When it comes to wedding showers and baby showers, the men involved are usually not considered part of the shower, and they are often overlooked.  The last few years have seen a change, and more and more, men are being asked to attend and actively participate in their wedding and baby showers.  In the case of baby showers, there are a lot of things that you can do, as the host, that will make the father to be feel like he is a part of the festivities and will keep him engaged in what is going on.  Here are three areas where you can pay special attention and pull of a fantastic couples’ shower.

Focus On The Father

Assuming that the father wants to be at the shower, or that the mother to be wants the father at the party, you need to make sure he is engaged from the very beginning.  One of the best ways to do this is by keeping him in your focus during the entire planning of the event.  The expectant mother will get plenty of attention on her own, but if you want to keep the father involved, you need to make an effort.  Try picking a venue that the father to be will enjoy, such as his favorite restaurant, or see if one of his friends will host the gathering.  When you pick food, start with things that the father will like to eat, and expand the menu from there.  You should keep the decorations to a minimum and strive to make the atmosphere as male friendly as you can, without upsetting the mother to be.

Reach Out To Couples

Another thing that you will need to do is reach out to the couples when you send your invitations in the mail.  You need to make sure that both the male and female in the couple know that they are invited, and you should make a special effort to ask any men that you invite if they are coming personally.  If the father to be shows up and there are no other men, then there is a good chance that he will either sulk or he will find a way to get out as soon as possible.  The mother to be can feel abandoned by this, and it will cause undue stress in the relationship that you could have helped to avoid, if you had made an effort to reach out to the male half of the couple.

Design Couples’ Games/Activities

Finally, you want a shower that brings both the men and women together, and you do not want a situation where all of the men are hanging out on the porch or in the basement, while the women spend time in the living room.  You will need to have some games or activities that both men and women will find interesting or fun, and you should work hard to keep both groups involved in the party.  A fun and cheap game that you can play is a blindfolded baby food taste test.  Simply have guests cover their eyes as they sample several different baby foods and try to guess the flavor.  The activities should encourage discussion and conversation between the people at the party.  Try to keep horror stories about babies who do not sleep through the night or nasty diaper tales to a minimum, and men will be more likely to stay engaged.

A couples’ shower will take more effort to put together than a traditional shower that focuses only on the mother; however, the mother and father will be grateful that they were able to spend time with friends and family celebrating the upcoming birth of their child.  A good couples’ shower is very fulfilling and it is something that people will remember for a long time.

I am Keith Adams and I wrote this article as a man who has helped to plan several different couples’ showers.  I understand the problems that men have with attending a baby shower, and so I thought I would share the insight that I have.  For decorations I like bunnyprints because of their selection and visual themes that appeal to men and women.  If you are planning a baby shower, I highly recommend looking at decorations and invitations at www.bunnyprints.com.