Babyshower for 3Rd Child?

I gave away all my stuff and then ended up having a third. I got some of my stuff back that I gave away, but I did have to buy some stuff. I also let it be known to all my momma friends that I had nothing. People gave me lots of good stuff.

I never would have thought of having a shower, as I'm old school: showers are to shower new mothers with wisdom. By kid 3, you are really a new mother.

Congrats!!!!

A google search for "meet the baby party" generated some fun things. This article may also be helpful ...

http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy/baby-showers/qa/sip...

It must be different around the country.

Down here where I live we give baby showers for each baby. Sure the third fourth and fifth do not get the same type of gifts, but we love celebrating each and every baby. Not all moms look at this as a gift grab, many are pretty happy to have something done for them. Being a mom of lots of children takes a very special woman.

I highly suggest you see if anyone would like to let you borrow baby things. We had very good friends that gave us ALL of their baby stuff. It was practically brand new and top of the line. They were going to donate it anyway, so if we would go over and pick it all up, it was ours!

So sure, IF a friend OFFERS to host a meet and greet or a shower, accept, but do not give yourself a shower that would not be appropriate.

it's so annoyingly predictable that people start yawping about 'every baby should be celebrated' as if that's the point. no one says every baby shouldn't be celebrated.
i'll repeat that. and reword it, in case it's not clear.
BABIES ARE CELEBRATED. SHOWERS ARE NOT ABOUT THE BABY.
showers are to 'shower' a new mother (ie first time) with wisdom, not 'meet the baby' or gift grabs, although that's what they've turned into.
nothing wrong at all with letting your friends and loved ones know you could some stuff. and if you want to have a shower despite the etiquette rules, go for it. rules are meant to be tossed from time to time. but for the love of all the gods, i wish people would get it through their heads what a BABY SHOWER is supposed to be.
khairete
S.

Send a birth announcement after the baby arrives. If someone wants to send a gift they will.

Although you probably don't mean it, but the wording in the post suggests that you "have nothing left" and need baby supplies. Those close to you and know your situation will more than likely step up with hand me downs and help you get re-started.

If you do hold a meet and greet, please put no gifts please on the invitation so people don't view it as an invoice or "gift grab". A "Meet and greet" would be about a 2 hour span for people to stop in, see the baby, have punch, cookies, etc... something light.

I understand that you don't "expect" gifts... You have to be crystal clear about this so you don't come across as tacky or gift grabber.

Congratulations and I hope you and baby are healthy!

Baby showers are to celebrate a woman becoming a mother for the first time - it's NOT a celebration of each and every child nor a baby supply party/gift grab.
Having a meet and greet party after your child is born sounds fine.

A baby shower for a 2nd or 3rd or subsequent child is called a Sprinkle. It's a smaller version of a baby shower. Here's a link with some information about Sprinkles:
http://www.baby-shower.com/themes/baby-sprinkle.html

I highly recommend doing something before your baby is born rather than a Meet & Greet. When you and your newborn are home, you will be tired and busy, busy, busy. Will you really want to be hosting a party? A new baby (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th....) is something to celebrate. If your MIL is upset by your celebrating a new life, too bad. Don't allow her feelings to dampen your occasion.

Congratulations on your 3rd!
T.
SAHM of 5
14, 12, 6, 4 & 2

Uh....nah.
Bad form.
Others should not be expected to bring gifts because you "don't have anything left." Right there it's obvious you're looking for...well...stuff.
Send a birth announcement afterward: name, weight, length & photo.
No shower.

Every baby deserves to be celebrated (just ignore the people who get all huffy about it). Just have a friend host a baby sprinkle and enjoy yourself. FYI I regret not having a little celebration for baby #2 because people told me not to (he's going to wonder why big brother got celebrated and he did not). And BTW, since then, I have had a ton of friends have sprinkles for their 2nd, 3rd, 4th kids, etc.

No, baby showers are for a first baby only! I had a surprise 3rd after we'd gotten rid of most of our gear. I bought a lot of new stuff, and my mom and grandma bought a few things for us.

If you have a meet the baby party, you'll end up with a bunch of newborn outfits.

If you have a lot of friends who have young kids, I would just send a mass email out, asking people if they have anything you can borrow since you don't have anything. A lot of people are willing to let you borrow anything from cribs to swings, bouncy seats, pack and plays etc....

Best wishes!

Considering the time between the births, I don't see any reason you could not have a shower for the new one. My 4th was born 9 yrs later and my in-laws gave me a shower.

If your mother in law is offended, then let her stay home and you enjoy your shower.

There is nothing wrong with allowing your friend to throw you a shower, and if MIL is offended she can shove it up her you know what! You also don't need her to invite other people from his side of the family, do it yourself. And as for the "if it is a boy" I say get the cloths anyways, boy cloths are perfectly acceptable on a little girl.

No shower. If u have a meet the baby wen s/he is a few months old, please say no gifts on the invite. Congrats!

I've never heard of people giving themselves a baby shower (or a bridal shower, for that matter). Someone else gives it, which makes it a lot less of a gift-fest. Someone should have invited your MIL to a shower for your 2nd child, even if it was to be a "Sprinkle" instead of a full "Shower". (That is, unless you have major issues with her or something and you really needed to leave her out - in which case she should never have been told about it.)

I think you have to decide on a position here. Either you have nothing left and you need hand-me-downs, in which case a trusted friend organizes a party or meet the baby afternoon with a cute name that makes it clear what you need, OR the same friend organizes a regular shower because you need equipment (carseat, crib etc.) and everyone just accepts that you need the same stuff a first-timer needs. The only problem with a "meet the baby" thing is you have no idea what the baby's schedule will be, and you may be sitting there waiting for people to just stop in at a time that doesn't work for you. It may be less stressful because you don't have activities or games or that sort of thing, but you have to be introducing people whenever and if they arrive. Sometimes people don't do RSVPs for that (as they don't for an open house for any other occasion) so you don't know how many to expect, which makes planning snacks more difficult. If you can delegate this to a friend who issues the invitations and collects the RSVPs and organizes the food, then it's easier. But you really shouldn't do it yourself if you are hoping for gifts (gently used or new) - someone has to do it on your behalf, and it should not be your mother. A sister or a friend is okay.

let her plan a shower. i think its silly that people get huffy when you have more then one. its not like your kid just turned 1 or even 2 the youngest is 5. why did you let your mil dictate over that side of the family coming. if you want to invite them you should. if they choose not to come thats on them. hell i would be offended if i was on your mil's side of the family if i didnt get invited because shes huffy lol.
if you choose to have a meet the baby party maybe just ask for needed things - diapers, wipes, bath wash etc. if people choose to bring more thats their choice.

Congratulations on your new family member!

It's all right to throw a small party for meeting the new baby once he/she has arrived, if you like. I'd make it small and simple. For a celebration like that, you don't ask for anything and don't expect anything in the way of a gift.

Since a shower is a sensitive matter within your family, maybe you should skip it. There doesn't need to be a party. Just ask your nice shower-offering friend to get the word out privately that you're in need of baby things again, if anyone has anything they'd like to hand down to you.

That said, I was given a baby shower for my first and a baby shower for my second. The second one was very small, it was a surprise party, and it was strictly pre-owed things from the other ladies in the small Bible-study group. It was sweet and helpful, but I didn't ask for it or plan for it.

A meet and greet sounds fun, but I would very clear no gifts are expected, even to the extent that I would suggest the alternative thing to bring, such as a poem about motherhood, your favorite memory of motherhood, etc.

A meet and greet is sort of like an open house. You set the time for about 2 or 3 hours and people can come and go. Refreshments should be at a minimum of cookies and punches or finger sandwiches and no games. If people want to bring a gift that is fine but not required.

I have always heard that as soon as everything baby is out of the house a new one shows up. Some of my kid's clothes are over 30 years old and hold dear memories. Soon they will be going to their other homes for good giggles and "I can't believe your wore that or you were so small."

Enjoy the day and if the MIL doesn't show, she doesn't. But this is a legitimate reason for a meet and greet. Have a safe delivery.

the other S.

I think it would be great to have an open house/meet the baby party. When we had our second kiddo, we had an extra-large birthday party for our older son six weeks after baby #2 was born. We had a second cake at the party for the baby and invited more people than we would have, but it was very casual, drop-in at a local park with lots of picnic type food and games for the kids. Six weeks was perfect timing, as I was feeling really good and the baby could go more than an hour without nursing!
It's all about how you do it- if you send the invites out and call it an open house and Baby D. meet and greet, then it is not a shower. Specify that drinks and appetizers will be served so you don't have to make a whole meal. Say nothing about gifts. Putting no gifts on an invite is just as tacky as putting in your registry info, etiquette-wise. If anyone asks you or your friends, just be prepared to answer that no gifts are requested, but you would happily accept any hand-me-downs that they might have (if they have appropriate age/gender kiddos).
Bonus- there are no expectations of games at an open house!

I think it is fine to have a baby shower for your third baby - especially since you don't have anything anymore. Since your friend offered to give you a baby shower, take her up on her gracious offer!

Why didn't you invite any of your MIL's family for your baby shower for your son? I would skip the "meet the baby party," accept your friend's baby shower offer, and invite your MIL's side of the family. Why not? More gifts for you/your baby! Congrats!

ADDITION: Okay, I just read the posts, and just about everyone thinks more than one shower is tacky. I understand where they are coming from by saying a shower is for a first time mom, but I also see the other side, which is - just like J9 said, every baby deserves to be celebrated, and I totally agree. People who don't want to come to your shower (because they think it's tacky) won't come, and the people who want to come to help you celebrate another baby's life will come. The people who come do not have to spend a lot of money on your gift. I'd spend $10-15 on a baby shower gift for a good friend - and in exchange, I get to dress up a little and go to a party where there would hopefully/probably be yummy food, and maybe even mimosas? (I know, the guest of honor can't drink, but a mimosa brunch would be lovely, and I'm sure the guest of honor would be happy drinking orange juice)! Life is too short to not celebrate the joys of life, and this is a perfect "excuse" for a party. Again, no one has to break the bank over a baby gift. Your close friends will come, I'm sure. Cheers!

If someone else wants to throw you a party, let them. I just had my second and I felt weird about having a party, but one of my friends really wanted to throw one and it was nice. My sister threw herself a baby shower for her second and it felt tacky, especially because she didn't find out if it was a boy or girl and said people could just give her stuff for both and she could give away what she didn't need!

That being said, if you really have nothing and can't afford a lot, try your local freecycle. People are always giving away baby stuff on there, I know I will once baby boy here is older and not using it anymore. He's gonna be our last so we won't need the crib and things anymore and I'll be happy to give them to someone else who can use them. We got a lot of stuff for him and his sister at garage sales and consignment sales and clearance racks. We gave all of my daughter's baby girl clothes to my cousin and his wife for their little girl and my sister gave us a ton of her baby boy stuff, although we've had to buy a bunch of 0-3 month clothes in the last few days because her son was 10 pounds when he was born and ours was 6 pounds. :)

Don't do your own shower or "meet the baby" party; people do not normally plan parties where they themselves are the guest of honor.... Let your friend host the shower she has suggested, which is very nice of her! I think it's unkind of people who complain about baby showers for kids other than the first kid -- anyone who knows you already knows that your youngest is five and probably also assumes you don't have baby items any more! A shower doesn't have to be a huge gift-grab blowout and you do not have (or need) to register. Your friend can tell guests, if they ask, that you didn't keep baby items and they'll understand (but only if they ask -- the hostess shouldn't tell people to bring gifts, ever; they will anyway).

As for your MIL, if she behaved that way over the second child's shower, she has bigger issues than baby showers. Just put her and other family on the guest list that you give to your friend and leave it alone after that. If MIL doesn't come, it's her loss.