Baby showers are a fun time where friends and family can gather to celebrate the newest family addition. Baby showers can also be celebrated in several different ways. 

You can celebrate a baby shower either before or after the baby is born. You can decide to throw multiple baby showers; a shower for just family or a shower for friends. 

You can have a sprinkle instead of a shower if it is not the couple’s first child. You can have various themes for the baby shower as well. 

Baby showers have a specific purpose to them, to help get the new parents items they need to take great care of their little one. There are some traditions that almost all baby showers follow. 

You should try and purchase items for the family that are on their registry. If there is no registry, you can never go wrong with diapers and wipes as a gift. Since baby showers are family-focused, are they also religious-focused as well? 

Baby showers are not necessarily considered a religious celebration. Baby showers are not just for those that consider themselves religious, but for all new families to help get the supplies needed to care for their new child. 

Many different parts of the world do consider baby showers to be a religious experience. Many cultures will wait until after the baby is born and do a cleansing ritual to help ward off any negative energy that may come with childbirth along with the party. 

Although some areas of the world might include a religious ceremony with the baby shower that doesn’t make a baby shower a religious experience. 

Typically a baby shower is simply a time to celebrate the baby’s birth and help the mother-to-be to have some fun before the hectic time of giving birth. 

To see the most popular baby shower gifts just click here. 

Are Baby Showers An American Thing? 

There are some traditions that not everyone around the world celebrates. For example, in America, we celebrate the Fourth of July while other countries don’t. 

In China, they hold their New Year’s celebration on a different date than America. There is no right or wrong way to celebrate an occasion. There is also not a wrong or right reason to have a celebration either. 

Are baby showers something that is only done in America or do new moms around the world celebrate as well? 

Baby showers are not only held in America. Other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand all celebrate soon-to-be moms. 

Other countries also celebrate new moms with their own traditions. It is more common in other cultures to celebrate both mom and baby after the baby has arrived. 

Typically in those cultures, a baby shower will be held a month or two after the baby has arrived. This allows the new mom plenty of time to rest and adjust to her new lifestyle. 

Friends and family will come over to shower the family with gifts or necessities needed to care for their child. 

Where Did The Tradition Of Baby Showers Come From? 

Have you ever wondered where certain traditions start? Everyone just seems to know to do certain things. 

Everyone has some sort of way their family celebrates Christmas. Every year on October 31st, children everywhere dress up and go door-to-door to get candy. Where do all these traditions start? 

What made a baby shower so special that almost every new mom gets one? 

There have been several variations of baby showers in different cultures throughout the years. 

The way we celebrate baby showers now can be traced back to the late 1940s. As new mothers were expecting the baby boomer generation, they were showered with gifts and goods to help fill their homes with useful items for the baby. 

Baby showers were just simple get-togethers where friends and family would provide the new mom with the necessities needed to have an easy first few weeks. 

In recent years, games were added as part of the baby shower traditions. While games are not necessary to have a successful baby shower, they do make it more fun. 

Why Are Men Not Allowed At Baby Showers? 

Men attending baby showers has become increasingly popular over the last few years. When you think of attending a baby shower, it typically is an all-female celebration. 

However, a lot of soon-to-be fathers and other male relatives have started to join in on the festivities as well. What has changed over these last few years? 

Why was it considered strange for a man to attend a baby shower for his child? 

When baby showers first became popular, men weren’t necessarily discouraged to come but everyone felt a bit more comfortable if they weren’t there. The men stayed away from baby showers to avoid any potentially awkward conversations. 

Men were often excluded in case any details or stories of childbirth were told. 

In previous years, roles in the home were defined as women staying home with the children and men working outside the home. However, with inflation in financial expenses it has become more and more normal to see women out in the workforce to help keep the family afloat. 

Men have stepped up and taken on more responsibility in the home as the women have stepped up to take on more responsibility with the finances. Now that responsibilities in the household are divided up a bit more, men are now approaching all aspects of child-rearing with a hands-on approach. 

Is The Baby Shower For The Mom Or Baby? 

When it comes to giving gifts there are a few different types of gifters. You have the person who always finds the perfect gift and outdoes themselves. Then you have the person who is all about regifting and trying very hard not to make an actual purchase. 

Then there’s the person who brings a gift just to attend with something. Whatever type of gifter you might be, there is one question that needs answering before you attend the shower. 

Should you be getting a gift for the mom or the baby? 

The main purpose of a baby shower is to help relieve some financial stress of the new mom and dad. There are so many new items that the parents have never purchased before that are now necessary for everyday life. 

The gifts for the baby shower are mainly for the baby but could also help the mother as well. Cute outfits are for the baby, but they also do relieve the pressure of the parents purchasing clothes. 

Getting diapers is most definitely a gift for the baby, but again is also a huge saving for the new parents. If you are still unsure and would like to also get the mom-to-be a gift as well, you are more than welcome to give a gift to not only the baby but the mom as well. 

Final Thoughts

Baby showers are a great time to get together and celebrate a new life. Baby showers are not considered a religious event and can be enjoyed by many different religions and cultures around the world. 

Be sure that if you do attend a shower do not attend empty-handed. You can either choose a gift for the baby or both mom and baby.