Baby showers have always been traditionally for women family and friends of the mother-to-be. Of course, in time, women friends and family of the father-to-be are also invited, but why are men never invited?! Is our society still stuck in a 1950's-esque state of mind that suggests that women will be raising the children, so only women are invited to give each other gifts and wish each other well? Or is it simply because bridal showers are also for women and the baby shower follows the same model? While it's true that very few men can get excited about a new slow-cooker or a new set of measuring cups, quite a few Dads-to-be get excited about baby clothes and perhaps a crib mobile of their favorite sports team. So bring on the men!

Will Men Attend If Invited?

We can't be too unrealistic in answering this question; the tradition is a very old one. Perhaps men will not come to baby showers at first, even if they're invited, but there's a good chance that this is because of longstanding traditions and not because they don't actually want to go to a baby shower. Perhaps they don't want to be SEEN at a baby shower, and perhaps they believe that they could be the 'only guy there', so they ALL refrain from coming, each one thinking that he'd be the only one. And so there were none.

If you'd like men to be at a baby shower you're planning, here are some tips to help you achieve that goal. The first is to get men involved in the planning process. Preferably not the father-to-be, because hopefully he will be a co-guest of honor at the shower, but a brother of the mother or the father-to-be is an excellent idea. A male guest is much more likely to attend a baby shower where he knows that other men will be present. Having one (or more) of the people throwing the shower be male is an excellent way to ensure that male guests will know ahead of time that they will not be the only guy there.

Another way to get guys to come to a baby shower is to choose a theme that guys can relate to, such as sports or something related to the outdoors. A baby bear theme is not likely to appeal to a man, whereas an invitation that states: "Join us for a baby shower for the future quarterback/pitcher/goalie of (insert favorite sports team here)" is likely to appeal.

Whatever you do, use your creativity. With a little creativity, and a little luck, invite them and they will come.

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