It takes two to make a baby, and it's kind of nice to remember that when it's baby shower time, Daddy shouldn't be excluded just because of his sex. If you're organizing a couple's baby shower for one of your friends, ask her if she'd like to invite the guys.
Now, if she's uncomfortable with him around, you should bow to her wishes; this is her special celebration time above all else. But, don't forget that this is celebrating a life change for both parents to be.
Besides, guys helping unwrap baby shower gifts get the neatest expressions on their faces; they go "Awww..." and then look embarrassed that anyone saw it. Plus, having the guys involved is good for setting up organization and stuff.
Guest List Considerations
First and foremost, avoid tokenism. Have both parents provide a list of friends they'd like invited to the shower. Don't just make it all her friends, plus him. He'll feel like he's on display, and it'll be really awkward. If you're doing a general baby shower, that's safe. But if there are going to be guys around, why not take the time to put up a theme to make them more comfortable? Consider theming your baby shower around things that he likes -- football or other sports, John Deere tractors, and the like. This is especially appropriate if there's going to be a baby boy on the way. In particular, if you've got a non-traditional guy as the father to be, think about some of his hobbies.
What to Do at the Shower
Above all, you want to keep the guys engaged at the party. Yes, that means you and the girls may have to modify your behavior a bit to help them stay comfortable, but the end results can be well worth it. For example, one of the more memorable baby shower themes we've seen was one for a bunch of computer programmers (it helped that the Mom-to-be was a computer science professor...), and the main activity was hooking LED lights up onto breadboards to make a blinking mobile for hanging over the crib. The guys had fun with that, and there was no end to the double entendres about using soldering irons. (The women there who weren't into using a soldering iron mostly hung back and told stories about parenting to the mom to be.)
One of our contributors has always wanted to do a Bob Villa baby shower theme party, where the guys spend the shower making a crib or some nursery furniture to be finished later. We've never seen anyone pull this off though -- if you do it, be sure to send pictures!
Whatever theme you choose, when you do up the invites, keep the theme information in mind. Send them out with the right colors and images. This is good for helping the guys overcome cold feet; most guys have heard of baby showers and are convinced that there's nothing for them there.
Planning and Logistics -- What Will We Eat?
OK, so once you've got the RSVPs, it's time to think about the rest of the organization. First of all, guys are going to want something more substantial to eat than little cakes. Guys like savory foods, and there's the saying that a man's heart is reached most easily through his stomach. Consider shish kabobs or other meat and veggie dishes with cooked rice. Or make it a barbecue cook out. Or quesadillas and a Mexican theme. You can get creative here; just make sure there's more to be had than the traditional bundt cake and light salad.
Ok, so the food planning is done -- what's next? How about the activity list? Think about the last baby shower you went to and how much of the time was spent reminiscing about having kids and telling stories about parenting. That may be more appropriate, but think about all the guests who are showing up. Guys are more physically active and directly competitive. They're much more likely to enjoy the physical baby shower games and will probably get really into them. (If push comes to shove, plug in the Nintendo Wii, and let everyone have some fun when they aren't the center of attention.)
Prize and Gifts
When it comes to baby shower gifts and prizes, make sure the guys are included as well. Like any baby shower gift, the idea should be to keep things reasonable. Fortunately, guys can be pretty easy to shop for -- on the lower end, consider food as a baby shower prize, or making gift cars up from electronics stores. On the higher end, consider books on the subject the baby shower theme is for. If nothing else, doing things that are practical is always appreciated: pocket knives and small flashlights, for instance.
As always, give some guidance on what kinds of gifts are appropriate for the parents to be -- any kind of baby supply will work for this, because the point is to help the parents stock up on the little essentials that they don't realize they need. Giving a recommended gift list is never a bad idea for a couple's baby shower.
Couple's Baby Shower Guide From: BabyShower-Simplicity.com
Keywords: couple’s baby shower, baby shower, baby shower invitations
ReadyToPublish.com
