For most of modern societal memory, baby showers and celebrating all things ‘new baby’ in general has been relegated to the domain of women and expectant mothers only. Often the soon-to-be dads and their male companions and family members are kicked out of the celebration and left out of the baby excitement in general. This, however, is quickly changing!
Not only are co-ed baby showers on the rise, but also so is something known as a “Diaper Party”, or more colloquially “Dad-chelor Party”. With these parties, the emphasis is put on helping to celebrate the new dad. This means that that “girly” aspects of the baby shower are abandoned, such as ooing and awing over tiny little baby clothes, and are traded in for more “manly” activities and games, including some stereotypical “guy humor”.
These parties are more casual, focused on fun, and do not typically follow the etiquette rules of a typical shower. If you are curious about learning more, we are here to help you navigate the crazy and sometimes incredibly tongue-in-cheek world of the Diaper Party.
Invites
The invitations for a Diaper Party are not your normal baby shower invitations, that’s for sure! When creating invitations, you should keep in mind that the party is to honor the dad, and try to steer away from the cutesy animals, the pastel colors, and fancy words and fonts. Diaper Parties are meant to be fun, tongue-in-cheek events so you can feel free to be as creative with them as possible. Below are some simple examples for wording and images that might accompany each one.
The Beer Celebration: “Baby ___ is brewing! Join us for a beer and diaper party!” This one is great for the dad-to-be who loves a good IPA or craft beer. It also plays in well with the beer theme that many people choose for their dad-chelor parties! You should include a fun pint glass graphic on the invitation as well. Another great idea is the “Chuggies” party. These invitations should read “Huggies for Chuggies! Bring a pack of diapers and we’ll bring the beer!” You might also consider a simple “BYOD: Bring Your Own Diapers!” invitation with the image of a clothesline with little diapers and cans of beer hanging.
Event Tickets: If a concert or movie is more the dad’s style you can also consider designing the invite to look like a ticket with the title “Diaper Bash!” or other party title. You can even include an “Entrance fee: One pack of diapers!” in order to really carry the theme through the invitation.
Tongue-In-Cheek Options: One of the greatest parts of the Diaper Party is to use invitations that are slightly risqué. “Cover my baby’s rear and enjoy some free beer!” is a great invitation, especially when paired with a cartoon baby in a diaper. For those who are super adventurous you might even consider “Shit just got real…literally!” again with the baby in a diaper motif. This invite would be sure to make your grandmother faint, so be sure that your guests will appreciate the humor!
Decorations
The beauty of the Diaper Party is that unlike your traditional baby showers, the decorations are relatively minimal for most diaper parties. Most men will poo-poo the need for decorations as simply being “too girly” for their celebrations and so most will eschew them.
Diaper and Beer Cakes: For those that do not choose to get rid of the decorations entirely it might be funny to twist traditional decorations instead. One of the most used centerpieces for baby showers are “cakes” made from diapers and baby items. For a diaper party though it becomes funnier to intermix diapers and beer cans instead. Other people will forget the diapers entirely and just make cakes of beer!
Banners: Banners are a great way to announce your event for guests when they arrive. Rather than have them be in a specific theme like nautical or safari, many simply make fun and bright banners that read “Huggies and Chuggies” or other phrases to emphasize the “guy” focus.
Food
Just like the decorations, throw your ideas for baby shower food out the window! This is not the party for canapes, petit fours, or fun little desserts made to look like rattles or diapers. The food is normally the main event at diaper parties and it should be geared mostly towards easy to make and easy to grab recipes.
Beer food: Probably the most common food, especially if you are throwing a party that centers on beer, is to include “bar food” or “beer food”. This includes things such as soft pretzels, nacho cheese dips, crackers and cheese cubes, beer sausages with mustards, chips and dip, and others. Basically anything that pairs well with a nice, cold, beer. You might also want to include snack mixes that can be grabbed and eaten, such as pretzels, peanuts, popcorn, and m&ms.
Fruits and Veggies: Feel free to include these for your guests, since guys should also be eating healthy. One of the most popular choices for a diaper party includes veggies and hummus.
Cook out Food: One of the best options for a diaper party is cook out food. Hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, and maybe even steak are “manly food” and can really play into the theme even if you are shooting for a BBQ theme or just play to the masculinity of the event.
Desserts: Much like the food, desserts should be simple but delicious recipes that allow for grabbing and walking away. For this, you might consider making cookie bars, decorating packages of Rolos to look like cigars, or maybe even individually wrapped ice cream products. In order to really please the crowd you might consider combination desserts with cookie dough, brownie batter, and a type of cookie all baked together for a super cookie bar.
Drinks: For a beverage, you should consider offering the traditional different types of beer, soda, or tongue-in-cheek brands of drinks such as Not Your Father’s Root Beer to play into the “dad” theme.
Games
We all know that even at regular baby showers, getting people to participate in games can be like pulling teeth! This is compounded when those guests are guys or mixed company, so here are some simple and hilarious game ideas that are sure to engage your guests and the dad-to-be!
Diaper Changing Station: This game makes for hilarious photos and a great time for everyone involved. If you have a mix of experienced dads, childless guys, and the new dad in question, you can set up a table with a variety of baby dolls. Add a bunch of different diaper changing tools, including some funny ones such as tongs or a gas mask, and then have the men at the party race to see who can change the baby’s diapers the fastest.
Chuggies: For this idea, simply fill some baby bottle with the drink of choice and see which guests can chug it as quickly as possible.
Beer Pong: A favorite of many, playing a variation of beer pong can be a great time. For a Diaper Party, however, consider using pacifiers instead of ping-pong balls!
Favors
One hold over of normal baby showers for a Diaper Party is favors for your guests. These do not need to be cutesy but instead can really hit that “hip new dad” vibe you might have been shooting for. For these to work consider offering cigars, a bottle of Coca Cola with a mini bottle of rum, a shot glass with a mini bottle of liquor, or even a beer stein full of goodies. These will provide your guests with a keepsake for such an awesome party!
