Thursday, September 17, 2009

It's a gender thing....

Recently, I talked to a friend who is just a few weeks pregnant. The mama- and daddy-to-be are all excited about the baby, of course! They’re also beyond thrilled because--in just a few short weeks--they’ll be able to find out what they’re having.

And they do want to know. No surprises for them.

It wasn’t so long ago that moms and dads didn’t have the option of finding out this information ahead of time. They just waited to see what developed and then made plans--and painted walls--accordingly.

But, when their baby comes, my friend and her husband plan to be ready with every color-coordinated item they can think of!

It seems to me that some people are moving away from the standard choices. I’ve seen layettes and bassinettes and strollers decked out in every color of the rainbow and then some.

With your own kids and grandkids, have you tried something different?

Or are you a traditional, true-blue (and -pink) kinda girl when it comes to the babies around you?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

10 comments:

Mint said...

When I had my first daughter 33 years ago I decorated her room with blue. I had Raggedy Ann & Andy curtains and they were blue. It looked beautiful even though blue is supposed to be for boys.

Linda Henderson

Anonymous said...

Funny how we can decorate a girl's room just about any color, including blue, and it works out beautifully. As for boys...I don't think pink rooms work!

I had three boys and I stayed away from pastels because they're not easily seen by an infant. I stuck with bolder colors (primaries and black accents) and contrast bc they're more visible and stimulating to the baby. I know it sounds gaudy but it wasn't. Just stick with one or two colors to keep things calming and simple.

Barbara White Daille said...

Linda - it is funny how blue is used for girls, too, but it doesn't work the other way around for boys.

Maybe because baby blue is such a soft color, it's associated with the feminine side?

And I'll bet Raggedy Ann and Andy looked great.

Thanks for commenting!

Barbara
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Barbara White Daille said...

Anonymous - I think you're right about the blue/pink thing.

Interesting, too, about the bright colors for babies. I've heard that before, and it does seem logical.

Thank you for sharing the info.

Barbara
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Pamela Stone said...

Hi Barbara,

When I had my two boys 30 years ago, we didn't know what the sex would be before they were born. So their room was yellow, although more of a bright yellow than pastel. Not sure I realized bright was more stimulating, but it was more to my taste.

Now when my granddaughter was born, they had to know the sex just as early as possible. Not so much for decorating purposes, they just HAD to know. They used heather green, accented with red and black lady bugs. I had no idea what to expect when my DIL described what she was doing, but it was adorable.

My co-workers baby girl was born this past Monday however, and she and her hubby didn't let the doc tell them.

Interesting how different people have different concepts.

Interesting subject.

Anonymous said...

I find that knowing the baby's gender early makes gift giving more practical. Having had three boys myself, I've learned to avoid buying size 0-3mo outfits as baby gifts. Parents get too many of them and babies grow soooo quickly. I like to take the due date and calculate the approximate size and appropriate season for say 6mo-1yr later. That way the parents have clothes to look forward too in the coming months. Problem is, by 6 mos, clothing becomes pretty gender specific in color and design. I just think knowing is more practical and it's still a wonderful surprise...just a few months early. But, to each his/her own!

Anon 5:25

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm not a parent, nor will I be in the foreseeable future, so I'm not sure if I would want to know before they are born or not. Just can't imagine it for anything. LOL

But I can imagine the nursery -- I think whether I found out before birth or after, I think I would do gender neutral stuff (Sesame Street is perfect for anyone! LOL); I hate pink, so I sure would not want to walk into a room with lots of pink, and blue can be for girls too, depending on how you do it. So I probably would go with other colors than the usual pink and blue. :)

Lois

Barbara White Daille said...

Pam,

It seems you went by instinct on picking the bright color, and it worked just fine.

Your granddaughter's room sounds bright, also--and adorable!

Very interesting that your co-worker and her husband didn't want to know. I'm finding that almost EVERYONE I talk to wants to take advantage of the option to find out beforehand.

Barbara
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Barbara White Daille said...

Anonymous - I agree with you on the practicality factor.

And I do the same as you--I always buy clothes for another age range because I've known quite a few newborns who got so many outfits, they outgrew them before they had a chance to wear them.

Barbara
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Barbara White Daille said...

Lois - I like your Sesame Street idea!

And I think it must be fun for the kids when they can see things more clearly and start taking in all the different bright colors and shapes.

On the other hand, I do love pastels, too.

I would have a tough time choosing!

Barbara
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com