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What Is A Diaper Party?
A diaper party is essentially a baby shower for the dad-to-be, and are a great way for the dad-to-be to celebrate oncoming fatherhood with his nearest and dearest.
These events are also known as a “Man Shower” or “Dadchelor Party”.
They are much more casual affairs than baby showers and less likely to have decorations, a theme or favors.
If you are invited to a one, you’re expected to bring diapers for the couple rather than other typical baby shower gifts like blankets, hats, shoes, bottle warmers, baby carriers or other clothing.
Why Have A Diaper Party?
Becoming a parent is of course a huge deal for both the mom-to-be and for us dads to be too.
While pregnant women have traditionally been thrown baby showers for years, diaper parties are a nice way to celebrate the upcoming event for the dad-to-be too.
I always enjoy asking my friends who don’t have children to guess how much parents pend on diapers in the first year alone (spoiler: it’s typically around $2,000 on these essential items alone)!
So trust me, receiving a load from friends and family can offer some very welcome financial assistance too, especially if the mom-to-be has a diaper raffle at her baby shower too.
Who Should Host A Diaper Party?
Usually the party is hosted by someone close to the dad-to-be: perhaps a close friend, brother or some other family member.
If you are hosting one it’s a good idea to check in and coordinate with the person hosting mom’s baby shower, because the party is often held on the same day as a baby shower.
Who Should Be Invited To A Diaper Party?
There is no hard and fast rule, but usually friends, family such as dads, uncles and older nephews, and close work colleagues of the expecting dad are usually invited.
How To Throw A Diaper Party?
If you are planning to throw a diaper party it can be confusing working out what to include and how things may differ from a baby shower.
These parties are meant to be casual events that are a lot less formal and less expensive than traditional baby showers.
Here are some of the things to think about to help throw an awesome party for the dad-to-be.
Pick A Location
As mentioned, this is a pretty relaxed and informal event, so you don’t need to worry too much about the location.
If there’s enough space, then a backyard or someone’s house is often an ideal location, as are sporting events or a local bar.
Something with personal meaning can also work well – if the dad-to-be is a sports fan, then incorporating a game (watching or playing) might be a nice idea, before going to a bar or restaurant.
When picking a location, you should keep in mind the venue needs to allow for serving food and drink (more on this later).
Pick A Theme
Diaper parties certainly don’t need to have a theme, so if you don’t want to include one then that’s absolutely fine.
If you are interested in having a theme, you might consider:
- Beer & Pizza
- BBQ & Beer (this is was the theme for my diaper party and it was awesome)
- Poker & Pints
- Beer, Burgers & Babies
- Color Themes
- Huggies & Chuggies
Decide On The Guestlist
Rather than guessing and risking missing someone out, it’s best to speak with the dad-to-be when compiling the guestlist, so they can let you know exactly who they want at their party.
Create & Send Out Invitations
Whether it’s via email, old fashioned paper or via WhatsApp, remember to send out invitations well in advance so your guests can RSVP and save the date.
As mentioned, these parties are often held on the same day as the baby shower, so it’s worth checking this first before choosing another date.
If you are having a raffle, then you may also want to announce it on the invitation.
Decide On Food & Drink
As with any party, one of the most important elements you need to get right to ensure everyone has fun is the food and drink.
Casual food tends to work best and be most popular for these parties, so think about serving burgers, hot dogs, ribs, pizza, tacos, sandwiches, dips and other snacks.
Liquor is likely to be even more important than food, so it’s important to make sure you have plenty of the stuff!
Beer is by far the most common drink to serve at these events.
But this doesn’t mean you can’t serve wine, cocktails or hard liquor as well or instead.
As it’s often a daytime event there may be people who refrain from drinking much or at all, so make sure you have plenty of water and soda too.
Hold A Raffle
As a thank you and way to entertain your guests, it can be a nice idea to organize a raffle contest.
The way this usually works is that each pack of diapers counts as one raffle ticket, so the more you bring, the more raffle tickets you get.
So if a guest brings 5 packs, then they gets 5 raffle tickets and they will have a better chance of winning a prize.
If you want to run a diaper raffle, it’s a good idea to include the instructions on the invitations.
You’ll also need to think about the raffle prize(s), which could be:
- Hard Liquor Such As Whiskey Or Tequila
- Beer
- Gift Card
- Subscription
- Sports Equipment Or Sports Tickets
- Video Game
Set Up Some Games
You don’t have to overthink it when it comes to what games to play.
If playing board games, poker, charades, Pictionary or Articulate are something everyone will enjoy, then there’s no reason why those can’t be your source of entertainment.
A lot of people incorporate drinking games involving beer into diaper parties, especially if you can mix the themes of beer and diapers together!
So for example instead of drinking beer out of a can, guests can chug beer out of baby bottles, with the fastest person declared the winner.
Classis drinking games like beer pong are also likely to go down a treat too.
To Wrap Or Not To Wrap
Fortunately there is no need to wrap the diapers, so instead of spending money on wrapping paper, it could be a nice gesture to buy some baby wipes as well.
What Size Diapers To Get
If possible it can be helpful to coordinate with other guests so that the dad-to-be doesn’t end up with lots of newborn sized diapers.
While they can often be exchanged at large stores like Walmart and Target, if guests can bring a range from sizes 1-5 the parents will no doubt be very appreciative.
It you think the new parents will be taking their little on swimming during the first year, then swim diapers are also a nice (and different) option.
Do Women Attend Diaper Parties?
Although there are no set rules, these parties are usually a male only affair.
What Is A Diaper Sprinkle Party?
While a diaper party is generally for a couple expecting their first child, a diaper sprinkle party is for those who are soon to welcome their second child.
