Celebrating the arrival of a new member of the family is an excellent reason for your family, friends, and colleagues to get together. It’s also a heartwarming way to say to your beloved mom-to-be that you’re also thrilled and excited about her baby, and you support her pregnancy all the way. And as with any party, you have to keep it lively and make it seem like time seems to fly. Nothing does it better than a well-chosen baby shower games. It’s the best ice breaker for any party. If you already have a theme, you’re already on the right track. But if you’re still undecided, some of these games might help you decide on your party’s personality.
Who Knows Mommy Best?
This is a fun game for the guests as the friends, and family members will end up vying to prove who knows the mom-to-be the most. It’s easy to play with a crowd, and it calls for very little preparation. Baby showers usually focus on the baby girl or baby boy, but this game focuses on the mom, who deserves to be honored.
What you need: Pen and paper for each guest
Preparation: Find out as much information as possible about the mom-to-be’s childhood. Write down your questions, and don’t show it to anyone.
How to play: Read your questions out loud and have guests write their answers down. The person who had the highest number of correct answers wins.
How Old was She?
This is another baby shower game that honors the mom. This one will take a little more prep, but everybody is sure to have a good time seeing the childhood pictures of the guest of honor.
What you need: Old photos of the mom-to-be at different ages, pen and paper for each guest
Preparation: Look for past pictures of the mom-to-be at different ages. This will be easy if you’re family, but if you’re a friend, you may need to contact the family for this, especially if this is a surprise party. But if the guest-of-honor knows you’re throwing her a party, you can ask her directly for her past pictures at different ages. Arrange these photos on a board or table with a number next to it.
How to play: Ask guests to look at the photos and write down how old they think the mom-to-be was in every picture. Whoever gets the most right answers wins.
Find the Guest!
Get your guests knowing one another with this game. It’s a fun icebreaker that will get each one excited. Also, sometimes the mom doesn’t want to be the center of attention, so it’s a good game of choice if that’s the case.
What you need: Pen and paper for each guest, computer and printer
Preparation: Find any fun facts about each guest and list it out. Type it without indicating who is described by the fun fact. Print copies of the list and leave one in every guest’s seat.
How to play: Ask your guests to get to know each other to find out which fun fact belongs to which guest. The guest with the most number of correct answers wins the game.
Guess the Baby Food
This game will reveal who has the most sensitive nose among you. This is a fun baby shower game that will put the guests’ sniffing power and food knowledge to the test.
What you need: Unlabeled jars, pureed baby food, pen and paper for each guest, blindfold
Preparation: Fill the unlabeled jars with different kinds of baby food, and make sure you keep track.
How to play: Blindfold each player to add a level of difficulty. Distribute pens and papers to guests and ask them to smell each jar of pureed baby food. Give them time to jot down which foods they think are inside.
The Price is Right
The Price is Right is a thrilling trivia game that the mom-to-be may love watching on TV, so why not make your version out of it? Everyone knows that having a baby is pricey, but do they know how much baby supplies really cost? You can discover which guests are savvy shippers with this spinoff of the Price is Right.
What you need: Pictures of baby items from a catalog, small gifts for the winner, pen and paper for the guest
Preparation: Get pictures of baby items like pacifiers, a box of diapers, strollers, cribs, etc. and cut it out. Lay out the pictures and give your guests a pen and paper.
How to play: Pick out each item and give a description. Have your guests write down a price as a guess. Then, the guests who guess the closest price without going over gets a small gift.
Baby Bump Balloon Pop
Nothing makes a party more festive than having balloons, especially when you’re making lots of noise. This game gives a whole new meaning to the term “she’s about to pop.” It also gets everyone up and moving.
What you need: Balloons and pins for each guest
Preparation: None needed – you just have to buy the props! It’s best to have upbeat background music for this game.
How to play: Group your guests into teams and give each one a balloon. Have your teams line up. When the host says, “go!” the first person from each team must blow up the balloon and put it under their shirt. After they are done, the second person in line does the same, and so on, until all team members have balloons under their shirts. After that, the first person must pop their balloon, then the second member, then the third, and so on. The team that blows up and pops their balloons first wins.
Place Pacifier in the Baby’s Mouth
This game is a baby shower version of the classic party game, Pin the Tail on the Donkey. This is great to play with kids as well as adults.
What you need: A large picture of a baby, cut out pictures of pacifiers, a blindfold, tape
Preparation: Print out a large baby picture and hang it up on the wall. Provide enough copies of the pacifier so each guest can have one. Attach tape to the back of each pacifier.
How to play: Play this game just like you play Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Put a blindfold on each guest and see how close they can put the picture of the pacifier to the baby’s mouth; whoever does it the closest wins.
Diaper Raffle
We know that diapers are one thing moms use the most. This is an easy baby shower game that lets the guests go home with prizes and the mom-to-be with a stock of diapers.
What you need: Raffle tickets, prize
Preparation: As you send out baby shower invitations, explain that anyone who brings a box of diapers to the shower can enter the raffle to win a prize. Make it enticing so that every guest will bring diapers.
How to play: As guests arrive at your party, issue raffle tickets for those who brought diapers. You can do 1 box = 1 raffle entry. Some may bring more for more chances of winning! Midway through the shower (or at the end), pull a ticket and award the owner with a prize. Don’t forget to gather the diapers for the mom-to-be before she leaves the party.
Don’t Say “Baby”
Also called Clothes Pin Baby Shower Game, this game is simple. The only rule for anyone is don’t say the word “baby.” It encourages guests to interact excitingly.
What you need: Five clothespins per guest
Preparation: None needed
How to play: As your guests arrive, pin five clothespins unto them and tell them the rule. Also, remind them to keep their ears open, so if they hear anyone say the word “baby,” they get to take away one of that person’s clothespins and put it on their own. Whoever has the most clothespins at the end of the party wins.
My Water Broke!
This is a classic game for baby shower parties. It’s fun and comfortable enough to pull off, and it gets everyone at the party involved. It also brings out the competitive attitude of the people.
What you need: Ice cube tray, small plastic babies
Preparation: Put a plastic baby in each cube on your ice cube tray. Fill with water and freeze.
How to play: Give each guest a drink with the baby-filled ice cube inside. Your guests will need to pay attention to the melting baby. The goal is to melt the ice and get the plastic baby out in whatever way. Once the baby is out of the ice, the guests must shout, “my water broke!” and the first one to do so wins.
Perfect Gift Ideas for Baby Shower
Now that you are keeping the party started, remember that one of the best ways to show appreciation to our future moms-to-be is through a gift. You may be slower at full throttle, stuck in the baby aisle. But we got you! Here are some perfect gift ideas for baby showers.
1. Baby Bib and Blankets
There are two types of baby shower gifts: gifts for mom and gifts for baby. You can choose baby bibs that come in handy for the future. To make it more adorable, pick cotton pieces in various animal designs. You may select silicon, plastic, smock-style, and disposable bibs for the material useable mealtime bibs. Silicon is flexible and can be washed easily, while other types are waterproof. Plastic bibs are thin as cloth bibs and can also be waterproof, while smock-style bibs are ideal for messy eaters since they cover a large part of the body. For single-use bibs, you can always opt for disposable ones. Further, you may add muslin blankets, which are incredibly versatile and useful for newborn babies. For first-time mothers, nothing comes first but the comfort of their babies.
2. Baby Carrier
This type of gift can be a splurge but is extremely useful and practical. To make it more special, you may pick an ergonomic carrier to help future moms feel comfortable doing light house chores while carrying the baby. The most popular types of baby carriers are wraps, ring slings, soft-structured carriers, and woven wraps. Soft-structured carriers are adjustable and can work with other carriers but can be difficult to put on. Ring slings are lightweight, breathable, and a great choice for traveling, but the back support may be limited. Woven straps are designed to be not stretchable so that they will hold the baby even with heavier weight, but they are not the most suitable and comfortable for long-term support. For wraps, hybrid and stretchy wraps are available in the market. Both are for front carry positions.
3. Pregnancy Body Pillow
Future moms need some tender, loving care, too, as they will go through the journey of bearing a new creature into this world. Why not show them some love by giving them one of the best baby shower gifts? You can choose a pregnancy body pillow designed by a chiropractor to ensure the design for comfort is of utmost consideration. Many people might consider it a nursing pillow, but it’s the perfect purchase for the last months of pregnancy when moms-to-be have a strong tummy, and it hurts to lie down.
4. Baby Bath Support
For parents expecting a newborn, taking a baby bath will be one of the hardest parts. Show your love to the couple during the baby shower by making bath time easier with a super-convenient baby tub. Some designs come with a mesh design that supports babies in the water, allowing the drain to drain easily. You may also pick a stylish deep ‘bucket-style’ bath that can be used as a standalone, in the tub, or as a shower tray.