Things NEVER to Do: Don’t Ask People to Eat Standing Up

Some people like eating while standing up; particularly kids, who always seem to be on the go and ready to do the next thing. Some of them even eat while doing something else, like walking or talking on the phone.

However, it’s safe to assume that your baby shower guests aren’t going to be that frenetic with their movements. They’ll likely want to peacefully sit down and eat; and that’s why you must ensure that they have somewhere to sit, and a place to eat.

This is an oversight that a lot of very well-intentioned baby shower producers make. The thing is, it’s sometimes very hard to envision just how much table and chair space is necessary. A room may look very spacious, but fill it with 15 people or more, and it can become very cramped.

Again, the solution to this is in the word plan. Take a good look at the space in which the baby shower will take place. Literally count the number of sitting spaces, and the number of table spaces. If there aren’t enough of both to comfortably serve the number of people attending, then you need to do something about this.

A quick and easy solution could be renting fold-away tables and chairs that can be brought out and then put away when the food is finished. Or, if the weather is nice, you can maybe count on doing things outside. If you do this, however, keep in mind that some people may still want to eat inside. Furthermore, always bear in mind that weather predictions are simply that: predictions. Don’t overestimate that accuracy of a sunny forecast; we’ve all woken up to thunderstorms on the day of the big picnic.

Also keep in mind that in western culture (e.g. American, Canadian, and some parts of Western Europe), personal space is generally seen as larger than those in other countries.

You can visibly see this if you ride the subway in, say, New York compared to Tokyo. When possible, the New Yorkers will allow for about 2 feet of personal space around each person. Of course, in rush hour this isn’t possible, but otherwise the 2-foot-rule is generally held.

In Tokyo, however, the personal space expectations are around 1 foot; regardless of density of the subway car. People in Japan are simply more comfortable with a 1 foot personal space orbit, while people in the US are simply more comfortable with a 2+ foot orbit.

What does this mean to you? It means that you should be aware of the personal space needs of your guests; because if you aren’t, then they’ll be uncomfortable. So even if you believe you have enough room to seat and feed 15 people, ask yourself: is this really the case? Or are you literally cramming people to sit and eat side by side in a manner that is going to be culturally uncomfortable?

It’s little things like this that may seem like superficial details, but in fact, they make a huge difference when the baby shower actually happens. So if you don’t really have enough space, then take steps to find more space; or, at the very least, don’t serve foods like soups that require a stable eating area (firm chair and firm table).

If you absolutely can’t find enough space for all of the guests, choose foods like dry sandwiches that people can eat as they stand, or sit on a stairwell.

Obviously, the ideal is to have everyone sit. But if you can’t, then your choice of catering can make things as good as they can be, all things considered.