According to WordSpy, the term push present was first published in 1992 in an article written by entertainment journalist Karen Heller.
“Let us say that Annette Bening has lost all that baby weight — Warren must have given her a ThighMaster as a push present…” (Austin American-Statesman, March 31, 1992)
Leave it to Hollywood to get us to spend more money!
Some people believe that the jewelry industry invented the term in order to sell more diamonds. Whatever the case, let’s be honest, it’s a marketing no-brainer. Good business people know how to leverage feelings of guilt to get people to spend money. And on top of all of the other pressures of motherhood, new moms also have the peer pressure of receiving something pretty from their baby daddy.
A 2007 survey of over 30,000 respondents by BabyCenter.com found that 38% of new mothers received a push present, and 55% of pregnant mothers wanted one.
I’m willing to bet if the same survey was conducted today, the numbers would be significantly higher.
A common misconception is that a push present has to be extravagant!…shiny!…expensive! That’s not the case. Bookmark this blog to learn about the latest push present trends, both big and small, pricey and cheap.
Every new mom will say publicly that the birth of their child is more than enough, but we know better. A push present is like the cherry on top of a baby sundae.