History
of The Baby Shower
From ThePartyworks.com
The
"showering" of a the "Mommy-to-Be" has been
popular in many countries for hundreds of years but not in the
style we know it today. Gifts were given when after a baby was
born -- usually at the baby's religious christening or at the
baby's debut (it was very common until the middle of this century
that no one was invited to the house until the baby was at least
a month old because of the fear of diseases).
In
the very late 1800's, Victorian ladies began having teas for mommy
but not till after the baby was born because pregnant women did
not appear in public. In the early 1900's, the teas transformed
into "showers" (based on the "showering" of
the bride before her marriage) and umbrellas became symbolic because
it was customary for ladies to carry parasols when they attended
these afternoon gatherings.
Almost
all of the gifts were handmade except the silver that was given
to the babies by the grandmothers. In today's world, baby showers
are customary and great fun -- especially for a first-time mommy
and are referred to as "sprinkles" for mothers having
second or more children.
