Do Guys Go to Baby Showers? *What You Must Know!*

Do Men Go to Baby Showers? Here Are Today’s Trends!

Do guys go to baby showers? When are guys allowed to go? What are the customs and traditions today? If you find yourself asking these questions, then here’s everything you need to know!

Planning a baby shower can be SUPER overwhelming, and sometimes you are clueless about how to go about things, one of them being whether or not to invite men to the baby shower.

Let’s first talk about the past trends of baby showers before diving into what the current trends are with having men at a baby shower. It’s important to know how things have changed and what the modern co-ed baby shower looks like today.

This post is all about if guys go to baby showers.

History of Baby Showers

Our modern day American “baby shower” started in the late 1940’s, but the whole idea of celebrating pregnancy and childbirth dates back to ancient times.

Unique rituals and traditions have long existed across different countries and cultures including Ancient India, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Medieval Europe, Renaissance Europe, Victorian Britain and North America, and Modern America.

It’s interesting to learn about the unique rituals these different countries would practice to celebrate the expecting mother and her pregnancy.

In Ancient India, for example, it was tradition to shower the expecting mothers with dry fruits and sweets, followed by a musical event where music was played to please the baby’s ears in the womb.

As for modern day America, it has been said that our baby showers started in the 1940s and 1950s. As you might have guessed from the dates, this was the post-war time where expecting mothers had the Baby Boom generation. It was at this time that the baby shower became an established rite of passage.

Are baby showers only for females?

Traditionally, baby showers consisted of the expecting mother’s closest friends and relatives, all female. Typically it was the expecting mother’s sister, mother, or best friend who would organize and plan the baby shower inviting only female guests.

Although this was the norm for decades, co-ed baby showers have grown in popularity, where the close friends and relatives of both expecting parents are invited.

do guys go to baby showers or just women

Should guys be invited to baby showers?

Inviting men to baby showers has become a common trend in these past years. Whether or not you should have a co-ed baby shower will come down to your personal preference.

There’s no right or wrong choice, it just comes down to what you envision for your baby shower and who you would like to be there.

Why are guys not allowed at baby showers?

Traditionally, guys were not allowed at baby showers because of the intimate conversations that could be held about pregnancy and childbirth.

Women wanted to be accompanied by their closest female friends and relatives to get their advice and talk about what to expect with pregnancy and childbirth. It was a safe zone to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly with all things pregnancy.

Today, women can choose to invite men to baby showers and make it a fun celebration, it’s all a matter of preference.

Do fathers attend baby showers?

The dads-to-be are more than welcomed to attend the baby shower, it’ll all come down to what the couple decides to do. Some couples prefer it to be exclusively the mom with her female guests, while other couples are more into the whole co-ed baby shower idea where the father is present as well.

Baby showers today

Let’s talk about some basics about what baby showers look like today.

Who usually goes to baby showers?

When planning the guest list, it’s important to consider inviting the people closest to the expecting parents. So whether you’re planning your own baby shower or you’re planning someone else’s, these are typical people who go to baby showers:

friends
relatives
future in-laws
coworkers
neighbors

Who not to invite to your baby shower

Do yourself a favor and avoid some drama by carefully considering who will be invited to the baby shower.

The last thing you want is for people who have beef with each other start a scene or create some unnecessary drama.

If you want to be extra picky with your guest list, here are some people who you may or may not want to invite:

an ex (even if you’re on good terms, talk to your partner first about this)
the know-it-all
the judgmental friend or relative
casual coworkers
distant relatives who you’re not close to
old friends who you’ve lost touch with
the sensitive friend or relative who takes everything personally

What do guys do at baby showers?

Guys can bro out and have just as much fun at a baby shower as women. As long as the baby shower provides the best forms of entertainment suited for men, they can have a great time!

Consider the following ideas for what guys can do at baby showers:

have some beers together
hang out at the fire pit
watch sports
play pool
play games
eat
grill

Co-ed baby shower etiquette

When it comes to food, games, theme/decor, and dress code, here are some things to consider when hosting a co-ed baby shower.

Food

Let’s be honest, when it comes to food, men generally have different taste than women.

If you’re planning a co-ed baby shower, you will need to consider having meatier food that is a lot more filling than just deviled eggs and finger sandwiches. A man loves to eat, so my advice is to incorporate food that will appeal to men as well.

These food ideas are crowd favorites!:

BBQ
Pizza
Wings
Burgers or Sliders
Swedish meatballs
Restaurant catering

Games

When planning co-ed baby shower games, you’ll want to include games that both women and men would actually enjoy.

Don’t be afraid to incorporate beer or alcohol into the baby shower games. You know your group of people, so find appropriate games that are actually fun and people will want to participate in!

Here are some some crowd favorites for co-ed baby shower games:

Baby Bottle Drinking Race (use beverage of your choice!)
Guess the Baby Food
Don’t Say “Baby”
Feed the Baby
Baby Changing Race

Check out these co-ed baby shower games!

Theme/ Decor

As much as we love the pinks and the glitter and the florals, you may want to reconsider a more gender-neutral theme and decor that is appealing for all your guests in a co-ed baby shower.

You want male guests to feel more at ease about the idea of attending a baby shower by ensuring that the theme and decor isn’t too girly.

Even if the baby is a girl, there are still ways to incorporate neutral colors and decor in a way that’s beautiful, cute, or fun and appealing for everyone.

These are some of the best themes for co-ed baby showers:

tacos & tequila theme
tailgating theme
animals theme
donuts & diapers
BaByQ theme (BBQ)
luau theme
woodland theme
seasonal theme
particular color schemes

Dress Code

The dress code for a co-ed baby showers can either be based on the baby shower theme, it can be casual wear, or whatever dress code guidelines the hosts give on the invitation.

If you’re basing the dress code on the theme of the baby shower, just be sure the theme works well for both men and women and isn’t too limiting for your guests.

For casual wear, men can wear a nice polo or button up shirt with shorts or navy jeans. Women can wear a cute dress with a small heel.

The host can also implement whatever dress code they would like. They can tell guests to wear specific colors or they can specify exactly how casual or how dressy they want their guests to come dressed in.

Tips for a successful co-ed baby shower

1. Have co-ed baby shower hosts

By having either the expecting parents or some other couple plan the baby shower and be the hosts, you’ll be setting up the baby shower for success.

You need a male and female perspective as you’re planning the big day. You want to make sure this will be a baby shower that all of your guests will enjoy.

2. Have a variety of food and drinks

As previously mentioned, you’ll want to include some hearty foods that are more filling. Men will not be excited to attend a baby shower where all they’ll see for food are cucumber sandwiches.

Include meaty foods, the more variety the better!

Also, consider beer.

Actually, don’t just consider it, BUY it. Mimosas and margaritas are obviously some favorites among us women, but trust me, the men arriving to the baby shower are going to start asking for beers.

3. Appropriate games

Be sure to include games that are fun for both men and women. The baby shower games are meant to be one of the best parts of a shower, so you’ve got to make sure all of your guests will be excited to play.

Incorporate competitive, funny, and action-packed games. These will be more exciting for your guests to watch and participate in.

4. Appropriate entertainment ideas

Consider having other forms of entertainment going on at all times. You want to make sure these entertainment options are fun for everyone.

Here are some awesome entertainment ideas that you’ll want to include in a co-ed baby shower:

Cornhole
Have a lit fire pit outside
Giant Jenga
Videogames
Karaoke

5. Gender neutral theme and baby shower favors

If you’re going to have a co-ed baby shower, then you might want to consider having a theme that has a more universal appeal.

Have either neutral colors, gender neutral decor, or a fun theme, and consider giving away baby shower favors that everyone could enjoy.

Some awesome gender-neutral baby shower favors include:

bottle openers
hand sanitizer
sweet treats
succulents or baby plants
cold drink koozies
lip balms
mini alcohol bottles

FAQ

What is a male baby shower called?

In most recent years, male baby showers have actually become a thing. You might know them as a “Manshower”, “baby stag” or a “Dad-chelor party“.

These parties are thrown for the father-to-be and are usually organized by his friends and family to celebrate his last days before entering fatherhood.