MarloElaine

Last Saturday, I co-hosted a baby shower for my brother and sister-in-law. About 25 people attended the party. We ate, played several games, watched the parents-to-be open presents, and then ate some more. Everyone had a great time, even the guys enjoyed themselves!

My family brainstormed for the best games played in previous baby showers we’ve attended. Here are the ones we chose:

1. Guess How Many - Fill a baby bottle with jelly beans, chocolate covered raisins, or other small candies. Ask each guest to guess how many pieces are in the bottle. The person who guessed closest wins the candy.
2. What’s That Smell?!? - Put strong smelling things into baby diapers, then each player has to try to identify them. This game lets you take really funny pictures of people sniffing diapers! We passed out worksheets and pens and played with 6 items we found in the fridge: Maple syrup, Sriracha hot chili sauce, pickle juice, horseradish, peanut butter, and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Dress & Diaper the Baby Race - Have people race to see who can dress and diaper the baby doll fastest. We only had two dolls, so we had the soon-to-be-parents race each other, then two guys without any kids raced. It’s hilarious to watch the contestants turn the baby doll upside down, shove arms and legs through clothes, and fumble with the snaps! A variation of this game is “Diaper the Baby Blindfolded Race.”
4. Baby Alphabet Game - Prepare 26 index cards, one with each letter of the alphabet clearly marked on one side. Shuffle, then hold up the cards one at a time. The first guest to shout out a baby related word receives the card. The winner is the one with the most cards at the end. You could easily play additional rounds with different subjects such as baby names, types of baby clothes, baby supplies, baby foods, children’s books, kids TV shows, etc.
5. How long? - Ask each guest to tear off a strip of streamer (or string, toilet paper, etc.) as long as they want. Do not tell them what it is for yet. Once everyone has a length of streamer, announce that whoever’s strip comes closest to the length around the momma-to-be’s belly wins. The future mommy will have to “model” all the strips!
6. Rice in Safety Pins Game - In a large bowl, mix several cups of uncooked rice with as many safety pins as you can find. Blindfold the players and ask them to remove as many pins as possible in one minute. Whoever gets the most pins wins a prize. This is a lot harder than it sounds! We used a bowl large enough for two people to play at once. For large parties, you could make up more bowls. Tip: Play this game over a tablecloth to make cleanup easier!
7. Raffle - Instead of using just regular pieces of paper to enter the raffle, you can have the guests write their name and address on an envelope that will later be used to send thank you cards. This is great for large parties or if the celebrant does not already have everyone’s address. Pull as many names as you have prizes.

Our prizes were candy, candles, crystal bowls, and Bath & Body products. Since the expectant parents are dog lovers, I decorated Beanie Baby puppies with ribbons and thank you notes to serve as party favors.

Do you have any other fun baby shower games or ideas? We’d love to hear them!