Increasingly, Dads-to-Be are becoming included in celebrating the arrival of their baby. Instead of just holding a guy-thing in a bar somewhere, Dads and Moms-to-be are sharing their Baby Shower. That means the theme and plans for a Baby Shower is likely to be less girly and more uni-sex embracing new changes to the traditional Baby Shower. You may want to give some thought to whether you will use the word Celebration instead of Baby-Shower – just one of the modern moves away from the traditional female only event.
One of the most important considerations is to ensure that Dad-to-Be is completely up for the Shower and that his guy friends and relatives will willingly attend your event. Invitations have to be clear that your Baby Shower will include male friends and relatives so if you are inviting single female friends and relatives, they will be comfortable that they will be attending a Shower that is going to be different.
When will you be holding your Baby Shower?
The season of the year may impact on whether you will hold your Shower outside in the sunshine or in your cozy home warm against the snow or cold weather. If your Shower will be held outside, you have lots of opportunities to get the BBQ grill out and Dad-to-Be will be happy to be in charge of that side of the catering arrangements. Of course, you can include fresh fruit, salads and pink fizz for your female friends – just add a variety of beers that guys may not have tasted before and will have something to discuss between themselves as there may be some embarrassment if discussions focus mostly on the intimacies of labor and diapers!
You may have to give a little more thought to the games that you are planning. If you and your friends have known each other since school, you will know how much they will or will not join in so plan your games schedule to include their participation levels to make your Baby Shower a memorable and happy event. If you are inviting friends and relatives who may not know each other very well, then ask each of them to write a short happy or funny story from their childhood which they must give to you either before they arrive or as they arrive. Shuffle the stories and give each story to your invitees – this is a great ice-breaker at the start of your event, and you ask each invitee to read out the story they have been given and everyone at the Baby Shower has to guess who wrote the story. The conversation will flow really easily; friends will be made, and you and your partner will be considered fabulous and caring hosts.
The whole idea of a Baby Shower or Celebration is for guests to bring gifts for baby when he or she arrives. Guy friends and relatives may prefer to shower you with gifts that are more practical – say gift tokens for food delivery which could prove to be a life-saver during the first few months with your new addition. When sending your thanks for the gift, make sure both Dad and Mom-to-Be sign your acceptance note. You will also have to consider making your favors suitable for both guys and girls of all ages – chocolate is probably the most gender-neutral solution and there are so many great ideas to have your favors personalized with the names of Dad and Mom-to-Be plus the Stork!
Happy Celebrations!
