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Alex Brodie
I mean, what is our fellow parental and how are you doing today? It's Wednesday and we're on the heels of tales. Heels. We're on the heels. We're on the heels of Family Day, which just happened this past weekend in Canada. I don't believe it's a holiday in the States, but, hey, we could spend time with our family, which is fantastic.
That being said, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Today, we're going to be talking about baby showers. Yeah, baby showers. It's something that I often don't think didn't think too much about until I started poking around and asking questions and realize that I actually don't know anything about a baby shower. You ever have this thing where you are aware of a concept or an idea and you then go and try and explain it to somebody and realize, Oh, I can't articulate this at all.
And then you have to politely excuse yourself from the conversation and leave the party because you made yourself look like a fool. But yeah, that's we're going to be talking about today and bear with me as I find my tempo and my groove through this podcast. It's something that I'm enjoying. It's definitely a process and I'm enjoying it.
I mean, that's that's the point. I'm just showing up and I'll refine and make it just so much better as I continue on. But back to the topic at hand, baby showers. Now, if you're in the boat that I was in that I can't actually explain what a baby shower is, I'm going to go into a few of those topics of of what period, what baby shower.
What baby shower. Okay. You might be asking what a baby shower is or you might just want to hear my take on it. Well, let me tell you, it's a very special celebration for expecting parents. And it's all about preparing for the arrival of a new little bundle of joy. That's the short version of it. More. Is that a baby shower is partly usually organized by either a close friend or a family member or relative to celebrate the impending birth of the baby.
And it's a time for family and friends to come together, share their excitement and help the expecting parents prepare for that arrival of the set baby. It goes back to that idea of it takes a village. It certainly did with me, and I appreciate everybody who pitched in. Now, the origins of the baby shower, they're a bit hazy, but it's thought that the tradition started in the United States in the earliest, earliest early 20th century.
And back then, it was mostly an event for women, which is what I kind of thought baby showers were still. But they would gather to give the expecting mother or mother's gifts and advice to prepare for the birth of her baby. But today, baby showers are open to men and women and it can be mixed and both. And basically, whatever you want to do, just do it.
I don't think you should bend to tradition, so to speak. And tradition, if you really think about it. Tradition is peer pressure from dead people. I read that the other day. I thought it was pretty funny and it's accurate. It's totally fine to carry on traditions, but don't do it because you feel like you have to reflect on it.
If you want to do it, if you want to keep doing it because it brings you joy, then do it. If you stray away from a tradition and come back to it later on in life, that's totally acceptable as well. Right. But I digress. One of the more focused points of what a baby shower is is the gifts.
Right. That's what I thought. It's. Oh, you're having a baby baby shower. You get gifts, sort of like wedding. You get gifts, baby shower you. But similarly to how we approach our wedding events that the small ones that we did have throat covered. You focus on the people that are there to make that connection. This is basically the same thing.
It transitions to a baby shower, but for the gift aspects. Expecting parents will often register for gifts at a baby store, which I still don't fully understand. If you do or have been through it, please let me know. And it's so guests can purchase items that the new parents will need for their baby. And the gifts can range from practical items like diapers, diapers, diapers, diapers, and baby clothes to more sentimental gifts, like maybe a special blanket or a special book for the baby or, you know, even something maybe handmade like arts and crafts kind of stuff, if you're good at that.
Right. Sentimental. And yet another important aspect of a baby shower is the games. So these can range from traditional games like guess the size of the mom to bee's belly. And you'd measure that with a tape measure around the belly to guess the baby's name, which is more of a long form game. Right. Because you have to wait to actually see the announcement of the name and guess the due date to more creative games like diaper changing race or baby food guessing game.
That actually is one that I can't wait to try. And you're basically taste testing food and seeing if you can pinpoint what it is. And these games are not only fun, but a great way for guests to get to know each other and bond. They're basically icebreakers in the name of unborn baby celebration. There's also food and drinks.
It's an important part of any party. And guests can or often will bring a dish to share. So like a potluck or the host might hire a caterer. It depends which way you want to go. I think I think I would probably try and cook for it, but Lord knows how many people would be invited. And that gets complicated.
So you take each situation with a grain of salt. The menu can be as simple or as elaborate as the host wants, but it's usually a good idea, at least when you're hosting a party in general to have a variety of options to suit different dietary needs. And of course, there's a cake. Ice cream cake all the way.
Come on. No brainer. Let's go. And as I mentioned, covered a moment ago. Nowadays, baby showers are also being done online where guests can join a virtual conference and play games, open gifts, and even have tours of the nursery. If you have it set up by then, which arguably you should, it's a great option for those who can't attend in person or for those who live really far away.
In addition to these traditional elements, there are many themes that can be incorporated into a baby shower, such as a gender reveal party or a quote unquote sprinkle for that will be for second time parents or even a more a dad related one, which is called a D'agir party. Play on words from bachelor party for the expectant father, which I would assume is more male dominated, but I've never been to one.
So it's the first time I heard it when I was looking it up. And these themes can make the baby shower even more special and memorable. Imagine going to a Star Trek one or Power Rangers, those that remember what Power Rangers are. This is just kind of an overview and something that I sort of realized that I didn't know much about, and I just wanted to talk about it and share.
And a baby shower is not just a celebration for the expectant parents, but it's also, as I mentioned in the intro, for the family and friends who will be a part of that new baby's life and I guess part of that village. Right now, it's time for everyone to come together to share in the excitement. They often say that marriage and death are what bring families together.
But I would argue the third hidden option is having a baby. Granted, not right away because health concerns and COVID and you want to make sure that don't bring germs. But you know, at some point you want to show your baby off. You want to be like, hey, look, this is the family that we haven't seen in years.
And now here you go. You get to meet my kids, man. COVID. Yeah, I'm still still getting over that hump, but getting there slowly. I feel like I'm on the mend was a very staunch isolationist and now now starting to try and, you know, branch out, socialize again. We're not socializing for a while. And then you got to have a conversation with somebody and you realize words I, I forget how to have them, but you'll find your way.
I'll find my way. We'll find our way. But a baby shower. It's a wonderful way to show your love and support for new parents, for the people that are going to be around you as new parents, and to welcoming that new addition to the family. That's my spin on it. And I hope you enjoyed. If you did, let me know.
I would love to hear it and appreciate it. I'm again, I'm still trying to find my flow, find my groove. So if there's something that stood out that you really liked or something that you didn't like, if you made it all the way through, you probably like something. If you didn't, you probably tuned out a lot sooner. But anyways, that's me.
Much love and I'll catch you next Wednesday. Bob, thanks for being a part of this community and following us wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to leave some of your insights, you can find us on Instagram. Currently at Help. I'm a Dad podcast. Or click the link in the description to leave a voicemail. We'd love to hear from you.
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