Many moms find that one of the most memorable and enjoyable parts of their pregnancy is their baby shower.
From enjoying nice food to playing games, choosing the diaper raffle winner and receiving cute baby gifts, I remember my baby shower being a fantastic celebration of my impending new arrival!
But let’s be honest, there’s nothing worse than having someone at your party who you don’t really want there.
So whether someone else is throwing the baby shower for you or you’ve decided to plan and host it yourself, let’s take a look at the people you should not invite to your baby shower.
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Five People Not To Invite To A Baby Shower
1. Anyone Who Will Create Drama
I always found that a good place to start when asking yourself who should I invite to my baby shower or a baby shower that I was hosting is who do you know who has the potential to create unwanted drama?
It could be a know-it all who will spend the whole time giving you unsolicited advice on everything from baby names to whether you really need a changing table and what you should have put on your baby registry.
Or maybe it’s that friend or relative that has a tendency to really annoy people and stir up arguments.
Whoever it might be, it’s a good idea to save yourself (and your guests) any undue stress and simply not invite those drama-prone people to your baby shower.
2. Distant Relatives
Depending on how close you are to your family, you may want to invite any aunts, nieces and cousins to your shower, as well as of course your or your partner’s mom, stepmom or mother figures.
But distant relatives who you are not very close to are a different story.
It might be tough as you obviously don’t want to offend anybody, but there is no obligation to invite anyone to your event just because you may be related to them.
So don’t feel you must invite anyone who you don’t really want at your big celebration, especially if you are having a smaller, more intimate baby shower.
3. Neighbors
Some things are pretty hard to keep from your neighbors, especially something so noticeable as the fact that you are pregnant!
Now if you are genuinely close to any neighbors, then you might rightly want to add them to your event and celebrate with them.
But those neighbors who you are just friendly with and not much else – the ones you exchange a quick hello with and occasionally engage in the odd conversation – are best left uninvited.
4. Long Lost Friends
We all have those friends who we used to be close to, but for one reason or another we’ve fallen out of touch.
Maybe they moved out of town a while ago and you stopped communicating, or perhaps you still live in the same city, but you haven’t seen each other for years.
Friendships naturally come to an end, and there’s probably a good reason why you’re no longer close – perhaps you’ve both changed in the years that have passed?
If you did invite that long-lost friend and caught up during the event, the truth about having a baby is that you will have less time than ever for seeing people, so it’s probably unlikely the two of you will become good friends again.
You can always arrange to meet anyone who hasn’t made the guestlist separately, as the best advice from moms in the know is to reserve the invitations just for those people who are nearest and dearest to you.
5. Casual Co-Workers
Many of us spend more time with our co-workers than we do with our partners, so it’s only natural you may have built strong friendships at work.
If you do have close friends at work – ones who’s lives you know well and people who you meet up with outside work – then you’ll probably want to go ahead and invite them to your baby shower.
But those casual co-workers who you have only a professional relationship with are best left off the guestlist, and that also goes for any employees or clients you don’t have a particularly close relationship with too.
Who Should You To Invite To A Baby Shower?
We’ve looked at who not to invite, so your next question is likely to be who should be invited to a baby shower?
Typically close family (mom / stepmom, grandmas, mother-in-law, sisters, aunts, cousins, older nieces), close friends and work colleagues are invited to a baby shower, and the guestlist tends to be exclusively female (unlike diaper parties, which are the male equivalent).
If you are hosting the event and are unsure, you should always check with the mom-to-be about who she would like to attend, especially if you are considering inviting any of the groups of people above.
Final Word
In conclusion, a baby shower should be a beautiful event to celebrate one of the most special times in your life, so don’t feel guilty or pressured into inviting anyone who you don’t really want there.
As with any guestlist, sometimes you need to be a little tough or ruthless when deciding who to invite, but remember above all that the event if for you and your baby!
Must Read: Everything You Need To Know About Baby Showers
