Parenthood Baby Shower
Traditionally, baby showers are a women-only event, but men can be just as excited as women about their upcoming roles as new dads, and many of them are expressing interest in taking part in the baby shower along-side their wives. When throwing a co-ed baby shower the premise of the event is the same, so much of the planning is the same as well, but there are a few minor differences you’ll want to take note of:
1) The decorations. Picking a theme is one of the first steps of planning a baby shower, especially if the invitations are going to match the decorations you will use at the shower. Usually we recommend picking a theme that speaks to the mother-to-be’s interests, but in this case you will have to decide based on the interests of both the mother- and father-to-be. Finding a theme that tells something special about their lives, their marriage, or even just their sense of style can be a really nice sentiment: for example, if they both share a fondness for whale watching, our Ocean Preppy Boy or Ocean Preppy Girl are perfect themes, or if they plan to decorate the nursery with a jungle theme, try any of our jungle baby shower decorations. On the other hand, if you’re simply looking for something that’s more neutral then some of the super girly baby shower themes out there, check out our hand-picked couples baby shower decorations.
2) The guest list. Chances are that the expecting dad will be more excited about the event if the guest list is changed up to include the female guests’ husbands, plus some other friends of his own. This can change the way a few things are planned. For example, the guest list would be effectively double what it may have been if the shower were women-only, so some of the details may need to be changed. If you were planning to have the shower out at a restaurant, you’ll need to be sure that the restaurant can accommodate a larger group of people, or you may want to consider if the cost of feeding a larger group is manageable. If you’re having the baby shower in your home, you’ll have to be sure there’s enough seating for the larger group, and will have to make sure that you have enough of whatever food and drinks you’re serving.
On the other hand, having a co-ed shower can bring in a fun element of competition for the games, if you pit the Husbands against the Wives, or Men against Women. Which brings us to another thing that should be planned differently for a co-ed baby shower…
3) The games and activities. Baby shower games are controversial to begin with; some people hate them while others think a shower isn’t complete without them. When men are involved, you might want to re-think the planned games and activities. A co-ed shower is already set up very well for team games, and if you can find group games that require two teams, men vs. women can be a lot of fun! A lot of our game kits include group activities like “Baby Words A to Z” and other games that can be played in two teams. You also might want to think about the types of games that a co-ed group will feel comfortable playing. Instead of passing around baby diapers with melted chocolate bars in them for people to try and guess the type of candy is in each diaper (gross!) try a bottle drinking race, where everyone can pick their own favorite beverage and try to finish an entire bottle the quickest (trust us – it’s hard!).
Classic Baby Blocks Favor Boxes
4) The favors. The changes here aren’t particularly complicated; you can decide if each guest gets an individual favor, or if each family gets one favor bag to share. You can also decide if you want to do special “his and hers” favors, with one type of favor for the women and a complementary favor of a different style for the men. For example, if you’re going with a gender neutral theme, try our personalized baby shower favors in some of the girly colors from the theme to send home with the women, and the more typically boyish colors from the theme for the men.
All-in-all, there aren’t a ton of differences between a women-only and co-ed baby shower, but keeping some of the differences in mind can make the difference between a so-so baby shower and an event that’s a blast for everyone invited. Having the father-to-be take part, as well as male friends and family can add a whole new dimension to a baby shower, so make sure to cater to a co-ed crowd and it will be an event fondly remembered by all.