A Daddy Baby Shower - New Twist on the old Baby Shower

A Daddy Baby Shower - New Twist on the old Baby Shower
by: Randy Wilson
Try something new, a Daddy Baby Shower. Even though no one would realistically expect a new daddy-to-be to sit around with his closest buddies, opening baby shower gifts and playing party games while oohing and aahing over the imminent birth of his child. That doesn't mean that Dad can't have a baby shower-type celebration. Daddy deserves to celebrate the birth of his child, too!

Of course, the term baby shower does invoke visions of baby themed parties. Like the one described above when planning a baby shower. So perhaps "baby shower" is not an appropriate name for this get-together. Why limit yourself with a label, anyway? Call it a "celebrating-Jim's-impending-fatherhood" party, if you want, instead of baby showers for dad.

Here are a few suggestions to make this type of party one for daddy-to-be to remember:

Play Games:

Well, not baby shower games. But you can play poker, horseshoes or even a game of shirts-n-skins football in the back yard.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry:

Have tons of fattening and not-good-for-you foods. Make spareribs, cheese steaks, wings, and anything else you can eat with your hands and make a mess with. The wives won't be there to complain and you can grunt all you want. Have some beers (or soda if you prefer) and barbecue.

Last Night Out:

Take the dad-to-be out for a night on the town to rival his bachelor party. Do some bar hopping, play some pool, shoot some darts, and don't go home until you are kicked out of at least three places. Keep Dad safe, though, and designate someone to stay sober and make sure everyone gets home in one piece. You might also want to check with mom-to-be to make sure she is okay with this plan. She is, after all, pregnant and might not be all that amenable to the last-night-out-before-fatherhood party.

Gifts for Dad-To-Be:

Let the official baby shower take care of the baby necessities. Give Dad gifts for himself, or gifts that he would have chosen for the baby. Buy him a diaper tool kit, complete with goggles, rubber gloves, tongs, clothespin, and of course, diapering essentials, or a Daddy Gear Diaper Bag.

Gag gifts are fun, too. Or you could buy clothing for the new baby with Dad's favorite sports team's logo or matching Dad and Baby t-shirts. Think about necessities like batteries, too. Most likely they won't be on Mom's registry, but all parents know that batteries are a hot commodity in any house with children. Be creative.

And don't forget that Dad might need some reading material to get himself up to date on the latest parenting trends. Consider getting him a book on fatherhood, funny or otherwise, or maybe a magazine subscription for daddy, such as American Baby Magazine.

Ask other new dads to think about what toys or objects were particularly helpful when their little ones were inconsolable, and either buy or recommend them for the times when dad-to-be is home alone with Junior.

Comfort Dad:

New Dads are usually pretty stressed out about what there life is going to be like after the new baby comes. Be prepared to have guests tell funny and helpful stories about their own experiences with becoming a daddy. Make it a point to reassure him that his wife is not really crazy, she is just hormonal and this, too, shall pass.

Remember, daddy baby showers don't have to be like the traditional shower, or even called a shower, but you can have one for dad just the same.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

About the Author

Randy is owner of Profitable Home Businesses, How to Plan a Baby Shower and Las Vegas Weddings.



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A Man and His Baby

When a couple steps forth with a baby in tow everything in life is stable and normal. People hold open doors, hard shopkeepers "chuck" and go all gooey before catching themselves and generally life is an easy ride. But gentlemen, when he who dares to step-out with a baby in tow (minus the wife) life becomes a series of obstacles that never ceases to surprise.

I don't mean a trip to the corner shop, "no siree"! I mean a fully-fledged trip into town, pram, milk bottles and spare nappies to boot! Small things are immediately noticeable, like that hard and mean-looking grocer down the road! When my wife goes in to his establishment he goes all gooey, in fact he doesn't notice me at all; just talks to my wife and son and ignores me as if I was the invisible man. But walking in to his shop with only my son, an apple to buy before the days outing ahead and he became meaner and harder. In fact he noticed me for the first time, glared at me as if I had just stolen the kid and was on the run and said "hope that's not for the little one"! I felt like saying what's it got to do with you mate but .....on the bus the driver who suggested that I sit near the front instead of upstairs was nearly out of his seat and taking the part of usher before realizing that this was not really in his job description!

Somehow some basic human instinct suggests that 'man' is neither capable nor fit to look after a baby! This instinct immediately raises the hairs on the backs of people's necks, images of disaster loom in their minds and unseen forces push them forwards to offer help. They do not see a happy and carefree father pushing his laughing baby along in the pram, they see a harried father who is at his wits end and who is desperate for help. They see a tormented and unwilling baby, screaming and kicking in desperation, a father who is pulling his hair out and desperately looking around for somebody to just show him what to do.

Once in town and in the department store I headed straight for the baby changing room! Same routine as always except minus one cog - the wife! I did what I had done so many times before whilst my wife had sat down to read a magazine. Well, the plan was the same as all those times before, make the milk give my son the bottle, lay him down on the nappy changing "thingy", change his nappy, etc! I did not even get as far as the hot water dispenser! One mum, before I had even entered the room stopped me in my tracks and in a very serious way informed me that the seat belt on the pram was not fastened. One has to be polite in situations like these; I myself planning ahead as always had removed the seat belt just then in preparation for lifting my son out of it once inside the baby room. I did not know of the golden rule that one cannot unfasten the seat belt until well inside closed doors!

Inside the room, some mystical being ran around the room telling all of the mums that a 'father-alone' was out and about! Upon entering heads swiveled in my direction, a series of forces pushing bodies towards me and unwanted advice started to escape from mouths. Once past I could hear whisperings, stories being generated and past on; a fictional myth growing in reality to become truth in mind! I shut myself off, warded off the numerous hands that where heading towards my sons cheeks like locusts, barged through with forced smiles and "no thanks", and managed to get to the water machine. I smiled politely to the lady who showed me how to press the button for hot water, grimaced when told that the milk I had made was too hot (how did she know?) and nearly barked when asked "is the wife in not well dear"!

These kindly mums, whose husbands obviously knew nothing about how to change a nappy or feed a baby his milk, had my son crying within five minutes. He doesn't like attention in the form of searching hands. He especially doesn't like getting his cheek pinched or chin chucked! I felt like shouting "give him air" or wading in with elbows to rescue him but they were all so well-meaning, these poor mums! Needless to say that as my sons screaming and bawling intensified to maximum pitch the mums turned to me as one as if to say "look at the poor man, doesn't know how to look after his baby".

Naturally as they confirmed their belief that I was totally inept and useless, wandering hands gained purpose and started to lift my baby out of the pram to offer him comfort - my son hates strangers holding him! Well, I made a run for it, I grabbed the baby in mid-air, swiveled the pram around on a sixpence, closed my eyes tight and charged for the door, throwing aside mothers like pins at the bowling alley!

I went to the men's toilet to change my son's nappy! At least in the sanctity within, nobody talked to me, no advice was freely given and no insects to ward off. Naturally, looks of sympathy and confusion were issued freely, stories would abound later as husbands rushed to tell their wives about the "poor sad man with the baby" - but who cares, just don't talk to me about it.

I suppose all is not so bad! A new dimension opened up, one that it would be best if my wife knew nothing about! I have never in my life had so many young ladies (ones who wouldn't know what the inside of a baby changing room looked like) surrounding me; albeit they were cooing at my son but ... something about single men with babies must be an attraction. Anyway, I always enjoyed their reaction when saying loudly, "ah, here's my wife coming now", the desertion was abrupt and complete! I know how to handle that one; it's the rest that bothers me!
by: Ieuan Dolby
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