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An Open House Baby Shower
A New Twist on That Special Party for the Mom-to-be
By Renee Roberson
Open house baby showers may also be easier for guests who are bringing small children, who usually get restless during an event that could typically last two hours or more. "Those guests that have children can bring them and leave when they want to," says Lisa Harrell, a resident of Mint Hill, N.C., who has helped put together numerous "drop-in" showers at her church.
Davis, mother of two, only had open house baby showers before the births of her two children. Guests were invited to drop by between the hours of 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and finger foods, cake and punch were served.
For Davis, the only drawback to the informal atmosphere occurred when it was time to open presents. Because there isn't a specific time to open gifts, the expectant mom may feel obligated to open a person's gift right before they are leaving, which can be a little disruptive.
"I could be in the middle of a conversation with someone, and another guest who was ready to leave wanted me to open their gift before they did," Davis says. "It was kind of rude for me to have to leave my previous conversation to go open a gift, in my opinion."
Deciding how much food is needed could be an issue when planning this type of shower as well. Organziers could ask guests to RSVP to the shower, regardless of what time they will be dropping by, as a way to tally how much food should be served.
"We invite the whole church to the shower, so knowing how many people will attend can be an issue," Harrell says. "We usually split up the food items so that one person isn't responsible for all of it."
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