36 Weeks Pregnant

Your Chance to Shower, Too
Traditional baby showers begin with registering—a policy that can make life easier for everyone involved by showing generous family and friends what items you'd like to have on hand for Baby. Most major stores provide UPC scanners, allowing couples to scan the items they'd like for Baby and have that information automatically added to an in-store and/or online registry. This can be a fun process, and it gives you a glimpse at how much new stuff you'll have for your newborn. Many companies are making an effort to reach out to dads with things like manly diaper bags (read: cool backpacks) and strollers with shock absorbers for rugged sidewalks.

Despite what you might think, baby showers aren't just for women anymore. More parents-to-be are opting for "couples" showers, where both men and women participate and share the celebration, without robbing the expecting mother of her special moment.

If your partner really wants to have her own event, you don't have to be left out. You're becoming a parent, too, right? While her friends are planning something for her, talk to your friends about a get-together for the guys. Then, when your partner's friends and family participate in the shower, your family and friends can join you for bowling, golf, etc. (There's even the new trend called "Baby Keggers," where guys throw the dad-to-be a party in his honor and shower him with their favorite daddy gadgets and words of wisdom.) If you and your wife want, you can come together towards the end of your separate showers and extend the celebration to everyone.

Whatever you two decide to do for the baby shower, just keep in mind that men who want to be involved from the get-go don't have to miss out on the party!