Who'll Throw the Shower?

Still, we all know that traditions change, and etiquette evolves. And as many moms-to-be have learned, there are times when a sister, aunt, cousin or even mother might be the best choice to host this party.

So what should you do?

Sorry, but the best answer is, it depends. If you come from a very traditional or conventional background — or more importantly, your guests do — then it's good sense to make sure your baby shower isn't hosted by a relative.

In other words, use your judgment. If it's convenient and pleasant to have a friend instead of a relative run things, then by all means do. But if that perfect situation isn't working out, then don't feel like you're trampling on all that's good and rational just because you're related to the mom-to-be. The fact is, more and more people are dispensing with tradition, and there are pretty fair reasons for doing so.

After all, gifts are pretty central to baby showers — it's hard to imagine a shower without them. And while it might be ideal not to host your own party where gifts are involved, the fact is, people think nothing of attending a dozen such parties every year. (They're called birthday parties.)

And here's another factor: as baby showers tend to grow more stylish, sophisticated, and that inevitable corollary of style — expensive — it becomes less reasonable to ask a friend to pull it off. In other words, more people are having gala showers, but it's never good etiquette to ask a friend to host (and fund) a gala event.

So given all this, it's probably not too crucial whether a friend or relative hosts the shower. When it comes down to it, chances are that the guests will focus on what the baby shower's all about: the mother-to-be, and this chance to share in her joy.

One Caveat: a Baby Shower Involves Some Work!

Let's be honest – some people may not want to run the baby shower. Now if you’re reading this, then you’re probably happy to, and you're ready to do some quality, easy research so everything goes off hitch-free.

But maybe you're not the one holding the baby shower – let's say you're a mom-to-be who's about to send this link to a relative or friend. In that case, let's take a little time-out to talk about something important.

A baby shower's a touching event filled with laughter, love, and perhaps a few blissful tears. Still, organizing one requires time, and a bit of money. Not a lot of time – especially compared to planning a wedding or a long vacation.

Still, time is involved. So if you're about to nominate or beg someone to take on this task, then please keep in mind that they'll need to have some free space in their schedule to put in the work (of course, it's fun work).

And if you're one who's been tagged to run things? Even if you're a little worried about your own time constraints, don't fret. The site will help tremendously. What's more, nothing's stopping you from recruiting a helper or two to assist with details like food preparation, refreshments, decorations and games. In fact, it's common to seek out a co-host or two to divvy up the cost and effort, making the whole thing even easier.