Are baby showers for the first baby only?

A baby shower is a party of gift-giving or a ceremony that has different names in different cultures. It’s a wonderful way to get together with friends and loved ones and celebrate the delivery or expected birth of a child, as well as stock up on some much-needed baby products, clothing, equipment, etc. Historically, families were celebrated for the arrival of the first child only. The parties would also be planned and hosted by friends and family, and not the couple.

We asked our Facebook audience if baby showers should be hosted for more than one baby.

The general consensus was “no”, as moms believe that every child deserves a baby shower. Sherry-Ann Ruthven Young says that “each child should be celebrated”, while Shireen Booysen believes that “every child is a blessing & unique in his/her own right”. For this reason, these women believe that baby showers are not only for firstborns.

Thando of Modern Zulu Mom, an award-winning mommy blogger, also believes that each child deserves to be celebrated.

Nicole Brews-Sammons held a different stance, arguing that if the kids are the same gender and the second one is born shortly after the first, then there is no need for another baby shower. “The things we had to get were the expensive things like another cot, car seat, pram upgrade – which were things we’d never expect our friends/family to contribute towards or give,” Nicole says. The only way she would have had another baby shower was if she was having a boy, or her second pregnancy happened years after her first one.

 traditional Sesotho mom, Maleseli Kolisang, was adamant about not having a baby shower for her second pregnancy. Maleseli’s first child is a 4-year-old boy and she was having a girl. She refused one because she holds a firm belief that baby showers are meant to celebrate the mom and baby for their first pregnancy.

The conclusion?

Different strokes for different folks. In our modern society, each person is defining for themselves how things should be done. Some families are still keeping pregnancies secret, while some are hosting lavish gender reveal parties. Most of the people truly believe that baby showers are for showering the baby, and therefore every baby deserves one to he hosted on their behalf.