The baby shower as we know it today started at the end of World War II and coincided with the beginning of the Baby Boom. During that time, it became common for families and friends to come together and celebrate the birth of a new baby in a party atmosphere. It’s true that initially, the tradition was that only women were invited to attend such gatherings. Today, these celebrations have grown to include fathers, grandfathers, and other family members – anyone closely associated with the new family was welcomed to the event.

When it comes to buying gifts, you’ll find that this process differs somewhat from the historical precedent. In recent times, the advent of technology has made predicting the baby’s gender much more reliable. Babies are often named now before they are born, so potential baby presents can now be gender specific. This is a relatively new trend, one that shows no signs of slowing down.

For parents that haven’t learned the gender of the baby, there’s still the tradition of giving gender neutral items at a shower. These can be gender neutral clothing, such as onesies or diapers, or may be items that will be useful for any baby, such as baby toiletries. Couple this with the blurring of gender roles – especially when caring for newborns – and you’ll find that it’s increasingly difficult to buy something that won’t work for a newborn.

I wonder where baby shower favors came from??

Baby shower favors have come a long way. Candy bar wrappers, soaps, tins, oh My!! I’m glad I’m not planning a shower any time soon because there is way too much to choose from. I’m sure I’d blow any shower budget that I had. Go ahead, check out what’s out there. You know you want to.