Baby Shower Alternatives

When I got pregnant, I became superstitious. I stopped walking under ladders and started running away from black cats. I surprised myself at how nervous I’d become. Somehow being pregnant felt like I was filled not only with a baby, but with possibility. And possibility can be good–or it can be really bad. (For a primer on what can be bad, just read What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Scary!) So when it came time to have a baby shower, I balked at that, too. I knew that many Jews didn’t have baby showers–tempting the evil eye and all–and so that was my excuse.

Though a party sounded like fun, I didn’t want a pile of baby gifts in my apartment that I would have to walk by every day, making me nervous. So after much discussion, my friends talked me into having a tea party. A tea for me, not for the baby to come. We would celebrate life, family, and friendship…and I wouldn’t go home with a faux cake made of diapers and 10 onesies hand-decorated by my nearest and dearest.

Here are some alternative ideas for those of you out there who also feel a little icky about the whole the shower tradition, but still want to celebrate.