Not that long ago, a baby shower consisted of just the mother-to-be and her female family members and friends. Men typically did not go to baby showers, and the traditional baby shower was a time for just the mother of the baby and her girlfriends to celebrate. How about in this modern-day? Do men go to baby showers?
Yes, the rules have started to change and are often thrown out the window altogether. Co-ed baby showers are a regular thing. Fathers attend baby showers, and even male friends and family members go to baby showers to enjoy the celebration, play baby shower games, and bring baby shower gifts.
The Co-Ed Baby Shower
If you are considering a co-ed baby shower, the first thing you need to do is check with the mother to be and find out how she feels about male guests. Ask if she is okay with all-male guests attending, if she only wants the dad-to-be to be there, or no males at all.
While baby showers do not have to include any men, they also do not have to stray from tradition, and some families like to stick to tradition. So before you order or print out baby shower invitations, be sure to check with the expectant mother and find out what she prefers.
Baby Showers for Dad to Be
Also known as a diaper party or a wipes party, men are now organizing their own time to celebrate. Believe it or not, men enjoy celebrating baby showers, too, and can have their own array of fun baby shower games, gift-giving, and time with guy friends.
If your male friend is expecting a new baby soon, and you think he may want to celebrate, consider asking the parents-to-be if they would prefer a co-ed baby shower or a shower just for the dad-to-be. This can be separate from the traditional baby showers enjoyed by the soon-to-be mother. He can invite his male family members and friends, and the new parents can celebrate the upcoming baby separately.
How to Plan a Co-Ed Baby Shower
There are many ways to plan co-ed baby showers once you get the green light from the new mom and dad. While men go to baby showers when they are explicitly invited, they still often assume that their wife or significant other is the only one invited. Getting a guest list from both of the parents to be, complete with names, can help you address the baby shower invitations so that you can directly include the male guests and the females.
Co-Ed Baby Shower Ideas
Men will more readily attend baby showers if they feel comfortable. Getting to know the soon-to-be father will help you decide what sorts of fun games and activities you should plan and what kind of flow your friend’s baby shower should have.
Tweak the Games
If you make the games played more fun and less traditional, you will have more men attending baby showers. While you may luck out and have some really laid-back men on the guest list, men go to baby showers to have fun, and a co-ed shower means that the men attending will need some involvement. You will have more luck getting the guys involved if you tailor the games to be more high-energy and funny.
Baby Bottle Chugging Contest
A fun game you can play with all of the guests, but the men will especially enjoy, is a baby bottle chugging contest. You can also keep this game exclusive to any male who attends. Get some bottles, complete with slow flow nipples, fill them with milk, water, or any other drink, and have them race to see who can empty the bottle first.
Stroller Races
Stroller races are fun for all, and when you factor in men’s attendance, it can be an absolute riot watching them compete to win. Invite men to strap a baby doll into a stroller and race from a starting point to an endpoint. You can up the stakes by also having them stop to change a diaper, take the baby out of the stroller and swaddle it, or make any modifications. More fathers playing this game means more friendly competition.
Do Men Go To Baby Showers: Traditional Ceremony with Guys Allowed
When you invite men to attend the whole process of a traditional baby shower, you need to keep in mind that while they may come to support your growing family, they often feel uncomfortable listening to or discussing the intimate details of pregnancy and childbirth.
While it is fine to hold a traditional shower, especially if you want to stick closer to tradition because it is your first baby, it may be good to give guys their own area or space. If guys bring drinks and are allowed their own space, they will be more likely to enjoy the shower, and women will not have to worry about entertaining them the entire time. As long as someone fills food plates and keeps the drinks flowing, men seldom mind attending a shower.
How long is a baby shower?
Most baby showers last two to four hours, depending upon the preference of the expectant mother and father. They are usually held in the late morning or early afternoon and feature snacks, desserts, or a light meal. The baby shower is often held indoors in a rented hall, a church basement, or someone’s home. Still, they can also be held outdoors, in parks, or anywhere that can hold the number of people going and is appropriate for the season and the weather.
Why Both Expecting Parents Want to Be There
There are many benefits to both parents being present at the baby shower. Whoever attends the baby shower is a fluid idea, and the parents’ choice is up to the parents. However, the father being there, along with his male friends and family, or support system, offers many specific benefits.
Couples baby shower
The parents who celebrate together can help the father bond with his baby while the baby is still in the mom’s belly. Research has shown that a father who bonds with his baby and is an active part of his children’s lives greatly benefits any family.
Men who attend baby showers are more likely to provide child care, be more active in postnatal care for their spouse, and feel a more immediate bond with the baby when born. This is because he is not left out of the celebration. He is included, and the fact that he will be a father soon is something he can start to process.
Men Shouldn’t Miss Out on the Fun Parts of Pregnancy
They are there when you are puking. They go to the gas station or store at three in the morning because you want ice cream. The really good ones sit up in bed with you when you are convinced insomnia and heartburn will kill you. Do not let them miss out on the fun parts of pregnancy. Ladies may have to cope with morning sickness, the swelling feet, the growing belly, the contractions, and the birth. But do not forget that their partners are often the wingmen to this, and they deserve the chance to celebrate.
You’ll Get More from Your Gift Registry
If you invite every female relative to your shower, that is great. They will all have a great time, most of them will bring baby shower gifts, and you will get some fun girl time away from the men. However, if you invite every family member, regardless of gender, to your shower, you will get more gifts, and the men in your family will feel more included in the shower.
While this may seem really materialistic, think of how special some grandpas, uncles, and cousins will feel when invited to the shower and get a say in what gift is selected. You will likely end up with some great gifts that are thoughtful and practical, and your male friends and family members will feel included in your baby’s life before your little one even arrives.
Easier Scheduling
In this busy world, where more and more people are working more hours and longer shifts, it can be challenging to throw two separate baby showers so that the father gets his own celebration. Having one baby shower that includes both parents is more convenient, less expensive to plan, and will ensure everyone can attend one baby shower.
Mutual Friends
When you have two separate baby showers for the men and the ladies, it is more difficult for everyone to attend, especially when most couples have mutual friends who are also together as couples. Couples who have children and work may have a hard time finding child care for their children, getting off work, or pushing off other plans if there are two baby showers they must attend. This runs the risk of one of the people having to decline the invitation, and that person is usually the man.
When the man cannot go because his wife or significant other is attending the female baby shower, that leaves the dad-to-be with less support system but often cannot be helped. Having just one baby shower that is co-ed means that both members of a couple who are mutual friends of the expectant parents can attend, everyone can have fun, and it will not cost an arm and a leg to have separate celebrations.
Conclusion
Do men go to baby showers? Sure, if you invite them!
