Photo Courtesy of Me Oh My, A Lifestyle Blog
I have a huge and startling confession to make. I don’t care for baby shower games. I know, what party person doesn’t love shower games? Let me be clear, I love baby showers. I enjoy seeing the guest of honor radiant in her pregnancy and being fawned over, opening cute little clothes worthy of oohs and aahs. Plus, shower food is the best. But when it comes to the games, I’m embarrassed to admit my grin is politely pasted on my face.
The good thing about these games is that they help move the party along and break ice among the attending guests, especially if they don’t all know each other. Even though they aren’t my favorite party element, I still plan at least one game when I host a shower for this purpose. Here are a few that are entertaining enough that I don’t feel the urge to hide in the corner.
Daddy knows best. From Paper Source, this game in the photo above gives a nod to dear old dad. He gets asked a few questions about parenting and mom’s pregnancy, and everyone predicts how he answered. It’s kind of like the Newlywed Game but with babies.
One thing you didn’t know about me. Hand out numbered slips of paper, and ask the players to write down one thing that the others in the room may not know about them. Read them aloud so everyone can identify who they think wrote the “secrets.” We found a semi-pro ice skater and an award-winning actress the last time we played!
Guess the celebrity baby. There are so many starlets having babies these days! Cut out little Apple or Blue Ivy’s pictures along with other big name babies, and put them up for players to guess who they belong to.
Baby sock match game. This doubles as a gift for mom; hand out a baby sock to each guest as they come in and ask them to find the match to their sock. It encourages guests to talk to each other, and mom ends up with new baby socks at the end.
Baby name game. Write the letters A to Z on a piece of paper. Whoever can come up with baby names for every letter of the alphabet first wins.
Draw a baby. This game is a bit on the sillier side, but it really helps relax the baby shower and garners some giggles. Hand each guest a pen and a white paper plate. With the paper plate on top of their head, ask them to draw a baby, crib, changing table and finally a teddy bear for the baby. No one is a true artist while drawing on top of their head, so the creations will all be something to laugh about.
Do you have a favorite baby shower game to share with us? Please comment below.
Comments
Elizabeth
I don’t like baby shower games at all I’m afriad. My upcoming baby shower will have none- I want the guests just to enjoy the food and drinks, socilize and be merry!
I think the games are torture!
Samantha
I had several baby shower games at my shower. The one that was the biggest hit was the diaper game. You have several chocolate candy bars and you crush and melt them in a diaper with a number on it. Then everyone has to try to guess what candy bar is in each one by only look and smell. Whoever gets the most correct gets the prize. It was really funny to see all the guys smelling diapers and getting really into the game. It makes for great pictures!
Christina
We played the purse scavenger hunt at the last party I hosted and all of the ladies seemed to enjoy it.
Leash
Two of my favourite non-game(y) games are the fingerprint guest book and the month calendar. With the fingerprint guest book, each guest is asked to put a fingerprint on a tree, hot airballon (any shape) etc and sign their name – not only is it a beautiful keepsake for the mum, but it’s not an embarrassing game infront of a group. Also, I love to print out a one month calander (two weeks before and after the baby’s due date) on a piece of heavy cardstock and in each day provide a place for each guest to answer the following questions : when born, sex, length, weight, eye colour, etc plus provide a boy and girl name that they think the baby could be called! Guest have a blast filling in the answers, but also enjoy seeing the baby name ideas. Also, the mums that I have made this for their showers said it was a great keepsake, but it was also fun to hang on the fridge and watch the count down to the baby being born and see who was closest!
Paula
What beautiful activities, Leash! I might have to borrow those for the next baby shower. :)
Tenessa
I am planning a baby shower for July! These are some great idea to ponder until the date gets closer. Thanks Paula!!!
Olga Wilson
Samantha: That sounds like a really fun game! I am planning my cousin’s baby shower and am trying to come up with games that everybody will love to play. I already have a diaper game in mind — one where guests in groups will need to make a diaper out of toilet paper. But I guess I will have to do your diaper game version.
Michelle
I’m in the process of planning a shower for a good friend of mine (who is a teacher). I’m thinking I’ll give each guest a list of animals and they have to write what the baby of each animal is called. Fun and educational – not many people know what a baby shark or walrus is called!
Elaine Schelske
We just had a couples baby shower and played two games that were so much fun. Guys don’t usually attend baby showers, so we wanted to include them. We had their wives blindfold them, and then proceed to feed them 12 different baby foods. We used egg cartons and had each couple go one food at a time all doing the same foods at the same time. The wives wrote down what the husbands said the food was. The couple with the most correct won a gift card for dinner/dessert out. We laughed until we cried…I don’t think these guys will ever make their child eat their vegetables!
The other game was couples worked together to create a crib out of Crayola’s Clay. I had tried to use play doh, regular clay, but found that the bowl of (Dry?) clay worked best. We gave them 10 minutes and a chunk of clay and 6 toothpicks. The creations were cute, we had all guests come by the table where we put the completed cribs on display and had everyone vote for one. The couple who won, received a gift card for dinner/dessert out. It was a big hit too!
Bonnie
We usually have a big crowd at our church showers and this game has been a hit with us. Divide the guests into two groups, line up the chairs so that everyone is sitting in two lines or relatively close together as this will be a “Diaper Changing Relay”. Each team will need 2 sets of diaper pins and 2 cloth diapers. Each team will also need a baby doll or stuffed bear or whatever, as long as both teams have the exact same “baby” so that it will be fair. Hand the 1st person on the team a diapered baby, a cloth diaper and 2 diaper pins. She/he will remove the diaper from the baby by unpinning the diaper (no cheats please) and handing the old diaper and pins to the second person in line. Then working as quickly as they can they will change the diaper and hand the baby to the next person who will repeat the process until they have reached the end. The first team to finish wins!! Prizes could include magnets, wrapped homemade cookies or candy, or just that the winning team gets to be first to go through the food line. Fun!! Also you could supply sleepers or clothes to change as well as the diapering, but please make sure everything is identical…you don’t want anyone feeling like the game is unfair :)
Candyce
I personally love baby shower games. One of my faves, which was played at my 1st baby shower, was a game called “Winner Takes All”. The host explains the game as, whoever puts the most money in an envelope “Takes All”. So, the guests are trying to put in as much money as they can, thinking they are going to win it all! Unbeknownst to them, when the “Winner Takes All” their prize is a bottle of ALL laundry detergent! And the mother-to-be gets the money!
Tammy
I am hosting my daughter’s baby shower in 2 wks. This is our first grandchild!! I am so excited. Since the expectant mother is very nostalgic and has always had a love for books, her shower is themed around Mother Goose. I have 3 interactive games that i feel will be a hit with our guests. 1st game: when they guests arrive they will be asked to mark their initals on a pink grossgrain ribbon ( 2yds.) with a permanent fine point black marker) trying to guess her belly measurement when she wraps it around her later in the shower!. 2nd game: A sheet of paper will be given called Complete the Lyric – filling in the missing word to the nursery rhymes. 3rd & final game is each guest will fill out a Baby Pool ticket, filling in their guesses to the following guestions pertaining the the approaching birth, Date, Time, Weight, Length…we do already know she is a girl. The guest who is the closest to her arrival date and/or has the most correctly given answers will get a $25 gift card to Olive Garden. The other game winners will go home with a floral centerpiece!!
Laura Stedman
Where can I get the cards in the first picture?