Baby Shower, Cute Cuddles, Parenting
Baby Showers – Carrying on the Tradition
Baby Showers! We’ve all been to one – haven’t we?
Someone you know announces that they are pregnant and you know there is going to be a baby shower soon but what do you get them? Something special? Something unique? Something practical? A little of all three?
Which left me wondering… when did the tradition of the baby shower start? And for what purpose?
A little history?
The actual term “baby shower” seems to come from a few sources:
- Derivative of the Victorian custom to place presents under a parasol (I like the idea of this one!)
- To “shower” the expectant mum with gifts
- A “first showing” of the new baby
After a little research I have discovered that Ancient India, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece all had some sort of celebration for pregnancy/birth – the “baby Shower”!
The Ancient Indians would celebrate in an event called seemantha where the mum-to-be would be showered with dry fruits and sweet grams to help baby grow. Music would be played for baby’s ears and they would prey for a healthy baby and mum, a happy delivery and motherhood.
The Ancient Greek would celebrate the pregnancy after the birth.
The Middle Ages not only acknowledged the “great physical danger” but also the spiritual dangers as well!
For the Renaissance, childbirth was almost a mystical event and so the mum-to-be would be surrounded to encourage and celebrate her.
The Victorians would keep their pregnancy secret for as long as possible. It was not considered proper behaviour to be seen in public while pregnant.
The Baby Shower as we know it today really came about in the baby boom era during WWII. Material gifts would be given to mum-to-be to help lessen the financial burden of children. As we’ve moved into the twenty-first century gifts have become more elaborate – the party, the gifts, the games.
The Gifts
Over the years and cultures, both mum and baby are celebrated during “baby showers”.
The giving of gifts is not a new thing in the history of baby showers. There is evidence that the Egyptians and Romans would give handmade gifts such as clothing, blankets and food for the new family. These homemade traditions are seeing a huge revival today!
As we move away from the more traditional baby shower gifts, into a new age of technology and advancement, baby shower gifts are also following suit. Research has shown that people spend more on average now for baby shower gifts then they have done previously. Gifts vary from clothing, to nappies, to pamper time for mum-to-be. This is an exploding market as more people are celebrating their mum’s-to-be.
This is why we designed our mum-to-be gift hampers with a little bit of everything! They are practical, they are unique and they are special. With a little bit to celebrate both mum-to-be and baby.
For mum-to-be we have a beautiful luxury soap, a relaxing candle, some super yum chocolates and hot chocolate to relax and enjoy.
We then added one of our unique, handmade soft toy and rattle soft toy. A soft toy to cuddle and explore with in years to come – creating memories that last a lifetime. A muslin wrap and a silicon teething chew for baby. Again, a little love and luxury with some practical.
Then we package it all up in a beautiful fabric gift basket – great for change table storage and can be used for years to come!
A nice mix of special and practical!
Final thought?
I remember my baby shower – seems like so long ago now! My baby-to-be was very spoilt! What tradition did you have at your baby shower? And what will you give at the next one you are going to?
