|
Coed Baby Shower Ideas
Creating A Multi-Gender Baby Shower...
When I was pregnant with my second child, my husband and I decided we wanted to plan a baby shower. We hadn’t had one for our first child because we lived out of state at the time. We also didn’t want someone else to plan it for us as a surprise because we had our own idea of how we wanted it.
I had been to several all female baby showers before. Some of them were planned very nicely and I had a great time. But after a while, they all seem the same. You eat the same foods and you play the same games. To us, baby showers are a strange tradition. Why wouldn’t you want the baby’s father or other male relatives and friends to celebrate along with you? We wanted our shower to be different.
My husband was afraid that some of his friends wouldn’t want to go to the shower once they saw the invitation. Designing the invitation was our first step. There are so many places that print up shower invitations but we decided to create our own. You can create your own on your home computer and purchase any paper you want from an office supply store like Staples.
This enables you to have full control over both the wording and the design. We started by making an invitation that represented the idea of a baby celebration without it being too girly or cutesy. There were no pictures of babies or baby items on the card. We didn’t use the words “baby shower” on the invitation but instead we chose “celebrating the arrival of our new baby”.
We had our party at a restaurant at night, which I think helped to create an atmosphere more welcoming for the men. Most of the baby showers I had gone to were daytime parties. We also had an open bar. We chose an Indian restaurant and ate buffet style. There were appetizers beforehand too. Children were welcome at our party. We made sure we had a section for them to play in.
I brought coloring books, crayons, and toys for them to play with. We wanted everyone to be happy. It was a very informal night in a relaxed atmosphere. If you want to have a multi-gender party, choose a restaurant that would be comfortable for everyone. If you’re having the party at someone’s house, don’t serve foods that have baby themes like baby pacifier candy.
We didn’t play any of the typical baby shower games at our party but just because there are men there, doesn’t mean you can’t. Not many men are interested in how many squares of toilet paper fit around the pregnant woman. You can have the women together on one side of the room to play or in another room while the men are chatting.
You can even include the men and children in other games. You can play a question and answer game where you guests ask questions about the mom’s childhood or other interesting facts about her. This way everyone will be included. You can award prizes to the winners but make sure they are not gender specific.
At our party, we passed around small pieces of paper and had everyone write down one thing that they wanted our son to know. It was nice to have a quote or advice for him from both genders.
As you can see, there are many different ideas and possibilities when planning a baby shower.
Including males at the shower and creating an atmosphere where they feel comfortable is very easy. This is a joyous celebration. Why not include everyone.
|
