Leave The Diaper Cake to the Experts!

You're invited!...to a baby shower? But you're a dude! Was it a typo? You feel the beads of sweat beginning to form on your brow. Realistically, it was bound to happen sooner or later, as coed baby showers have eeked their way into the traditional landscape.

There's no reason to get your man panties all in a bunch however, because we've stood up this lens to help open a few doors for you, and tone that under developed gifting muscle of yours. Yeppers, they'll be shopping involved, so take a deep breath and retreat to your 'safe' place if you need to. Once you've worked through the proverbial stages of denial, anger, bargaining and depression, you should arrive in tact and somewhat calmer at acceptance. Here's where I think we can help you shine. Well, at least glow a little.

If your best (and I hope Oscar worthy) attempts to wriggle out of the event have failed, then you're going to need a solid gift under your arm when you ring the front door bell to the festivities. It's tradition. Bring a gift. And don't be lame, bring a good gift. There's no reason to flounder aimlessly tapping into your feminine side to search for the perfect one either. For most of us it's an embarrassing, futile display that ends right about where it started anyway, minus a six pack and some dignity. Furthermore, you won't need an advanced degree in world class Diaper Cake Building to own the creative spotlight at the dreaded event. Let's start with the 'ol stand by.

Enter...the Baby Registry. If the newbie parents are on their game, they will have registered for baby. If you're even luckier, the registry will have an online presence and you can buy your gift without ever trudging through retail babyland and rubbing elbows with (my peeps!) the walking dead.

"Whew! then I'm done!..." you gasp in relief, dabbing your brow dry. Yes, If you are a stiff, thoughtless drone who strives to be ordinary, then shopping online via the baby registry will be your first and last stop! You can proudly join the hordes of zombie gifters responsible for the long, sleepy and painfully predictable gift opening session that nobody looks forward to! Well, okay, except maybe the new Mommy who gets all the free stuff.

Let's face it, though, since she registered the goods she's already privy to most of what's in the gift pile, and perhaps even spent some mirror time honing an awkward arsenal of "surprise" expressions for the event. But wait a minute, didn't I just tell you to buy something off the baby registry? Yes, Absolutely Do!

However...that absolutely doesn't mean you shouldn't bring a little something extra to spice up the event and leave your signature as the creative, entertaining one who went the extra mile! The parents-to-be are likely to have registered items from a few dollars (pacifiers) to a few hundred dollars (strollers, breast pumps bla bla...) Let the relatives buy the expensive loot, that's what they're for. If you're a relative, sorry, sucks to be you. For everyone else, that leaves you lots of leverage to purchase multiple gifts and piggy-back something fun and unexpected that is not on the list...So let's get creative and blow through some ideas!...