In our helpful guide on what to wear to a baby shower, the first piece of advice we can give you is simply to be yourself. Don’t wear anything that goes beyond your own comfort zone. Today, we live in a society where people seem to have become more judgmental than ever. Even though we’re supposed to avoid judging a “book by its cover,” it seems to be one lesson members of the human race can’t really grasp. Is this considered a bad thing? For as long as the judgment call isn’t a hasty one, the answer to that question is no. First impressions are unavoidable. We can’t help it because there will be a trigger of some kind the moment one of our senses detect something. If it’s something pleasant, we initially respond favorably. Whenever it’s something unpleasant or unfamiliar, it’ll either be an “ew” reaction or a question mark popping into our own little thought bubbles.
Usually, people invited to a baby shower are men and women who have a close enough relationship with the mother to be considered. Most of the time, baby showers tend to be a social gathering among women as they pour their attention on the mother and her new bundle of joy. There have been some baby showers I personally attended where the mother hadn’t quite given birth yet. One baby shower, in particular, had two women that were expecting with due dates less than a week apart from each other. They were both already at the eight-month mark when the shower was held. I have to be honest here. It was the best baby shower I ever attended. It was actually the first where I noticed there were almost as many men there as women. However, the men had their own social circle while the women had theirs. Although it’s not unusual for men to be at baby showers, the one I was at saw the men more involved. Previously, men at all the baby showers I went to previously were not only in their own social circle but in another room entirely.
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Determining Dress Codes For What To Wear To A Baby Shower
Usually, when a baby shower has been scheduled, the attendees tend to follow a dress code that tends to be semi-casual. Unless a preference has actually been specified by whoever is putting the baby shower together, guests will normally go with something church guests would wear whenever attending mass. Among people who don’t go to church, it would normally be something typically worn whenever joining a family gathering during special occasions such as celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, and holiday occasions. The attire typically worn tends to lean on what kind of social circle the mother has. If the mom and her newborn come from a cultural background of social elites, odds are guests are going to dress to impress as if going on a lunch date at a classy bistro. The same can be said if the new mom proudly lives a town and country lifestyle that seems considerably more simplistic. Should that simplicity involve a casual top and blue jeans, then there is nothing wrong with sporting something like this at the baby shower, either.
In regards to the baby shower, I enjoyed it so much, our event was held outdoors. I also knew both expecting mothers quite well. I’m also really good friends with the hostess that held this event at her home. All of us ladies sat in lawn chairs in the front yard while the men were situated between the back of the house and the garage, drinking beer and preparing a barbecue lunch. Between the men and the women were the kids. Although the hostess never specified what sort of clothes we should wear at the shower, I knew her well enough to understand there would be party games involved. I warned the guest who was coming with me to wear something that will allow her to move around freely. With this being said, while I don’t expect every baby shower to be like the one I attended here, that would be my recommendation to anyone who gets invited to one.
In determining what to wear to a baby shower, dress according to what you know suits the people you’re about to spend some time with. If they come from a specific culture and are proud of it, you can always go with something that would appease them. The duo baby shower I just mentioned had two moms who are Filipino. The hostess was also Filipino. The majority of the guests were Filipino. However, living in the middle of the Canadian prairies also meant a good chunk of the local farming community was going to be in attendance as well. However, not one of us sported anything to represent the Philippines. We all mostly showed up in semi-casual attire as ourselves, no big deal. The guest that came with me took my advice and wore a simple flowy top and a pair of dark pants that looked new. She was also smart enough to wear running shoes. It did throw the look off a bit, but she also knew the hostess well enough to understand there was going to be some fun and games involved.
Keep It Simple
Unless specified, baby showers are meant to be simple gatherings among family and friends who the parental guest of honor knows. From that social circle, it may include coworkers and neighbors who are at least familiar enough with the mother to be considered for the invite. Usually, attendees tend to stick with something simple to wear. That means either a simple dress or a somewhat dressy blouse paired up with a skirt or a pair of trousers. If the weather permits, maybe a pair of shorts. Ideally, if you want to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb among the guests, stay away from wearing clothes that look like you just rolled out of bed or have been getting your hands dirty all day. If you know the mother and her associates well enough, the odds are you’re going to stick to the kind of clothing you feel comfortable wearing around them as it is. This will be the sort of thing she’ll expect from you so stepping out of character when it comes to your wardrobe options could likely lead to an uncomfortable social situation.
In order to avoid discomfort of any kind, simply keep things simple as you choose what to wear to a baby shower. Preferably, stay away from prints that have quotes on them that could potentially offend anyone attending this special occasion. There is a possibility of a guest there you haven’t met before that has a certain belief system that opposes yours. If you want to avoid a sticky situation of any kind, stick to colors and patterns nobody would have an issue with. Solids always work best, as do whimsical patterns. If you know who all the guests are going to be, then you may be able to get away with something that you know won’t offend anyone. The last thing you want to do is wear something to a baby shower that makes either a political, religious, or social statement. These are meant to be happy occasions where the primary focus should be on the baby and the mother.
When In Doubt
Probably the best advice for anyone invited to a baby shower is to make sure what’s deemed acceptable in the eyes of the person hosting the event. It’s usually going to be a person who knows the mother best and trusts the most. That person will know what works and what doesn’t. If you don’t know the host personally, then simply ask the mother directly. If you don’t know the mother personally but have been invited as a guest by someone who does, then ask the one who invited you. That person wouldn’t invite you if they didn’t want you there, so it’s unlikely they’re going to tell you to wear something you shouldn’t. In my situation with my friend, even though she knew the hostess, she didn’t know the two moms who were to be the center of everyone’s attention. I filled her in those two ladies were just like the hostess when it came to cultural backgrounds and basic personality traits.
There was one baby shower, in particular, I attended some time ago where the new mother was a big fan of goth. I knew some of the guests that would be there were heavily influenced by the gothic culture. It was an awkward baby shower because her parents are devoted to Catholicism. Many guests from her family were also scheduled to be there. It was one baby shower that had women dressed in pastels on one side of the room while the other side had men and women mostly dressed in black. Before going, I checked with my friend (who was the new mother) directly to find out what her preferences were. I remember that day showing up wearing all black, but not in a manner that suggested I was gothic. It was simply a black long-sleeved shirt that had gold embroidered Fleur de Lis symbols around the neckline, along with a pair of black pants I normally wore at the time at my desk job. Basically, all I did that day was be myself.
Should the baby shower have a set theme, odds are you’ll be informed of this the moment you’re invited. However, just because it’s themed doesn’t mean you are required to wear something to match it. Not every guest does, especially if they don’t want to sport anything other than what they’d normally wear if there was no theme in place at all. If there is a theme and you want to stick to it, then simply ask the person who invited you directly what they think. They’re not going to steer you down a path they suspect will come across as offensive among the guests at the baby shower. Doing so would be a conflict of interest that could potentially turn what’s supposed to be a happy occasion into a bad one.
It’s really about the baby here, along with the mom. In some cases, the father, too. Although traditional baby showers tend to be mostly women attending, an increase of social groups has made a point to include the fathers as well. This was the case with the duo baby shower I attended that had both men and women in attendance. It was somewhat comical because the women mostly dressed in semi-casual attire while the kids and men all wore t-shirts and blue jeans. The men were doing the cooking while the kids were playing on the grass, so maybe they thought what they wore wasn’t as important for as long as they at least remembered to put some pants on. My fondest memory of that day was simply seeing everybody get along as if they were family. Nobody honestly cared who wore what as we were all there to celebrate the arrival of two new human beings, coming from two wonderful ladies we knew would become fabulous mothers.
However, should you be invited to a baby shower where the social network isn’t as casual as the one I attended, your best bet to eliminate all doubt about what to wear is simply to ask those who invited you. They’re not going to be dishonest with their answer. If it seems too vague, then stick with something simple. A simple top with a simple skirt or trousers that stays away from potentially offensive quotes and symbols is your best bet. Does the color scheme matter? Unless you know the mother and her guests have a serious issue against a specific shade, then no, it shouldn’t.
A Helpful Guide To What To Wear To A Baby Shower article published on BabyCareGuru.com© 2023
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