Who to invite to a baby shower?

[marie1112]

My MIL wants to throw me a baby shower, and has asked me to get a list together of people I'd like to invite. I recently moved out of state, and haven't kept in touch with a whole lot of people since I graduated from college in May, but certain ones still talk to me a lot through facebook, and have expressed interest when I post pregnancy/baby-related things. My list right now only has about 13 people, which I know is small, but I don't want to invite people who I haven't kept in touch with for months and months. I want to invite the people who ask questions and comment and seem genuinely interested in my pregnancy and the baby. I have a group of 3 friends I've known since pre-school, and whenever we've gotten together in the past, it's always been all of us. However, one girl and I haven't spoken in years. We have no hostility or negativity between us, we just aren't in touch. However, she's the sister of one of the other girls, who I DO keep in touch with and has expressed interest in the baby. Would it be rude to invite the friend and sister I still talk to, and leave out the sister who I'm not in touch with? Or would it be rude to invite the sister I don't talk to and make her feel obligated to come or send a gift? What is the etiquette in this situation?

 

[robinator]

Don't invite anyone whom you wouldn't feel comfortable "asking" for a gift from (since let's be honest, that's mainly what showers are about!). Go with your friend, but not her sister. You're not obligated to. And if you did, she might wonder why she's being invited after not having contact for months.

 

[aley28]

13 people? I'm struggling to come up with more than 6! Plus my SIL and my MIL just got into a blowout huge fight tonight, so that might knock it down to 5 who are even worth asking, as SIL is throwing the baby shower. I'm considering cancelling mine altogether, since it seems like a lot of wasted effort to throw an entire baby shower for a possible 6 people to show up.

Anyway. I agree with Robin... I wouldn't ask anybody who you don't feel comfortable asking for something from.

 

[sma1588]

i had over 40 people at my shower that was including my family and OHs family. friends who i see everyday and i did invite people from face book that i havnt seen in a long time. some said they couldnt make it but would send a gift...i said thats not y i invited you i wanted to see you again..... it was nice to see those who i havnt seen in a long time though. for some reason my mom invited some of her friends as well so that made the list of people go up...... invite who you want just tell them its not all about the gifts that not y you are inviting them so they dont get upset 1 way or another

 

[seoj]

I invited about 30 to my shower... but only around 20 showed. I did send invites to my hubbies close family (even though most were out of state) and to some of my extended family... which was a tough call, as some I haven't seen in years, but felt rude to invite my aunts and not my uncles wife etc... and truly, they are family, so I doubt they would think I was doing it JUST for the gift. As I wasn't. But they didn't come OR send a gift regardless... lol. Actually, my own grandmother (who lives on the other side of the country) didn't even send a gift... and my best friends grandma made the baby a quilt!!!

Other than family, I would just invite the close friends you have. I only wanted to invite people I knew would be joyed about us having a baby or would be a part of our babies life. It was still tough call with some of my family- but my mom/aunts advised it can't hurt to send the invite so they feel included. And my close aunts and cousins all made the trip up from Cali to come!

But truly, just do what feels right for YOU!