What is a diaper party?
A diaper party is a baby shower for a dad-to-be. Just like a baby shower might celebrate the mom-to-be and the baby’s arrival, a diaper party does the same for a soon-to-be dad. Instead of normal baby shower gifts, however, guests of a diaper party (usually close friends and family of the dad) bring diapers to help out the expecting couple. These days, many people have mutual baby showers to celebrate the mother, father, and baby all together. However, baby showers are typically just for the moms, so diaper parties offer a counterpart for dads. Alternative names for “male baby showers” include diaper keg party, “dadchelor” party, man shower, daddy diaper party, and daddy shower.
How to Throw a Diaper Party
Select a venue that can accommodate your diaper party. Pick a location that fits the dad-to-be and what he enjoys doing. If he’s more low-key and casual, pick a laid-back spot like someone’s backyard or garage. If he enjoys going out a lot, try a sports bar or brewery. If you choose to host the party at someone’s house, it can be your house (as the host) or another guest’s if someone volunteers. If it’s not a surprise party and it wouldn’t be too taxing on the parents-to-be, you can even host the diaper party at the guest of honor’s house. Make sure that your venue can accommodate the amount of people on our guest list. If you’re inviting 30+ people to your party, for example, the father-to-be’s garage might not be the best location.
Choose a theme and corresponding decorations. Consider the interests of the dad-to-be—is he into gaming, sports, fashion, sci-fi, or something else? Do your best to choose a theme that revolves around things that he likes, and base other aspects of the party—e.g., invitations, food, and decor—around that theme. Here are some classic diaper party theme ideas to give you some inspiration: Beer & Diapers: Have guests drink beer from baby bottles, play drinking games, or do a beer tasting. Host at someone’s house or at the dad’s favorite brewery, and use decor with catchy phrases like “baby is brewing” or “Huggies and chuggies.” Don’t forget to make make a diaper cake or diaper wreath for the decorative centerpiece (you can even make a motorcycle-shaped diaper cake if the dad’s into bikes!). Sports: Base your theme around the dad-to-be’s favorite sport or team. Decorate with and establish a dress code around the team colors, serve stadium-style foods, and watch a game on TV or at the local sports bar. Baby-Q: Host a crowd-pleasing BBQ with burgers, beer, and baby talk. Go the extra mile and set up classic outdoor games like cornhole and bean bag toss.
Send out invitations to an approved guest list. Include male coworkers, friends, and family members of the dad-to-be on the guest list. If you’re planning this party for a friend, ask them for a guest list as well as a cap on how many people they’d like to have (if they’re hosting in their home). Send out the invitations about four weeks before the diaper party, and include the following information in each one: Party type & guest of honor: In this case, a diaper party for the dad-to-be. Date, time, and address: Give info on the venue, when to arrive, and what day the party will happen. RSVP contact info: Provide a way to RSVP; either through a Google Form, or by contacting the host or parents-to-be. Gift ideas: Specify what type of diapers the parents want—they may prefer certain brands, cloth versus disposable diapers, or they want a variety of sizes from newborn to larger options. If you’re doing a diaper stash instead (where guests contribute money to a diaper fund), give guests information on how to make their gift deposit. Thematic Details: Design your invite to match your theme—include images, catchphrases, and other related details. Create your own invite, or browse purchasable invites and free templates online.
Prepare a food and drink menu (and stay on theme!). Diaper party food is usually pretty low-key and fuss-free. Plan your food around the dad-to-be’s tastes—if he loves to barbeque, girl up some hot dogs, burgers, and grilled corn. If he’s more into vegan or vegetarian food, choose options like grilled veggies, smoked tofu, and alternative meats. Here are some more popular diaper party food ideas to choose from: Pizza: Order in some pizza for a cheap and simple crowd-pleaser. Or, you could even incorporate pizza-making as an activity for your diaper party! Finger foods: Instead of a complete meal, offer some quick and easy snacks like chips, dips, pretzels, meats, cheeses, and veggie platters. Themed desserts: Choose a cookie, cupcake, or cake that’s decorated to match your theme. For example, you could order cookies in the shape of a pint of beer or a diaper-shaped cake! Catered food: If your dad-to-be has a local restaurant that he absolutely loves, see if they offer catering services. If not, you can always host the diaper party at that establishment (just make a reservation ahead of time if you have a large group).
Plan diaper- and baby-themed games and activities. As always, cater your diaper party games to your dad-to-be and what he enjoys doing at a party. Many diaper party activities revolve around drinking or beer—but if your guest of honor isn’t a big drinker or you’re hosting a family-friendly celebration, this may not be the best option. With your dad-to-be’s interests in mind, choose from the list of fun diaper party game and activity ideas below: Diaper Change Challenge: Collect a bunch of newborn diapers, baby wipes, and dolls or stuffed toys. Challenge guests (blindfolded or not) to see who can change a (fake) baby’s diaper the fastest. Diaper Raffle: Give each guest a raffle ticket for each contribution they make to the Diaper Stash or each pack of diapers they bring to the party. Draw a ticket every 30 or 60 minutes, and give a small prize to the winning ticket holder. Guess the Baby: In the invite, ask each guest to bring a baby photo of themselves. Paste all the photos on a wall and have guests guess which person is which baby. Give out gifts for right answers (or turn it into a drinking game and penalize incorrect answers). Guess the Candy Poo: Make chocolate poop from a variety of candy bars and put each one in a different diaper. Give each guest a pen and paper and allow them to inspect each diaper and make guesses as to which “poop” is made from which candy bar.. Baby Bottle Drinking Games: Turn any of the dad-to-be’s favorite drinking games into a diaper party game by swapping out cups and beer bottles for baby bottles. Try playing King’s Cup, Truth or Drink, or even Beer Pong. Sports & Yard Games: Depending on your location and the number of guests, set up a game of basketball, football, bowling, golf, table tennis, bocce ball, yard pong, or whatever sports your dad-to-be likes best. Board Games & Poker: Turn a diaper party into game night with fun board games or a few rounds of poker. You can even play for prizes or have the loser of each round contribute $5-10 to the diaper stash!
Hand out themed party favors. At the end of the event, give out gifts to show your appreciation for each guest’s attendance and participation. Fill a nice gift bag with party favors like mini bottles of alcohol, hot sauce sample packs, tickets to local sports events, personalized bottle openers, mini snack bags, and any other small gifts that you think your guests would enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions about Diaper Parties
What should you expect at a diaper party? Diaper parties are similar to baby showers, but they’re usually only for men and meant to celebrate the father of the baby. These parties are often more casual than baby showers, but it depends on what the dad prefers. The most important thing to know as a guest is to bring diapers as a gift or contribute to an established diaper stash or fund.
Who organizes a diaper party? Diaper parties are usually organized by a close friend or family member of the dad-to-be. The host usually invites the other people in the guest-of-honor’s life, which traditionally only includes men but can also include women if you decide on a mixed party. As long as the party isn’t a surprise, the host can consult with the dad on the details, including the date, venue, food menu, and guest list.
Why do men have diaper parties? Men have diaper parties to honor and celebrate a father-to-be in their lives. Diaper parties allow a soon-to-be dad to celebrate this important life event and spend time with his nearest and dearest friends and family.
Can women go to diaper parties? In theory, diaper parties are for men and baby showers for women. However, many couples are now opting for joint celebrations. Also, the dad may choose to invite women if he has close female friends or sisters.
When did diaper parties become popular? Diaper parties are a relatively new idea, with them first becoming popular around 2011. Baby showers have been going on for a lot longer but traditionally only celebrate moms-to-be.
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