Need Advice on Inexpensive Fun Baby Shower Games

Updated on May 01, 2009
G.S. asks from Lexington, KY
27 answers

Hello moms, was wanting some neat, fun and not very expensive baby shower games. I will be throwing a baby shower for my sister-in-law in a little over 2 months and wanted to go ahead and get organized. If anyone can give me some game ideas and whats fun that everyone will like, and also some good ideas on decorations. The shower will more than likely be outside in a backyard for a cookout sort of thing. Just want to be fully prepared, this is my first time throwing a shower and am totally excited! Thanks in advance!

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So What Happened?

Just wanted to thank everyone's time for putting some ideas together for me. I've decided on 5 really fun and enjoyable games I know everyone will love esp. the mommy-to-be. I had a few that I wanted to do and than a few I wanted to change and these ideas gave me more than what I wanted so thank you!

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M.H.

answers from Raleigh on

Catch Phrase with note cards instead of the digital version. You can buy a spiral bound set at the dollar store for cheap so they will stay together.

I'm the one who hosts all of the showers for the group of friends and I have to say that one was the most fun.

Example cards
Baby's Due Date
Baby's Name (if known)
First thing Daddy said when he found out
Baby Items like diaper cream, changing pad, crib
Movies or Songs with the word "Baby" in it

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K.S.

answers from Raleigh on

The showers games I like best, are NONE. Let the group visit- those games are just silly. Have everyone write something for the baby and put them all in an album, they will be cherished in the years to come.

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J.B.

answers from Nashville on

Have guests write something (funny, sentimental, advice for mom, whatever they want) on a diaper with Sharpie. Give to Mom for a little giggle (or squall depending on the hormones :) ) when she's changing those midnite diapers. It's a cute time killer, only costs a pack of diapers...and we all know those are always needed :)

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K.B.

answers from Asheville on

This is more of a party favor than a game but it's too funny. Get some plain white napkins and fold them in half and then fold them up to look like a diaper. Then pin it with a safety pin or paper clip. Fill it with chocolate goodies. Keep them in the kitchen until it's time to give out the party favors. Then (take off the pin) and put one in the microwave and melt the chocolate a little. The one who gets the "dirty" diaper wins a prize!
You can also make edible pacifiers with a large green grape, a shortbread cookie with a hole in it, and a gummy lifesaver for the handle. Secure with a toothpick. Have fun.

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L.M.

answers from Memphis on

it seems I'm going to baby showers more and more these days but I've seen a few games I thought were really cute and very inexpensive.
1)there's the baby scramble; select different items needed for babies and scramble up the spelling so everyone can figure out what the words are. every one has an individual sheet of words to unscramble. (ex. teoblst - bottles) it's a lot of fun when the game is timed. whoever has the most correct answers after time is up wins.
2)then there's the clothes pin game where you place a clothes pin on everyone and if they say the word 'baby', whoever hears them say it is allowed to take their pin. whoever ends up with the most pins at the end of the shower wins. it's kinda hard to not say baby at a baby shower but it's a lot of fun!
3)the toilet tissue game; each guest pulls off the amount of tissue they think it takes to go around the mommy-to-be's tummy. everyone gets a turn placing the tissue around mommy. the closest to making it all the way around perfectly wins.
4)guess the weight; everyone writes down their guess at the last weight mommy was given at her last doctor's visit. the closest weight wins.
5)candy bar guess; sounds gross but here goes - get different candy bars and melt them. after melting, place the melted bar inside a diaper. pass the diapers around one at a time and have everyone write down what kind of candy bar it is/was. it's better to number the diapers and keep a list of what candy you put in what diaper. whoever guesses them all right wins.
6)baby bingo; make a few different sheets with baby items listed in different squares. call out the items and have guests cross them out as they're called...you know how bingo works; same concept. first one to get bingo wins.
7)what's in the diaper bag: put a certain number of baby items in the bag and pass the bag around for everyone to feel inside - not look inside. they will need to write down as much as they can remember that they felt. whoever guesses all wins.
8)what's in your purse: call out random items you wouldn't think anyone would have in their purse. whoever has it or can pull it out of their purse first wins. this one is just a random game but fun to do if you run out of things to do. :o)

these are just a few off the top of my head but I thought they were fun. hope I've helped! happy planning!! :o)

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S.R.

answers from Greensboro on

At one of my baby showers, we played a game called "My Water Broke!" The host had taken tiny plastic babies and frozen them in punch cups. She gave each guest a cup and they had thaw out the baby any way they could. The first one who got to the baby, won. It was a cool game on a warm day.
Another game is to blindfold two guests and have them try to dress a baby in a short amount of time. The mom-to-be gets to pick the winner.

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M.B.

answers from Charlotte on

a fun game i did for a shower a while back was baby shower bingo, you just put pics or words of things she will get as gifts on the bingo cards and as she opens the gifts people mark them off and whoever yells bingo first wins the prize. also a fun one is put safety pins (the small ones) in a bowl of rice and go around to each guest to see who can get out the most pins in 30 secs while blindfolded

D.B.

answers from Memphis on

We played at game at my daughter's wedding shower where everyone got a sticker, although I can't recall if that is exactly right because looks like it would've lost it's stickiness...anyway, you could use clothes pins. But you were NOT allowed to say the word NO. And if you caught someone saying NO, you got their clothes pin & at the end of the shower whomever got the most clothes pins won a prize. Best to have 2-3 in case of a tie. But it was just a few things from Bath & Body Works.

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C.L.

answers from Memphis on

Good Morning G.,

Good luck with your party. They are very fun. Here's one of the games I play.
1. Cotton balls, spatula, plate and blindfold.
Have them sit of the floor, lay out the cotton balls on the floor in front of them. Let them look at them for about 15 seconds then blind fold them and have them hold the plate on top of their head and give them 30 seconds to scoop up as many cotton balls as they can on the plate. When done count them and go to next person.

2. Baby items, large platter/plate/tray, paper and pen/pencil.
Get a large tray and put a bunch of baby items on it and let each person look at the items for no more then 15 seconds and pass it to the next person. When the last person has looked at the items take the tray in another room and have them write as many items as they can remember. The one with the most items wins.
Have fun.
Have a great day, take care and God Bless ya.

C.

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T.C.

answers from Nashville on

Baby animal game. they have to write the name of what a baby animal is called. Like goat is a kidd, horse is a foal, etc.

measure mom's belly in inches-closes guess wins

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D.S.

answers from Greensboro on

The game I always like doing is getting everyone to guess the size of the mom-to-be's belly. All you buy is a ball of yarn or string and have a pair of scissors and go around to each guest and let them pull as much string/yarn as they think will fit around mom's belly then after everyone has their string/yarn they each go to mom-to-be and see who is the closest fit. The prize for the winner can be something simple like a candle or lotion.

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V.C.

answers from Wheeling on

Have someone who's talented & gifted in the opposite ways from your own strengths, and team up. Like, if you're a 'details' person, get a 'fun-loving' helper, and vice versa. That way you'll get all the bases covered.

I'd also suggest buying the game prizes at a Dollar Tree or Deals (where almost everything is $1). They always have some really nifty things that have been sold in other stores for exorbitant prices, and if the person isn't particularly thrilled with their gift, oh well, at least it didn't cost much! They also have party decorations.

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N.J.

answers from Owensboro on

Hi G.,

I just attended a baby shower that my ex sister in law and niece gave for my other niece. They made some games up themselves and the only expense was paper to make copies, pencils or other writing instruments,plus the gifts that they gave as door prizes besides refreshments offered.

1)They had a word scramble game that we had to unscramble the words to make a word that was associated with babies and their care.The person who unscrambled the most words won the door prize.

2) They had a game that consisted of 20 pairs of baby socks in a bag that they dumped out on a table. The socks were unpaired and we had to pair the socks together while being timed. The person with the lowest time while pairing all the socks won the door prize.

3)They had a game where they filled a jar with jelly belly jelly beans in pastel colors and had people write their guess down as to how many jelly beans were in the jar. the person who got the closest won the door prize.

4)They had one game that listed types of mothers say eagles, ape, human, kangaroo, etc on one side of the paper with numbers by the names ,and types of babies say joey, infant, eaglet, baby on the other side of the baby with letters of the alphabet by the names. We had to pair up the mother name types with the baby name types.

5) we played a game in which they had filled those little tiny plastic cups with water placed a tiny bottle and pacifier in each cup then froze it. the one who got their two items out of the cup and out of the ice first one the door prize.( You can get the bottles and pacifiers at a craft store such as Michaels.)

At another baby shower they played a game that involved being blindfolded and rice being placed in a bowl then diaper pins placed and mixed with the rice in the bowl. The blindfolded person then had to feel around in the bowl and take out as many diaper pins within a minute time. The one who got the most diaper pins out won the door prize.

Also while blindfolded we had to fold a napkin like a cloth diaper and pin it shut with a diaper pin. The person whose diaper napkin closes resembled a cloth diaper properly pinned won the door prize.

I hope some of these help you out. We had a blast while playing the games. All of these games are inexpensive and fun. Good luck and have fun.

Blessings,
N.

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A.J.

answers from Memphis on

You may actually be able to find some cheap shower decorations, door prizes and thank you gifts at Dollar Tree. A few fun and cheap games:

Have the guests use the letters out of the parents' names to make baby names, who ever's mommy likes most wins a little prize.

Using chewing gum, foil, and toothpicks, have the guests make a baby! They chew up the gum and use the foil to wrap and around the gum and use the toothpicks to shape it. Mommy gets to judge the best one!

Have the guests guess the circumference of mommy's belly! Using ribbons or yarn, have each guest cut a piece as big as they think mommy's belly is around. Whoever gets the closest wins!

The last shower I went to, the ladies signed a keepsake book for the mommy, and everyone put their names and addresses on an envelope. That way, when it's time to send thank you cards, all you have to do is stick a stamp on it!

Hope this helps!

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R.H.

answers from Greensboro on

1. have a roll of toilet paper and have people take as much as they think they need.... when everyone has a piece have each person put their section of toilet paper around mom to be's tummy and see who got closest. (if baby is already around see who gets the closest to how long baby is) this proved to cause lots of laughs at my showers :)

2. also, having teams of 2. one person feed the other a jar of baby food.... whichever team gets their baby food done the fastest wins. (you can do the same thing with baby bottles filled with juice, water, milk, etc.)

3. mash up candy bars inside diapers and have the guests guess what is in each diaper.

these are just a few of the games that i've played at showers over the years and they have all been huge giggle makers :) as far as your decorations go, try to make centerpieces be things that the mom to be can use later on. she may want to save things, and it would be nice if they are also things that will be helpful to have with a newborn. we did tiny diaper cakes for one of my friends. we also had a pail filled with baby essentials (soaps and lotions, burpies, socks rolled up like roses, diapers, etc.)

good luck with your planning, i'm sure whatever you come up with will be super cute and much appreciated! just have fun with it!

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G.M.

answers from Raleigh on

If you're throwing it outside as a cook out, i don't see that you need any decorations except maybe pink/blue table cloths. Also, solid color plates and cutlery are way less expensive than ones with prints. so mix up some solids.

games: Get diaper pins and everyone gets one pinned to their shirt. Every time someone says "baby" o ranything with "Baby" in it, they have to give up their pin to whomever caught them. whoever has the most at the end of the shwer, wins.

Babyfood - you number 5 different jars of baby food and take the lables off (write down which number is which type of food) - get some really good ones like liver :) and then everyone gets their own spoon and every one tastes each baby food and guesses what it is

Dirty DIaper - take some generic brand diapers (the new mom can have the rest of the pack after the shower) adn soem mini candy bars. Melt the candy bars (milky way, 3 mustkateers, kit kat, twix, etc) and squish them around good. Guests must guess which "poop" is which candy.

TP Measuring tape - take a roll of TP and have guests guess how many squares it will take to go around mommys belly.

It's in the bag (this may be pricy unless you already have stuff or you can get the stuff and just give it to the mommy as part of her gift) - take brown paper bags and number them. take one item that a new mommy will need in the first year and put it in the bag (nipple, breast pump part, bib, diaper, teether, etc) and each guest must put their hand in the bag to feel NOT LOOK at the object and write down their guess as to what it is.

hope you have fun!!!

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P.B.

answers from Raleigh on

I have 2 similar ideas that will be meaningful to both baby & Mom:

1. Have each guest write a wish for the baby. Place them in a nice keepsake box for her to read later. I go back & read my daughters all the time... Makes me smile.

2. Have each guest choose an age (if there are 15 guests, do ages 1 - 15) and write a letter for the child to open on that birthday.

Have fun planning!

P

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E.M.

answers from Louisville on

dollar tree has great decorations and look online for games

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A.C.

answers from Charleston on

We played "baby bingo" we bought a few prizes and made up sheets of paper with bingo squares on them and had each guest fill out the squares with baby items they thought the mother might be getting for her shower like baby shampoo and onsies and bottles etc and as she opened the gifts they put and X on the item and once they got bingo they yelled "BINGO" and got a prize we let the game keep going so several people could get a few prizes and we informed the guests that but you can get one nice prize and only do 1 bingo.

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N.G.

answers from Fayetteville on

G.,
A super inexpensive game we've played at showers consists of 2 items: paper plates and pencils.

The game:
Have everyone write their name on one side of the plate.
Then have them turn it over, place the plate on their head, and draw a baby without looking. It must include a body and face.
You collect the plates for judging.
Mom-to-be picks out the winning picture, but make sure to show off each guest's crazy drawing.
It's a lot of fun!
Enjoy the party!

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T.K.

answers from Fayetteville on

G.,
I have done a couple of showers on a shoestring before....here are a few game ideas....

1) a juice drinking contest from baby bottles....randomly choose 3 or 4 attendees to "chug" from a baby bottle...the fastest chugger wins and it is a ton of fun for others to watch...plus mom to be gets to keep the bottles:)

2) you can place several baby items (diaper, wipes, diaper rash cream, baby wash, towel, etc) on a tray, let attendees look at the tray (maybe as they go through the food line) - it can be the "centerpiece" on the table or something crafty..then cover or remove it from the view of attendees, see who can list the most items on the tray, again, mom to be gets to keep all of the goodies on the tray.

3) guests take turns guessing how many toilet paper squares it will take to go around mom to be's baby bump...mom to be needs to be a willing participant.

Those are the top three I used...

For decorations, I always tried to do things that could roll right into gifts for mom to be...make an "arrangement" of rattles, baby utensils, bottle brushes, etc use these items instead of flowers....you can make them NOW and they won't wilt on a hot day outside. If you know of anyone planning to get her a baby bath tub.... you could maybe coordinate and use the tub for the "ice bucket" for beverages, same goes for a potty seat (new of course) that you could use as one of the serving containers.

As you walk through the baby department I am sure things will pop out that will give you great ideas.

Have a great time planning and throwing the shower.

T.

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J.B.

answers from Johnson City on

*Guess the baby food – peel off labels off the jars of baby food and number your jars. people have to guess what the flavor is without opening it. (make sure you write it down before you take the label off)

*How many are in the baby bottle – fill any baby bottle with any item, candy, safety pins, etc. (i found baby bottle shaped candy in the craft section at walmart.) make your guests guess how many they think are inside.

*How big are mommy and baby? –take a roll of twine, yarn, etc., have each guest cut from the roll how much it will take to wrap around mommy and baby at mommy’s bellybutton. have each person wrap the cut string around mommy and the person who is estimated closest wins.

*Dirty diapers- take a small candy and lightly melt it in the microware in the diaper. have each guest try to guess what type of candy it is without tasting it!

*Guess the baby items in the bag- take a small diaper bag and small baby items. unwrap them and put them all in the bag. have each guest try to guess as many items as they can just by touch. This game can also be given as a gift to the mommy!

*Identify the baby body part on the ultrasound. print sonogram pictures from the internet and have each guest see if they can identify what they are looking at, ie…arm, foot, leg, hand, head, etc.

I have hosted 3 showers and we played these at each shower. They are all a huge hit and rather inexpensive. It's really funny to see grown women sit around and smell what appears to be a diry diaper to try to see which candy it is. Don't be surprised..there is always some lady who has to taste it! lol!

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A.B.

answers from Charlotte on

Baby Showers are fun! You can buy clothes pins (the big wooden kind) and put the baby's name, 2009 or something cute, and give everyone 5 or so when they come in. Throughout the course of the shower, you can't say certain names such as Baby, diaper, the mom's name, or the dad's name or whatever you think will be said several times. Then when they do slip up and say it, the person who catches them saying it takes a clothes pin. The one with the most clothes pin at the end wins. You can do a word scramble of baby items, or do the ABC's of baby stuff, write down one thing that starts with each letter of the alphabet anything from pregnancy, delivery, till after the baby is here. Again it depends on the type of crowd you'll be having. Will you have lots of moms there or friends who are not mothers yet. And if it all fails, just google baby shower games. Good Luck. If you live in the Charlotte area contact me about helping you out with a cake. I have a small cake business out of my home. I'd be more than willing to help you with your cake. Also look into a diaper cake as well, those are fun to make and give!
A. B

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C.H.

answers from Louisville on

The game that Debi B was referring to can be played in baby showers as well where your guests have to refrain from saying the word "baby". The person that collects the most pins (or you can make string necklaces with a baby pacifier - you can find these in craft stores or party places) wins!

Remember you will need a gift for each of the winners. They can be very inexpensive, like a photo frame, a candle, or anything that is funny. I would normally wrap it in different colors to help me identify what was in there!

Have lots of fun! And congratulations Aunt-to-be! :)

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S.W.

answers from Charlotte on

One game played at mine was that we took cotton balls and put them in a bowl scooped them out one handed on a spoon and placed them on a paper plate on our heads who ever got the most up there won a prize. Another fun one is to have a jug or jar on the floor you put a clothes pin between your knees and walk it to the jug or Jar and drop it in. You can't use your hands only your knees it was pretty fun... Hope these help and hope you have a blast!!!
Oh one other thing is you can take a tray and place a bunch of baby things on it (diaper, wipes,clippers, pacifier, bottle, and so on as many as you can put on there.. keep it covered till the time of the game.... Pass it around by walking by each person a couple times then give them paper and pen and have them list everything they saw on the tray who ever has the most correct items on their list wins...
S.

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T.C.

answers from Nashville on

Hi. I have given a many baby shower in my day & I always go back to this site with free printable games. They have crosswords, word searches, etc. all with the baby shower theme. I'm guilty of printing them off at work. lol. I have included the link. Hope this helps!
http://www.babbee.com/baby_shower_games/

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J.T.

answers from Nashville on

We did this at my daughter's baby shower; divide your guests into groups of three or four depending on how many guests you may have. Then tell them to pick one of them to be the "baby", the others get to "diaper" the baby using rolls of toilet paper. The mommy -to-be gets to judge and pick the best! We had so much fun and laughed til our sides hurt!!!

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