Gift cards are still very rare.
Does the book theme of the shower carry through to any other elements of the shower besides the gifts? Are there book designs on the invites? Or book centerpieces? Books images on the cake?
The theme is about gifting a book but the books do not carry out in the rest of the party since the baby showers tend to be more sophisticated. At most, guests are receiving book related party favors from the shower, but the shower itself is more sophisticated in terms of decorations, food, and invitations.
Are more baby showers being hosted before or after the baby is born or brought home?
Most baby showers are still being held before the baby is born. However we are starting to see more “sip and see” parties than we have in the past. A "sip and see" party is a small party held after the baby is born where guests have the opportunity to see the baby and indulge in champagne or other beverages and small bites. What is really becoming popular is sending out one year party announcements that are much more sophisticated, and the invitations are rarely “child themed.”
Can you tell us a little more about these one-year-old birthday parties?
Many parents use this as an opportunity to have a party that's really more for themselves than the baby. Typically the rule for children's birthday parties is one guest for every year of the child’s age. So, with the child being so young, the party becomes more of a celebration of the parents and their growing family.
What is the trend regarding showers hosted for babies born after the first one?
Baby showers are not as common after the first child. We have noticed that the likelihood of hosting a baby shower after the first child goes down exponentially. We mostly attribute it to the fact that if your baby is the same sex as your first child, many of the items can be reused for the second child. Baby showers that happen for the second child are much more common if the second child is a different sex than the first baby. Approximately 70 percent of the invitations we see for baby showers are for first children, the other 30 percent are for the second child or more.
