Why we should normalise baby showers for dads
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There's a sweet little baby shower video doing the rounds on Instagram right now, and I haven't stopped thinking about it.
The adorable video was shared by @themelaninatedmomma, a heavily pregnant US woman showing a giant mountain of nappies, wipes and baby gifts stacked high in her living room, gifts from a surprise baby shower thrown for her husband by his workmates.
And look, I don't care how emotionally dead inside you are, if that doesn't warm your cold, crusty heart, I don't know what will.
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Dads deserve celebrating too
The video itself is wholesome, but it's the comments that really drive it home:
'My husband's coworkers did this when I was pregnant. He came home all kinds of excited - mainly women, one made a cake, another did an amazing gift basket full of necessities. I will never forget how they included him in the baby excitement too!'
'Wait can we stop and acknowledge and really enjoy the fact that they threw a baby shower for their male coworker because they are supporting his fatherhood. This is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! Fathers need to be part of the transition too!! Yes!!!!!'
'We forget that the dads need spoiling too. I know this is a bunch of wipes and nappies but it's one less thing for them to think about for a few months.'
And this gem: 'We had one of these for a male coworker - it was a blast watching this big guy holding up the little garments. I highly recommend!'
Honestly, what's not to love about Big Kev from logistics delicately holding a Bonds Wondersuit and pretending not to cry?
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How beautiful it is to see a father celebrated too. Source: @themelaninatedmomma
Modern dads are all in
Here's the thing. Baby showers for dads shouldn't be weird. Or rare. Or played off as some ironic 'dadchelor' party featuring cigars and a nappy-themed drinking game. They should be a thing - a meaningful, supportive, slightly silly rite of passage that says: mate, you're about to become someone's dad, and we're here for it.
Because fatherhood? It's a big deal. And while society is getting better at letting dads show up for the emotional labour of parenting, we still don't do a great job of showing up for them.
We forget that the transition to parenthood doesn't just belong to the person carrying the baby. It's a seismic shift for dads too. The midnight panic-googling. The 'is this car seat meant to wobble like that?' anxiety. The quiet moment where it dawns on them that a tiny person will soon rely on them for everything. That stuff deserves a cake. And maybe a three-pack of muslin wraps.
The modern dad is all in. He's doing the nappy changes, the swaddling, the midnight feeds. He's packing the nappy bag (badly, but still). So why do we still act like the countdown to parenthood is a spectator sport for him?
RELATED: Sam Wood's fatherhood advice is way too real
Let's normalise baby showers for dads
Let them unwrap bottle sterilisers with genuine enthusiasm. Let them try to guess what a nipple shield is. Let them awkwardly pin bibs to a clothesline strung across the tea room. Because as much as we laugh at the idea of Alan from accounting playing 'Guess the Baby Food,' we're also giving him a moment. A marker. A way of saying: this huge, wonderful, terrifying thing is happening to you too.
And let's be honest, it's not just about gifts (though no one's turning down a bulk box of Huggies). It's about the symbolism. The support. The team huddle before game day.
We've done a lot of work in recent years to shift how we see modern fatherhood. Dads aren't 'helping' anymore - they're parenting. Properly. And that deserves to be recognised, celebrated, and yes, showered.
So next time your mate, brother, barista or boss announces they're about to become a dad, don't just slap them on the back and say, 'Good luck, mate.' Throw him a bloody baby shower.
Let the big guy hold up the tiny socks. Let the office mums go rogue with a gift hamper. Let it be fun, supportive, and full of nappies.
Because parenthood doesn't start in the delivery room - it starts with community. And everyone deserves to feel the love, right from day one.
Even Big Kev.
Originally published as Yes, let's normalise baby showers for dads
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