baby shower--when to host and price range of gifts

[Anonymous]

Hi, A friend of mine kindly offered to host a baby shower for me. She asked me when would be the best time, and I'm not really sure...around weeks 30-34? I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch but I would also like to have it early enough that I wouldn't have a risk of premature labor (and I'd like to know what items I'll need to get on my own).

Also, I am going to a friend's baby shower soon, and wasn't sure how much to spend on gifts. I know it's a personal thing, but what is the general range in the DC area?

[Anonymous]

I think weeks 30 to 34 are ideal. I had mine at 28 weeks, but that was just because it was a holiday weekend and I had lots of relatives coming in from out of town.

I think the price range it totally irrelavent. Some people will spend a lot, some a little, and some will go in on big gifts with others. Different people have different budgets. All that matters is how much you feel comfortable spending or how much time or effort you want to put into making a gift. Until the baby actually arrives you will not know which items will get the most use and which won't. If you want to make the gift memorable, then just try to make it more personal or unique.

[Anonymous]

I had mine at 28 weeks because I am anal and wanted to have all the items early in my third trimester. That way I had time to figure out what I still needed and what I needed to return, etc. Plus if the baby came early I had everything already.

[Anonymous]

I had mine at 31 weeks and really it could have been later. I had everything exchanged/returned and had purchased the other items I needed within 2 weeks. That gave me 7 weeks to just stare at the nursery - not fun!

I agree with price range for gifts, too. For me it has a lot to do with how close I am with the person. If its an acquaintence/colleague, etc. I probably spend $20. Probably $35-50 on friends and $75-100 on Sister/SIL.

[Anonymous]

I had mine at 35 weeks and that was fine. I still had enough time to get things I needed.

As for price, I usually spend $30-40 on friends. If it was a coworker, I would probably spend about $15-20 or go in on a gift with others.