B is for Baby Shower with the Boys

Shower your favorite parents-to-be at an easy backyard barbecue to celebrate the impending arrival of their little bundle of joy. Forget about teapots and dainty finger sandwiches—keep both the mom and dad happy by serving meaty cheddar burgers and playing guy-friendly shower games.

D Is for Decór

Keep it simple but inviting: Decorate tables with brown craft paper and set out glass baby bottles filled with simple arrangements of small white or blue flowers. Secure folded napkins with diaper pins and scatter alphabet blocks at the food and drink stations. 

G Is for Games

Break the ice and get everyone involved with a few crowd-friendly shower games. These baby-inspired activities offer a healthy dose of competition: 

• Diaper Dash: Guests race to change infant-sized dolls.
• Bottle-Chugging Contest: See who can down a baby bottle full of milk first.
• Baby Food Taste Test: Buy 10 to 15 jars of different types of baby food (like apples, sweet potatoes or peas) and remove the labels. The guests will taste each one while blindfolded; whoever correctly guesses the highest number of flavors wins. 

F Is for Favors 

Bake sugar cookies in the shape of the letter “B” and decorate them with light blue royal icing. Wrap each one in cellophane and tie it with a strip of vintage fabric. Or hand out disposable cameras tied with blue ribbon and ask each guest to send a photo from the party to add to a scrapbook for the baby. 

M Is for Menu

This hearty but simple menu is delicious and easy to prep. Make the barbecue sauce ahead of time and put all the burger fixings at a station near the grill. Serve bowls of blue tortilla chips for guests to dip into the spicy salsa guacamole. For drinks, set out galvanized buckets of the dad’s favorite beer along with pitchers of refreshing lemonade tea for the mom-to-be and any young guests.