You may have read many so-called etiquette reports about who should and shouldn't hostess a baby shower for the expectant mother. How can you sort through all the information and make a decision about whether or not you as a hostess would be an appropriate choice? And is there ever a time when etiquette should be set aside or outright ignored?

To answer those questions, first consider why it is that we have rules of etiquette about everything, including baby showers. These rules exist so that we can remember to take other people's feelings into consideration; it's poor etiquette to chew with your mouth open because no one wants to see all that, and it's poor etiquette to hostess your own baby shower because it looks like you're just asking people for gifts. Once you understand that etiquette exists to force you to put yourself in someone else's place and see how they might feel about your behavior, then you can better decide what so-called rules of etiquette you should and should not allow your behavior to be dictated by.

So, what about family? Why is it frowned upon to have a relative hostess a baby shower for a woman? The main reason is that it's somewhat intrusive for a mother to have a shower for her own daughter, as if demanding that you buy presents for her. Think of how often you run into a situation where you're pressured to buy candy or cookies or wrapping paper or something else because this person's child is having a fund raiser for their school or their scout troop or for whatever reason. Having a baby shower for your own child is somewhat similar, and this too is why it's usually not a good idea for a close relative such as a sister or aunt to hostess it either.

But sometimes these rules of etiquette can be set aside in certain circumstances. For instance, the expectant mother's friends and relatives may not be so picky about stringent rules of etiquette. They may see nothing wrong with a sister or aunt arranging a baby shower. In some cases, they may even expect it. There may be certain groups who really don't care or even pay attention to who is hosting. For example, the girls from the office may not even realize that it's a sister or aunt that is arranging the event, and aren't really that concerned anyway. In some families where everyone is very close and tight-knit, they may all arrange baby showers for each other, or one particular person may be the very organized one that everyone counts on to get things done.

When it comes to relationships outside the family, there does need to be some caution exercised. If you're the boss or manager of a company and you invite women to attend baby showers for a relative of yours and they don't even know the person, you could be abusing your position in the company just to solicit gifts.

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Many women absolutely love the idea of planning a baby shower and don't view it as a chore but as a labor of love, and a fun way to express her artistic side as well. If this sounds like you, then you may be on the hunt for some fun and unique baby shower themes. Well, we're here to help! This article will give you some very basic but enjoyable themes that you can incorporate into your shower planning.

You may already be familiar with the baby shower themes that revolve around the typical "baby stuff." This would include teddy bears, rubber ducks, rabbits, and so forth. But to really spruce things up, choose some baby toys or items that are not so typically used. This might be the little red wagon for boys. Use a wagon to hold all the gifts, and have plastic versions as centerpieces. Use bold red streamers as decorations. You might have a shower that works itself around Legos - use assembled kits for centerpieces and scatter some loose ones along the buffet table. Other baby shower themes that incorporate certain toys might include baby blocks. You can buy empty boxes and wrap them with white paper and then decorate them to look like blocks for a unique centerpiece. Small blocks can easily be found at dollar and discount stores. You can stack these as well for centerpieces; use a small bit of tape between them so they don't topple over.

Sometimes you can find your inspiration for baby shower themes at the toy store itself, or even at a discount or dollar store. Maybe you see a collection of children's beach toys and decide to use those, or hula hoops make you think of the 1950's as a theme.

Other unique baby shower themes might get away from the entire baby idea and celebrate the mother as a person. If she's a career woman, what does she do for a living? Or, what are her hobbies and passions? If she loves the outdoors, you can have an autumn or beach theme. If she loves art, use art brushes in jars as centerpieces, and put up small easels with reproductions of famous prints as your decorations. Baby shower themes can also celebrate her heritage; if she's Asian, have an Asian inspired shower. If she's French, decorate with small reproductions of the Eiffel Tower or books of Monet's artwork.

Other baby shower themes may just revolve around flowers or springtime. Have small pots or tin pails filled with silk or even real flowers as decorations. Or choose the expectant mother's favorite colors or color scheme and just have a neutral shower that used just these colors. Often you can find plates and utensils that match decorations and centerpieces, all of the same color scheme or design. By keeping an open mind and realizing that baby shower themes don't necessarily need to be all about a baby, you can find unique and amazing ideas all around you!

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