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“Tacky. Why Are You Trying To Upstage The Parents”: Grandma-Baby Showers Spark Debate Online
Grandma in glasses holding a gift box, smiling, with balloons in the background at a baby shower celebration.

People Debate Whether Grandma Showers Are Fun New Trend Or Tacky Spotlight Stealers

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Becoming a new grandparent is a joyous occasion that deserves to be celebrated. Recently, for some grandmas, this meant having a ‘grandma shower,’ which has become quite a trend online that has bystanders divided. While some think it’s a sweet idea, others worry that such a concept might be stealing the spotlight from the future parents. 

Below, we gathered some videos from both sides, leaving it up to you to decide whether you think it’s okay for grandmothers to have their own baby showers or not. Scroll down to find it all, and don’t forget to let us know your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this page!

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    There’s nothing wrong with wanting to celebrate the arrival of a future grandchild

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    But some think that throwing a grandma shower might be doing it too much

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    This woman discussed both sides of the coin

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    Watch the videos in full here:

    @gracefullgrit Who had “grandma showers” on their 2025 bingo card? #help#grandmashower#babyshower#2025trends#sarcastic#narcissist#familydrama#trendtok#boomers#fyp#foryoupage❤️❤️♬ original sound – ✨Jill ✨
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    @morethangrand Are granny showers a nice new tradition or a tacky gift grab? Welcoming new grandparents with New Grandparent Essentials is always appropriate! Get New Grandparent Essentials at morethangrand.com/nge #grandparents#grandparent#CommunicationTips#GrandparentsLove#AdultChildren#NewGrandparent#newgrandma#newgrandparents#newgrandma#Grandparenting#HealthyBoundaries#Boomer#EffectiveCommunication#GentleGrandparenting♬ original sound – MoreThanGrand

    “What I envision for this ‘shower’ would be wisdom”

    If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a ‘grandma shower,’ it’s almost the same as a regular baby shower, but instead of celebrating the mom-to-be, the honourable guest is the grandma-to-be, who is waiting for the arrival of her first grandchild. This all might have started with a small gesture, like a friend or coworker bringing something sweet or a card and small gift to celebrate a first-time grandmother. But somewhere along the way a trend has born out of it and many people are talking about it. 

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    Under some circumstances, having a grandma shower might be valuable. They can help the parents-to-be as extended family gathers to celebrate and bring gifts that are passed to the baby. If grandparents are going to be highly involved in the childcare process, these gifts can also be used by grandparents when the baby is in their care or they’re visiting. 

    But probably most important of all, it can be a simple way for loved ones to mark such a milestone and share wisdom about grandmotherhood. 

    “I personally have not experienced a grandma shower, but I love the idea of a grandma-to-be sitting in a circle of wise, supportive grandmas who want to celebrate her exciting new status,” says Donne Davis, founder of the GaGa Sisterhood, a website and blog for grandmothers. 

    “What I envision for this ‘shower’ would be wisdom. They could each write down a bit of advice they’ve learned as grandmas and share it in the group.” Grandma shower guests might also bring books that she could learn from about grandmotherhood or read to the grandchild-to-be. 

    Image credits: syda_productions (not the actual image)

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    “Don’t throw your own grandma shower!”

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    So it can definitely be beneficial and wholesome to throw grandma showers. Some dads are also jumping on the trend bandwagon, with some being thrown parties too, to commemorate them becoming a new parent. That said, some think that throwing a grandma shower might reek of entitlement, as grandparents might try to outshine the parents. 

    Grandma showers can become gift grabs that disrespect parents if some details of the celebration and its planning aren’t considered. That’s why experts have come up with some guidelines for a grandma shower that ensures the celebration is respectful of the expectant parents. Kate Stone Lombardi, author of THE MAMA’S BOY MYTH: How Keeping Our Sons Close Makes Them Stronger, suggests the following things to consider before throwing a grandma shower:

    • Showers are for first-time grandmothers only.
    • Do not invite the same people to a baby shower and a grandmother shower. That’s double-dipping.
    • Don’t throw your own grandma shower! It should be given by a friend or co-worker.
    • Always clear the idea of having a grandma shower with the parents-to-be. If they don’t like the idea, skip it. With grace. This will be your first act as a new grandmother, and you want to start out on the right foot.

    In case the parents aren’t having a baby shower, the grandma shower shouldn’t happen either. If there’s going to be one – make sure they both don’t happen at competing times. It’s all about being sensible and thinking about the actual baby’s parents. If the shower is simple (more like a sprinkle) and doens’t disrespect anyone, there should be nothing wrong about wanting to celebrate the arrival of a grandchild.

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    Image credits: Sheila Marie (not the actual image)

    As commenters voiced their opinions, some thought the whole thing to be disrespectful and tacky

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    While others thought it was a wonderful idea

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    Austeja Zokaitė

    Austeja Zokaitė

    Writer, Community member

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    Hi, glad you swung by! My name is Austėja, and in the past, I was a writer at Bored Panda. In my time here, I’ve covered some fun topics such as scrungy cats and pareidolia, as well as more serious ones about mental health and relationship hiccups. You can check them out below! I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them:)

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    Austeja Zokaitė

    Austeja Zokaitė

    Writer, Community member

    Hi, glad you swung by! My name is Austėja, and in the past, I was a writer at Bored Panda. In my time here, I’ve covered some fun topics such as scrungy cats and pareidolia, as well as more serious ones about mental health and relationship hiccups. You can check them out below! I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them:)

    Dominyka Proškėnaitė

    Dominyka Proškėnaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

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    I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, crafting captivating visual content to enhance every reader's experience. Sometimes my mornings are spent diving into juicy dramas, while afternoons are all about adding extra laughs to the world by editing the funniest memes around. My favorite part of the job? Choosing the perfect images to illustrate articles. It's like imagining a story as a movie in my mind and selecting the key shots to tell the story visually.

    Read less »

    Dominyka Proškėnaitė

    Dominyka Proškėnaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, crafting captivating visual content to enhance every reader's experience. Sometimes my mornings are spent diving into juicy dramas, while afternoons are all about adding extra laughs to the world by editing the funniest memes around. My favorite part of the job? Choosing the perfect images to illustrate articles. It's like imagining a story as a movie in my mind and selecting the key shots to tell the story visually.

    What do you think ?
    Uncle Panda
    Community Member
    Premium
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Stop it." ~ Bob Newhart

    L.V
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I agree that it very much depends how it's done. If Grandma's friends want to take her out for lunch and give a few things for her house, sure. If she throws her own shower and demand all the attention and presents, that's very tacky, and I wouldn't be surprised if the parents were to limit contact!

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    J. Maxx
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As a White man, I have to say...WHITE FOLKS AT IT AGAIN! WHITE FOLKS, WHY!?! From the god-d**n gender reveal parties to this. Just f*****g stop with having to throw a d**n party for EVERYTHING! You're not that special, you're baby isn't that special, your life isn't that special. JFC! Will it never end!

    Joe Publique
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wish I could upvote this more than once...

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    Uncle Panda
    Community Member
    Premium
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Stop it." ~ Bob Newhart

    L.V
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I agree that it very much depends how it's done. If Grandma's friends want to take her out for lunch and give a few things for her house, sure. If she throws her own shower and demand all the attention and presents, that's very tacky, and I wouldn't be surprised if the parents were to limit contact!

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    J. Maxx
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As a White man, I have to say...WHITE FOLKS AT IT AGAIN! WHITE FOLKS, WHY!?! From the god-d**n gender reveal parties to this. Just f*****g stop with having to throw a d**n party for EVERYTHING! You're not that special, you're baby isn't that special, your life isn't that special. JFC! Will it never end!

    Joe Publique
    Community Member
    5 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wish I could upvote this more than once...

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