Think that baby showers are just for women? Think again! Here at Fizzbox, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people celebrating dadchelor parties. But what are they, where did this tradition come from, how much do they cost and how do you throw a baby stag do? Luckily, we’re here to help you so sit back, relax and read our ultimate guide to dadchelor parties.
What is a Dad’s Baby Shower Called?
A dad’s baby shower is known by a number of other names such as a dadchelor party, baby shower for men, man shower, daddy baby shower, manchelor party, dad dos, daddymoon, man storm, dad parties, pre-baby stag do and baby stag do.
Dadchelor Meaning
Dadchelor is a play on words, taking inspiration from bachelor party and dad to celebrate the upcoming birth of the man’s child. Dadchelor parties are essentially a last hurrah before the baby arrives. It’s a close equivalent to a baby shower but for men and usually includes a day activity and a night out on the town. Massive respect to women for carrying the babies but some men have reported feeling slightly left out in terms of celebrating the upcoming birth with their friends. Women have long celebrated baby showers and now it’s the men’s’ turn to get in on the fun and have a day and/or night of male bonding!
What is a Jack and Jill Baby Shower?
A Jack and Jill baby shower is a baby shower where both the mum and dad-to-be attend and are celebrated. It doesn’t have the same ‘no men’ rule that a lot of baby showers have or the ‘no women’ rule that dadchelor parties have so everyone’s included from friends to male and female relatives.
Origin of Dadchelor Parties
Like the traditional women’s baby shower, the term ‘dadchelor party’ originated in the US around 10 years ago but these events have sky-rocketed in popularity in the past few years.
Are Dadchelor Parties Popular?
Hell yes, they are! And growing in popularity all the time. At Fizzbox, we’ve seen our enquiries for dad baby showers rise a whopping 542% from 2018 to 2021. There has also been a 149% increase in Pinterest searches for man showers since 2015. Forget any pre-conceived notions about baby showers just being for women. Baby showers for men are all the rage right now!
What Happens at a Dadchelor Party?
A dadchelor party is very similar to a baby shower that you would throw for a woman, except all of the focus is on the father-to-me and his big step into fatherhood. At most baby stag dos, you’ll take part in one or two daytime activities. These tend to be active or action-packed and are followed by an evening experience (usually involving alcohol). It’s all about marking this extremely important and exciting new stage in a man’s life.
How to Throw a Dadchelor Party
With the help of our guide to dadchelor dos and our epic activities, we’ll make your event one to remember. There are just a few things you’ll need to arrange yourself, such as the day you throw the dadchelor party on. How about hosting the father-to-be’s party on the same day as the mum-to-be’s baby shower? If you’re wondering who throws a dadchelor party, the answer is anyone you like; it could be the father-to-be, his dad, his best friend or even the mum-to-be if she has time. A WhatsApp group is always helpful if you’re arranging an event. You can add the attendees to a group and let them know the date and time to keep free as well as what activities you’ll be doing. If you need some place, the Whatsapp place is a good place to ask people.
When Should I Have a Dadchelor Party?
It’s really, massively important that you don’t throw the dad shower too close to his partner’s due date. The last thing you want is a drunk dad-to-be getting a phone call to say she’s in labour! Hold the manchelor party a couple of weeks or more before their baby’s due date for safe measure.
Who Should I Invite to a Dadchelor Party?
Male baby showers usually keep the guest list to just the guys. It’s up to the dad-to-be who to invite; this is likely to be a combination of friends, family members and work mates. If you’re throwing the man shower as a surprise, consult with his partner to see who he’d like to be invited.
How Much Does a Dadchelor Party Cost?
You’ll be happy to hear that a baby stag do costs quite a lot less than a traditional stag do. Stag dos are generally celebrated over two nights but a dadchelor party tends to just be a single night celebration, so this helps keep the cost down. You’ll have a new baby to pay for soon after all! A baby stag do costs around £95 per person on average versus £380 per person on average for a pre-wedding stag do.
Should I Have My Dadchelor Party in the UK or Abroad?
Stag dos are mainly celebrated in Europe with Budapest and Prague being the most popular cities to visit. Around 53% of stag dos are celebrated abroad, but that isn’t the case with dadchelor parties where 95% take place in the UK. Liverpool and Newcastle are the most popular destinations to visit but it all depends on your preference. A few questions to consider: How are people going to get to your dadchelor party? How much will public transport or taxis cost? Is there a specific activity you want to do in a specific place? What’s your budget?
What Should I Bring to a Dadchelor Party?
Like with a woman’s baby shower, it’s polite to bring a gift for the baby to a man shower. Chuggies for Huggies is a fun idea where you bring nappies along to give to the father-to-be in exchange for beers when he hits the town.
Dadchelor Party Themes
You want to pick something that’s totally dadtastic! The dadchelor party theme will all depend on the personality of the dad-to-be. What are his interests, hobbies or favourite movies or bands? Or would any kind of theme totally cringe him out? If you do choose a dadchelor party theme, why not indulge in a bit of fancy dress? A scroll through social media will show you how funny it is when fully grown men dress up as babies! It’s all about tailoring the dad shower to his tastes to make him feel special.
Dadchelor Party Games
Modify traditional baby shower games to make them more fun for a dadcheror bash. How about smearing different types of chocolate in nappies then getting everyone to see if they can identify what it was? This one isn’t for anyone with a weak stomach! You can also find a game online where players have to identify the difference between lust or labour by looking at different faces and saying whether the lady is having a baby or having a… very nice time!
Dadchelor Party Invitation
If you’d like to go old school and send out physical paper or card invitations, Google ‘Dadchelor Party Invitation Templates,’ you should be able to get a few cool ideas. If you go for a specific theme, make sure your invitations match and include all info your guests need to know.
Dadchelor Party Decorations
How about a twist on regular baby shower decorations? When you look online, lots of decorations for dadchelor parties include beer but you can tailor this with the dad-to-be’s interests. You can even by the dad-to-be a sash or a big badge.
Dadchelor Party Ideas
At Fizzbox, we have loads of fun activities to make your baby stag go with a bang, whatever your tastes or budget. Do you want an activity that’s boozy, sporty, foodie or laid-back? Whatever your vibe, we’ve got you covered.
The Best Dadchelor Party Activities
Here’s a rundown of our most popular dadchelor party ideas for every kind of father-to-be:
Action-Packed Dadchelor Party Activities
According to our research, action-packed activities are the most popular dadchelor party activities with 26% of baby stag dos doing bubble football, 11% doing quad biking and 10% doing binocular football. Here’s why they’re so popular:
Not just a quintessential stag do activity but also great for a dad shower, quad biking gets all of you exploring the great outdoors on top of a beasty bike. Splash through muddy puddles, take on hills and mounds and build up speed to overtake your mates.
Get ready for a wacky man shower activity! You’ll each don giant inflatable zorbs, looking like big lollipops on legs, for a kickabout with a difference. You’ll bump, bounce and barge into each other to tackle, sending each other rolling around the pitch in hysterics.
If you love the beautiful game but want to make your regular kickabout even more fun, you’ve got to try goggle football. You’ll each wear vision-impairing goggles to play so the ball and your opponents will look closer or further away than they really are.
Laid-Back Dadchelor Party Activities
Not every baby stag do has to be full of action all the time. Take some time to catch up and chill out with your mates before the baby comes with these more laid-back dadchelor party ideas:
Blow off some steam with this traditional countryside pursuit that sees you fire a shotgun at moving clay targets in the air. This group pleasing experience is suitable for all abilities and with full tuition from a professional and experienced instructor, you’ll soon be smashing those clays.
This men’s baby shower activity takes inspiration from two of the world’s best sports for a laid-back yet funny few hours of sport. You’ll make your way around a golf course, kicking a football into specially adapted holes. An event coordinator will set challenges and dish out forfeits.
Who doesn’t enjoy a refreshing beer? But this is your dadchelor party, so you’ll want to do more than just visit your local pub. Why not learn all about how your favourite drink is made with a beer tasting? You’ll taste a range of top beers and with some tastings, you can even tour the brewery.
Boozy Dadchelor Party Activities
Let’s face it, while we know it’s not forever, when the baby comes, it’s going to be a bit harder to get drunk with your mates. So, here’s some dad shower ideas to help you get your drink on:
Combine a fun drinking session with learning a new skill as a professional mixologist teaches you how to whip up a range of cocktails at the bar. You’ll shake and stir, play competitive games and get to drink absolutely everything you make.
You might consider this to be more of a hen party activity but hear us out; with one of our brunches, you could get tasty grub, live entertainment, a DJ, non-stop party atmosphere and totally unlimited alcohol. Yes, you read that right! What’s not to love, guys?
Clubbing is a classic activity for anyone looking to celebrate hard. Whether you’re the kind of dadchelor party group that would like to sit and chill by the bar or throw shapes on the dancefloor, nightclub entrance gives you the chance to party until the early hours.
Foodie Dadchelor Party Activities
Celebrate your impending fatherhood with some great grub. Whether you fancy learning to cook something tasty or just sitting down to a decent restaurant meal with your friends and family, we’ve got you covered.
How about chowing down on a restaurant-quality meal in the comfort of your own home? A private chef will come to yours to cook up a storm, serving a two or three-course meal. All you need to do is sit back, relax and enjoy. They’ll even do the washing up. Result!
Forget just eating a good meal, why not learn how to make one? A cooking class is led by a professional chef who’ll show you how to create something truly tasty step by step. Whether you like things savoury or have a sweet tooth, we’ve got a class for you.
A meal out is a classic option for any celebration. You’ll have your pick of cuisine and dining experience whichever city you want to visit during your dadchelor party. Also, if you’re struggling to decide on an activity, your mates aren’t likely to complain about grabbing grub!
Quirky Dadchelor Party Activities
If you’re the kind of dad-to-be who thinks outside the box, why not celebrate with one of our more unusual dadchelor party ideas?
Who hasn’t dreamt of becoming a Jedi since they were a kid? Well, now’s your chance to learn how to be one! You’ll be armed with lightsabers and battlesabers and taught a choreographed fight routine by a professional instructor. This is a must do for any Star Wars fan!
Escape to another world during your baby stag do with an immersive experience. Depending on what you choose, you could find yourself shooting like the Shelbys in the Peaky Pistols experience, trying to smuggle cocktails into a prison with Alcotraz or heading to the Wild West at the Moonshine Saloon.
Interactive Dadchelor Party Activities
If you want some dadchelor party ideas that see you all in the thick of the action and working as a team from the get-go, you’ll love these interactive experiences:
Escape rooms are one of our most popular activities for any occasion. Why not treat the dad-to-be with an escape room where you’ll have to work together to crack codes, find clues and solve puzzles? It’s a great bonding experience and you’ll be buzzing if you escape before time runs out.
Murder mysteries are making a comeback! Get your group together for your dad stag party and see if you can figure out whodunnit! Talented actors make this world come alive with some of you even having speaking parts. Do you have what it takes to catch a killer?
Dadchelor Party Virtual Ideas
It isn’t much of a surprise that virtual experiences have grown in popularity since 2020. And you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to virtual activities for a dadchelor party. There’s something fun for you to do online and in the comfort of your own home whatever your tastes and wherever you are in the world.
Choices include virtual comedy quizzes, casino events, escape rooms, magic shows, caricature workshops, cheese and wine tasting, stage fighting and a live comedy roast of the father-to-be, all done remotely. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Book Your Dadcherlor Party Today
So, there you have it, our complete guide dad baby showers. We hope that we’ve helped you to find some inspiration for your upcoming celebration. Browse our activity listings now and find something that’s perfect for your dadchelor party. And huge congrats on the new baby from the team at Fizzbox!
