why are babyshowers a thing?

25 comments

1. Is new life not cause for celebration?

2. People are often happy to bring a new child into their family, and their friends and family wish to share in their joy in the form of a celebration.

3. Because parties are fun? And people want to celebrate the new baby? Does there really need to be a reason to throw a party?

4. Well I don’t know how it is where you come from but where I live having a child is usually a joyous occasion and so friends and loved ones like to celebrate it and give gifts.

5. You mentioned the main reasons, to give the person a chance to celebrate the upcoming birth with friends and family, and to get some help for the new parents with things they will need for the new baby.

6. You have a party to celebrate that you’re going to have a baby. And yes, as you said, one of the points is to get gifts because you’re going to need things.

7. 1. People people like to celebrate the big events in a loved one’s life. You want to come together to celebrate a friend’s baby or wedding or new house.

   2. Having a baby is expensive and requires a lot of stuff. So lots of times friends and family like to help out by buying things to help the new parents.

   What country do you live in where people don’t enjoy get-togethers?

8. why do we celebrate birthdays? Weddings? Graduations? Certain things are causes for celebration don’t you think?

9. Do people in your country not get excited when they, their friends, or family have a baby?

10. I’m kind of surprised you are perplexed that it would be celebratory.

    You are brining new human life into the world.

    It is literally one of the core experiences of all human existence since the dawn of time. It is one of the most time consuming and important tasks you will ever undertake in your life.

    The people going to the shower will very likely be parents themselves or will be at some point.

    Why wouldn’t you celebrate that? Give gifts to support the new family? Celebrate the new mother… who, honestly, is going through some shit.

    Are you similarly confused by the importance of weddings? Birthdays? Funerals? Graduations?

11. Go to Amazon or whatever. Fill up your cart with stuff you will need (or think you will need) for a baby. If it’s less than 1000 bucks you didn’t get enough.

    Babies are fucking expensive, even if you live in a country with universal healthcare and don’t have to worry about birthing costs.

12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_shower

    They’re a thing in other places too and have been around a long time. But you pretty much figured it out. It’s a celebration, I can’t think of many better things to celebrate than a new member of your family.

    Here’s an [article from Random History.](https://web.archive.org/web/20151103101414/http://www.randomhistory.com/2008/11/01_baby.html)

    > The shower, in many senses, serves to indoctrinate the woman into the special behaviors associated with her new role in society. Paradoxically, though, the cute games played at the shower tend to infantilize the woman and return her to innocence–and the central chair, often decorated, also gestures toward a symbolic return to the virginal, nonsexual state associated with Mother Mary, Queen of the World. The modern baby shower, then, supports the themes regarding the woman’s transition to a more dependent, but pure state while also creating and reinforcing the personal relationships which form the community (Crouch and Manderson 1993).

13. >a new mother invites friends and family to give her things

    No, no, no. It’s usually a friend or relative who hosts a baby shower *for* a mother-to-be.

    But having a baby is a rather big deal right? People want to help out and make sure the baby and mother are well cared for.

14. It’s the same reason we celebrate other things like birthdays, weddings, graduations, and such. It’s a way for people to celebrate a family and friend and give them a little help by buying them a useful thing during a time in their life where they’ll have a huge increase in consumption.

    Yes, some baby showers can go way overboard in terms of scale, but that usually is more related to how wealthy the celebrant’s social circle is.

15. > why is it done so celebratory

    Someone you love is becoming a first time mother and bringing a child into the world. Why on earth wouldn’t you celebrate that?

16. Because people like parties and getting gifts

17. Correction: new mothers do not invite people over for the shower. Their friends and/or family do the inviting, planning, and execution. Loved ones throw the party. It happens on occasion, but typically it is bad form to throw your own shower. This is true for bridal showers and baby showers.

18. It’s basically a pre-birthday party for the baby, thrown by a friend or relative of the mother-to-be, and usually only the first baby. Same reason anyone has a birthday party.

19. I’m pretty sure it’s not the new mother that’s inviting, planning, asking, etc. This is normally done by a close friend or family member.

20. Dear Americans, what’s your obsessions with…

    ******Spins wheel******

    Celebrating life and major milestones?

    Seriously OP, do people not celebrate milestones where you’re from? Birth? Gradutation? Marriage? Milestone birthdays? Anniversarys? Major promotions and career milestones? Retirement? What a bleak existence.

21. I would imagine baby showers or something equivalent are very common across human cultures. Essentially, it’s just a ritualized celebration of the upcoming arrival of a new member of the tribe coupled with showering the mother-to-be with resources to care for them.

22. For my first baby shower I thankfully received things that I didn’t even know I needed! The gifts were a GREAT help.

23. Typically, a family member or friend hosts the shower. It is considered tacky for the pregnant woman to organize her own shower. That’s when it’s looked at as a gift grab. When someone else hosts it, it’s to say “we want to shower the baby with love”.

    In the past (and now in many circles), it’s considered a faux pas to have a second baby shower. Which has never really made sense because other babies should get the same love.

    It’s a reason for a celebration.

    If the baby has already arrived for whatever reason (early, etc.) then you have a “sip and see” which is basically introducing the baby to everyone.

    Baby showers are supposed to be light and joyous. Silly games are often part of it. Showers used to be only for women but you’ll find some include men now.

24. Funny.

25. The new mom doesn’t throw her own baby shower, someone else throws it on her behalf and the new mom is the “guest of honor.” It’s celebrated because babies are awesome and starting a family is worth celebrating. Americans aren’t the only ones with this sort of tradition – I know it’s a thing in India for sure.