Baby Shower Hot Topic - Couples Showers

[Maribeth]

Have you enjoyed couple showers or showers with just women more? What are the pros and cons?

Share your thoughts with us and we'll archive this thread for our baby showers cubby: http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/babyshowers

Thanks!
Mari

[ErinFiat]

I've only ever been to women only showers. I think a co-ed shower would be fun. I've heard great stories about games at these parties. I knew someone who was planning one awhile back. Her DH was totally into it and was prepping a "New Daddy Kit" for the daddy to be. It had things like safety glasses, big rubber gloves, a clothespin for the nose, etc. The shower was a hoot from what I'm told.

[Stacie]

I like both... depending on who is invited to the shower. If I'd had a couples shower with my family that would have been so awkward. I couldn't imagine sitting around with my aunts, uncles, cousins and their spouses discussing our baby. But we had a great time at a couples shower with our friends. With a couples shower there are usually more goofy and active games like “who can guzzle beer from the baby bottle faster” rather than “don't say the word baby or you lose your clothespin”. Both women only and couples showers are great depending on the type of people on your guest list.

[Maribeth]

From Lisa . . .

I really wanted a couples shower and my SIL planned one for us. The frumpy old-fashioned men in my family all had a fit and refused to come. At least the men in my dh's family came! I think it just takes time for some men to get over the hump that baby showers can and should be for daddy too! The more often people have them, the more common they'll become.

[Maribeth]

From Isabel . . .

My husband thought it was archaic to have women only baby showers. He really wanted to go to mine. I kind of wanted the time to be with my girlfriends but I thought it was sweet he wanted to go. I gave him a choice - he could be the only guy there and do what the girls did, or, we could call up all the guests and ask them to bring their hubbies/boyfriends. Since the shower was already planned, we couldn't just change the theme and everything. He talked to his friends and they weren't a bit interested in coming to a typical "girly" babyshower.

So . . . he came to my shower and was the only guy there. He felt like a king as the only guy and then afterwards, he said he understood why women like to do their own thing. But, we also had a couples' event. I hate to call it a shower but it was a gathering of our close friends and it was kind of like the "last party before we change forever" type of thing. It was fun, but you know what? By the middle of the party, the women were in one area yakking and the men were in another. So much for co-ed!

[Amonika]

I would prefer to go to couple only events. I also prefer not playing the games as I find them to be silly. I would much rather hang around with friends and family and discuss babies then to play the typical shower games. I had a couples shower and a girls only shower and I enjoyed the couple shower a lot more.

This is my first pregnancy and my husband and I have shared everything up to this point (he hasn't missed a doctor's appointment yet). When agreeing to a baby shower, I decided I wanted it to be more of a family celebration, so when my mother and mother-in law suggested a couples theme, I immediately agreed. This way my husband can share in on all the fun and the excitement of opening gifts for "our" baby. We're having a cookout with about 70 guest. The way I see it, I'll be 34 weeks and this will be my last social gathering before delivery.

[Maribeth]

From Isis: We once went to a couples' shower and were asked to bring something to make the first six weeks home easier for mom and dad. People brought diapers, food, promises of a meal delivery, homemade gift certificates for x number of hours playtime with older kids as well as one for a few hours of errand running, a cleaning service for a day, a gift certificate for a massage, and lots of other really creative ideas. It was the best shower ever and our friends felt very pampered!