My Korean Husband Attended Our Baby Shower
Last Updated on September 17, 2026
Baby celebrations in Korea are a bit different from in the United States, where I’m from. Koreans don’t usually have baby showers, so I thought it was important to invite my Korean husband to my baby shower and let him enjoy this cultural celebration.
It was a great way for him to see how we celebrate the impending birth in the States with silly baby games, gifts to help us prepare, and friends that love us. Of course, we would do other celebrations the way Koreans do later, but this was an introduction for him on how we prepare for a baby in the US.
- Do Koreans have baby showers?
- Geumjul (금줄): The Rope Above The Door
- Dol: The Celebration That Comes Later
- How We Prepared To Have A Baby In Korea
- Our Baby Shower Day
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Do Koreans have baby showers?
Koreans don’t usually prepare for a baby in the same ways as we might, and I’ve heard that comes from the number of babies that didn’t make it through the birth or didn’t make it to their first 100 days in the past. Still today, it’s common that only close family will even see a newborn in the first hundred days, as mothers and infants will stay inside for that time period.
Geumjul (금줄): The Rope Above The Door
There’s even a tradition of hanging a rope above the front door after a child is born, so that neighbors, friends, and everyone else know there’s a new baby inside and they shouldn’t disturb. This tradition is called geumjul (금줄). To perform the ritual, you twist twine to the left and push white pieces of paper and charcoal in through the holes along the rope. These items ward off evil spirits.
The rope should hang above the doorway for three weeks. While this particular cultural tradition isn’t often practiced any longer, people still do abide by the three week rule, and no one will come by to dote on you or your baby except for immediate family.
Dol: The Celebration That Comes Later
In Korea, there is a celebration after the child turns one year old called a dol (there’s also sometimes a smaller marking of the first 100 days). These days more children survive, but some things still remain, like not having a baby shower or help from your friends in the preparation process. The dol is when you invite everyone you want to introduce your baby to.
There are pictures, baby hanboks, and even a game called doljabi to see what their future might hold. This is probably what would be considered the most similar event to a baby shower. But it’s after the birth of the baby, not before. I go into the full doljabi ceremony, the dolsang table, and everything else that goes into a first birthday in Korean First Birthday (Doljanchi): Complete Guide to Traditions, Doljabi and Hanbok.
How We Prepared To Have A Baby In Korea
Currently, in our group of Korean friends from my husband’s relationships there are four other couples that are pregnant. We are very close with two of the couples, and all three of our households are within 10 minutes of each other. Our pregnancies are all just weeks apart.
This has been great, as I didn’t really know where to start with some things, and having some other people going through the same processes has been extremely helpful.
A month or so ago the other couples wanted to check out a baby outlet store, and we tagged along to see what was in the store. One of the couples was stocking up on everything, whereas I was checking my list and making notes on prices and availability. They asked why we weren’t buying much of anything. I did get a few things because they were just so cute, but other than that we were just looking.
We explained that we’d be having a baby shower, and I didn’t want to get too much of the smaller things before that in case my friends did. My husband had to explain what a shower was based on what I’d told him about them previously, and after they heard about it, they thought it was amazing and thought Koreans should be doing that too. Preparing for a baby can be expensive, and having friends and family that help you out is awesome.
I had explained that a shower is a way for your friends and family to get involved in the pregnancy. We celebrate the impending birth of a child with games and a showering of gifts. I went on to say that the games are babycentric, so tasting baby food and guessing the flavor, or drawing a baby without seeing it, or the like would be done. Though he understood the concept, I know he still wasn’t quite sure of what to expect.
Our Baby Shower Day
The shower was thrown at our house, and my friends did a fantastic job of getting my husband involved. My friends came over to set up in the morning while my husband and I went out for breakfast. When we returned there were decorations galore and friends and food everywhere.
There were also some very special t-shirts one of my friends had made for us. My husband sat down and saw that his said DILF on it, but he didn’t know what it meant. My friends asked him to guess what it meant, and he came up with “Daddy Is Lucky Forever.”
How cute is that? Once he saw my shirt though, he knew what the MILF and DILF shirts meant, and he said I definitely could not wear mine outside of the house. I am okay with that.
We tasted baby food, and I won with the most correct flavor choices. We measured my belly and my husband’s, as my friends were thoughtful enough to buy him a belly suit to wear to make him even more a part of the celebrations. After the games came the shower of gifts.
My husband, not having known what was on the list and who is often much more comical and celebratory when opening gifts anyway, was given the gifts while I opened the cards. It was all great fun, for both of us.
My husband hadn’t really had any expectations, but he was pretty happy that this was one event that we didn’t have to prepare everything for. We could just show up and enjoy the time with our friends. I always love being able to share something from my culture with him, and getting pregnant has meant a lot of discussions on cultural expectations, not only after giving birth but also during the pregnancy.
This was one thing that I was excited to have and share with him, so that he could get a taste of how friends and family in the west treat having a baby. Was I happy with my baby shower in Korea? Yes! Was it easy? Well, they don’t do registries, but we made it work.
FAQ
Do Koreans have baby showers?
Not traditionally, no. The historical reasoning traces back to high infant mortality in the past, when preparing too early or celebrating too soon was considered inviting bad luck. Some Korean friends who attended a Western-style baby shower with us said they wished it was more common in Korea, since it’s a good way to gather support before the baby arrives.
What is geumjul (금줄)?
A rope, traditionally twisted with charcoal and white paper tucked into the strands, hung above the front door after a baby is born. It signals to neighbors and visitors that a newborn is inside and shouldn’t be disturbed, and it’s traditionally left up for about three weeks.
How do you say “baby shower” in Korean?
There isn’t a native Korean equivalent, since the tradition itself isn’t originally Korean. When it comes up, it’s typically just transliterated as baby shower (베이비 샤워), the same way many imported Western customs are referred to in Korean.
Is there a Buddhist or shamanistic element to Korean birth traditions?
Yes, though it’s more tied to the first birthday celebration than to anything resembling a baby shower. Korean shamanism and folk Buddhism both have figures associated with birth and childhood, including Sanshin, the mountain spirit, and Samshin, the birth goddess. I cover both in more depth in the doljanchi article and in Korean Pregnancy Traditions and Superstitions: What to Really Expect as a Foreign Mom.
What’s the Korean equivalent of a baby shower, if there is one?
The closest thing is the dol, the celebration held around the child’s first birthday, though it happens after the baby arrives rather than before, and it’s structured very differently, with a formal ceremony called doljabi rather than games and gift registries.
Where This Fits In The Bigger Story
Are you pregnant in Korea? Here are the rest of the posts that cover this journey start to finish:
- Having a Baby in Korea as a Foreigner: A Resident’s Guide to Benefits, Leave, and Paperwork
- Korean Pregnancy Traditions and Superstitions: What to Really Expect as a Foreign Mom
- How To Get The National Happiness Card For Pregnant Women In Korea
- Giving Birth in Korea: What To Expect as a Foreign Woman
- After Giving Birth in Korea: Birth Certificates, Subsidies, and Vaccinations for Foreign Parents
- Korean Post-Natal Hotel and Postpartum Care: Tips For New Moms In Korea
- Korean First Birthday (Doljanchi): Complete Guide to Traditions, Doljabi and Hanbok
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2 Comments
rafiquaisraelexpress
I think its quite special how your husband was able to take part in the celebrations. I have a Korean boyfriend so I also notice the culture differences in the “silly things”, such as baby showers.
Hallie
Yes, I’m always excited to have him involved so he can really understand what I’m talking about. ^^