Baby showers have long been a rite of passage for expectant mothers.
But a trend that is catching fire of late is the "dadchelor party" — a baby shower thrown for a dad-to-be.
Dadchelor parties feel like a cousin of traditional baby showers — you see the resemblance, but they're definitely their own thing.
Take this invitation, for example:
Or this one:
Dadchelor parties also tend to have unique themes, like this "Dress like a dad" party:
"Poker night" is also a popular theme:
A lot of these parties — like this golf-themed one — involve getting out of the house and doing something active:
There are treats at dadchelor parties, of course, and they lean heavily toward "guy humor." A good example is this cake:
These baby-poop-topped cupcakes:
These "little swimmers" cupcakes:
And this Rice Krispies Treat, which was hilariously shaped in the image of one dad-to-be's glowing partner:
The party games — like this "pin the sperm on the uterus" challenge — probably won't be appearing at a traditional baby shower anytime soon:
Ditto for this sperm-themed cornhole toss:
However, some games — like this diaper-changing competition — will look very familiar to baby shower veterans:
And, uh, men do the candy bar/poopy diaper challenge too:
Dadchelor parties also have diaper cakes — check out this beer-themed one:
This Chicago Bears diaper cake is pretty epic, too:
When it comes to gifts, dads-to-be tend to come away with A LOT of diapers. But they also receive funny gifts, like this "prepared dad" apron:
Men can expect to get their share of funny onesies, too, like this one with this dad-to-be's face on it:
Dad and blogger Phil Palmer — who recently had a "Dudes and Diapers" party — found it to be a very valuable experience.
Scott Steinberg — professional speaker and author of the best-selling Modern Parent’s Guide series — is also a fan, saying, "What’s cool about dadchelor parties is that men are embracing the concept of fatherhood a lot more actively these day."
