I am co-hosting a baby shower for my sister-in-law in a couple of weeks and I am in charge of games. I am having trouble coming up with fun ideas for a large group 25-30 people. I'm trying to stay away from the old standards like word finds and word scrambles but need things that are too time consuming or too expensive because of the large group. Any ideas??? Thanks!
I went to one shower that was several soon-to-be moms and we played a game called "Taking Candy from a Baby". All the guests get a mini Tootsie Roll tied on a string to wear as a necklace. The rule is that you are not allowed to say the word "Baby" (very hard at a baby shower). If you say "Baby" you have to give your necklace to the person you were talking to and the person with the most necklaces at the end wins a prize....very simple!
I attended a shower where they took a few different kinds of candy bars and melted them into diapers one bar per diaper(fun sized) then the diapers were numbered and peopel hada sheet to write down what they thought each one was. look and smell but no tasting or touching. They also played a game where you had to toss wet diapers into the garbage from a ways back who ever got the most won the prize. they is also filling 2 baby bottles with candy like skittles or m&m or mike n Ike then people guess how many are in each bottle. diapers and bottles can be passsed around the room and people can still mingle or you could just set them out on a table and let people go through the table to play. Hope you have a good time!
We played "The Price Is Right" at my sister in law's shower. There was at least 20 people there, and it worked well.
I brought a basket full of items, then everyone had to guess the price for each one. Then, my sister in law kept all the small items as part of her gift from me. I thought it was super fun :) I gave everyone a list of the items and then they filled in the blank as I held up each one and told them where I purchased it (Target, Walmart, BabiesRUs, etc.).
Some of the things I bought were small crib toys, safety items (door latches, outlet plugs), baby tylenol, etc. Small things that she would need. You could add larger items as part of a gift from other family members as well if you wanted to spice up the loot a bit :) Many of them were less than $3, but a few were as much as $10. Since it was part of my gift to her, I felt like spending a little more.
Good luck.
jessica
My sister had a fun, more original game at my shower. On a sheet of paper, she had two lists, one of an adult animals and the other of baby animals. The lists were mixed up, and everyone had a certain amount of time to correctly match as many momma animals to their babies as possible. She used animals that not as many people would be familiar with, like platypus & eagle. I could probably find the list for you if you are interested.
The other game that was pretty fun was changing a diaper on a doll, while blindfolded. Whoever changed the diaper the fastest won. The doll was wearing a sleeper that had to be undone as well as the diaper changed. We didn't make the person put the sleeper back on though! And you did have to find where the diaper was laying while blindfolded....if you have someone who is a good sport, hide the diaper after they put on the blindfold! :)
Both games were inexpensive and we had a large group, around 20 people I think. Good luck & have fun!
This one is sure to get a few laughs: Pass out index cards and pencils to everyone, and ask them to write a typical question that a new parent might ask on one side of the card. (Example: When will my baby start sleeping through the night?) Then have them turn the card over, and pass it a couple of seats to the right or left...the new recipient CAN'T look at the question. Then people write the answers to their own questions on the back of the new card. Take turns reading the original question with the new answer on the back, the result is super funny. (Example, that sleeping question might have the answer to another question like "How old are they when they start to talk?" --which of course would be something like 1-2 years...an answer that parents don't want to hear for sleeping through the night!) There were some really funny pairs like:
"How do you stop a baby from crying" (answer was chocolate and cigars, for "what's a fun way to celebrate the birth in the hispital")
"How long should breastfeeding sessions last" (answer was 3-6 months, for "when do they sleep through the night)
"How can I get my old body back?" (answer was rocking, swinging, shooshing, car rides, for "some ways to soothe a baby")
You get the picture...
At a shower that i went to the hostess had the mom to be leave the room and then asked guests to answer a few questions about what she was wearing. It was fun because noone expected it. It was not announced that this game would be played so none was prepared. They also took and empty shoe box and put some baby items in it. They cut a hole in the top just enough to fit a hand inside. We all had 20 seconds to feel around inside the box and then write down the things that we rememberd feeling. Just a few suggestions that I enjoyed that were not so "traditional". Hope it helps.
gretchen one thing ive seen and played , well i got a couple things, one is every guest arriving gets a baby diaper pin,pin it on self where others can see it, the rule is you cannot cross your legs,who ever crosses their legs and gets caught by some one else gives their pin to the one who caught them, in the end, the one with the most pins wins a prize, this game can continue throughout other games, and during them, end time should be before people start to go home, or when there is an obvious answer to who will win, but you could be caught in a group that is not observant or very observant it plays out differently with different crowds, another game, i fouind fun is a easy, you buy about 15 - 20 small nice items like at a dollar store, glass votives, paper, towels what ever is useful or fun , take these gifts and wrap up each one, then you get three full decks, take out jokers, go around the room and pass out two full decks, no jokers, shuffle the two together beforehand, hand out one card to every person go around till all cards gone, from the two decks, now take the other deck and use it as a call card, the wrapped gifts are in the middle of room on small table, when your card is called, like 2 of hearts, all those with a two of hearts comes and gets a gift, there should be two persons per call, put card on table so we know you used it up, and retreive any gift you pick, call until all cards have been played, what happens is this, all the gifts are gone, during part of game, then you have claim a gift from another person, who previously got one, you have to relinquish this gift, and the person with the card called, puts card on table and gets the one gift from someone, this continues, until all cards have been called, if someone has a card left over let them go get a gift, or watch and make sure you got two per card getting a gift, sometimes a battle of the gift starts, especially if wrapped cute, when all cards are read and everyones cards are gone, the game ends, who ever ends up with a gift gets to keep it, any way if you have any more questions let me know, ive got lots of ideas, deb s
At my baby shower my friend had several really cute games. When everyone got a paper diaper she had made who ever had the dirty diaper won. She drew a baby on a big sheet of posterboard then we played pin the bottle on the baby. Who ever got the bottle the cloest won. We had a guess how many jellybeans in the baby bottle. If you wont you got the bottle the candy and another small gift. Then we also played guess how big the mommy-to-be belly was. They cut off a piece of yarn the legnth they thought would go around the mommy whoever was closest won. Also she got really really nice prizes at a dollar tree you sure couldn't tell they were $1 and we all have a wonderful time.
Hi Gretchen,
My sisters and I have thrown many showers over the years and tried to get creative! We have found that Ikea is a great place to buy cheap but nice Shower gifts! Their candle holders, vases, frames etc... Also Pier Ones clearance spot can be great too!
Blindfold Baby Diapering
Break into even teams (4-5 teams) Every team has a larger doll with clothes! First person to go is blindfolded and they have to undress baby put a new diaper on and redress baby, then the next person repeats. First team done wins!
Bottle drinking
Everyone gets a baby bottle filled with whatever you pick (we usually do water) we fill it to 4oz and everyone drinks at the same time first one is the winner!
My Water Broke
(You get these at the Party Stores)
Tiny little babies, you put them in Ice Cube trays filled with water and freeze them. Eveyone at the shower gets a Baby Ice Cube and first one to melt YELLS "My Water Broke"!
Pillow Talk
Just for fun, not a game. Write down everything the mother-to-be says when she opens her gifts. After all the gifts are opened, explain that her comments were 'what she said on the night the baby was conceived'! Read her comments out loud for some hysterical inuendos.
Balloon Bust
Blow up one balloon per guest and put a piece of paper in each one before blowing them up. one has 'winner' on it. The other have forfeits such as reciting nursery rhymes or singing pop songs. Each guest chooses a balloon and has to burst their balloon by sitting on it before carrying out the forfeit or collecting their prize.
Baby's First Portrait
Each guest receives a paper plate and a crayon. Placing the plate atop their heads. Each guest must draw a "baby". When all guests are done, vote for the best picture
GOOD LUCK!
One game that I have always had good luck with is the knot game. I am not sure what you call it, but everyone gets a knee-high panty hose sock. Tell people they have 30 seconds, or whatever time frame you want, to tie knots into the sock. It is interesting to see how people do it. Some are very neat about it and line the knots up. Some just start tying them on top of each other. Anyway, when time is up then you tell people the first one to get all their knots out is the winner. Very fun!!! Also you could make up baby words and put them on people's back and have them guess throughout the party what word is on their back. They are only allowed to ask yes/no questions. This game helps people interact when you are busy setting up for something else. Have fun at the shower!!
This one is called my water broke. Buy tiny plastic babies that are half inch. I think you can get them at any party store. Then make ice cubes and put the plastic babies in the ice cube trays. Before the game put 1 cube in a cup with water half filled and hand out to each guest. Explain that the first person who's ice cube melts first needs to yell my water broke. They are the winner. It was fun to watch which ice cube was melting the fastest.
Oh! This is actually pretty gross but I will explain it anyway. Get a handful of newborn diapers and several different candy bars (snack size will do). Put a candy bar into each diaper and zap it in the microwave long enough to thoroughly melt it. Pass the diaper around and have everyone guess what the original cnady bar brand was. Blech!
Another game is one that can simply happen on its during the party. Go the the local craft store (Michael's?) and find a tiny baby item that can be pinned or strung (tiny clothes pins or tiny pacifiers). Give one to each guest and explain to the group that if they catch anyone saying a certain word ("baby" or "boy" or "girl", etc.) can steal that person's item. Whoever has the most at the end wins.
Finally, make a basket of diaper bag essentials (diaper, lotion, wipes, baby clippers, bibs, Tide stick, bottle, pacifier, onsie, infant Tylenol, etc.) that pass it around so everyone has a chnace to memorize the contents. Then hide the basket and have everyone write down the items they remember. Whoever wins gets a small door prize but the mom-to-be gets the basket of supplies.
My sister and I are also doing a large shower soon. I founds some great games by googling baby shower games. One different one that I found was that you take different candy bars and put them on poster board and then give them a sheet with questions on it and then they need to match the candy bar with the question. A few examples are "night of conception" would be a Skor candy bar - "Grandparents" answer is Lifesavers - "contractions" would be whoppers. If you can't find it online, let me know. Another that they did at my shower was someone walked around with a tray full of baby items. Then she left the room and they asked questions on what she was wearing. They all expected to be asked questions on the tray and not my friend. Good luck!!
Here are a couple more ideas:
Left-Right game: For my sister-in-laws shower I wrote up a little story about how the birth might be and put in a lot of 'right' and 'lefts' i.e.
On the LEFT side at the end of Sunset Drive, RIGHT on top of a little hill, lived Greg and Andrea. Andrea awoke RIGHT before the alarm from the baby kicking her RIGHT in the ribs. She gave a little scream which LEFT a ringing in Greg's RIGHT ear......
Then you have the guests sit in a circle and randomly had out small gifts to a portion of them (can be 5 or 10 or 15 or however many you want). Then you read the story and every time you say RIGHT, if a person has a gift they pass it to the person on their right and when you say left they pass to the left. At the end of the story if a person has a gift they can keep it. I just got items from the dollar store.
You need to make sure you don't just go left-right-left-right. You need to string some rights in a row as well as with the lefts.
Have people go into groups and give them 5-10 minutes to re-write the lyrics to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Then have them recite or sing their creations. Some are real funny are some a cute. Might not have an actual winner, but a nice keepsake for the mother to be.
Purchase onesies in different sizes, t-shirts, shorts, hats, bibs, burp cloths (sale items or again from dollar store) and some fabric paint and have everyone create a custom designed item of clothing for the baby. Maybe have some books or magazines around for reference - can get from library.
Hope that helps!
I went to one and they played a game were the host put a bunch of small safty pins in a bowl (cereal bowl size) of uncooked rice. You were blind-folded and had one minute to find as many safty pins as possible. It was a lot harder than it seems. The hosts just walked around with the bowl and had people do it while everyone else was mingeling. Just write down the names and how many they found. Whoever has the most wins a prize. I think the most at our party was 10. I'm not sure how this game relates to babies - I think the pins are sapposed to represent diaper pins.
Be prepared for ties because it seems like every shower I go to there is a tie.
some games we played was the diapers with the melted candy bars guess only by sight, no smelling or touching. then we also did where you guess the smell in the diaper.. rub different things in it .. chocolate syrup, lemon juice, hot sauce, cinnomon. anything around the house that smells good or bad works.
we also did a twist to the word game.. we put the babies name on top and then they had to find as many baby items out of those letters ( you could use the mom's name if the babies name is unknowen)
we also handed everyone a paper bag and told them to put it on their head and then to take off something they don't need to be wearing... keep going until someone figures out its the paper bag they don't need to be wearing.
do a list on celeb mom's on one side and thier childrens names on the other side and have them match them up. i found the names on many differnt sites,it was pretty easy to put together and there some strange names out there to pick from!
we did the mother/baby animal match game also... we also matched up the animal to how long they are pregnant (makes ya feel lucky for only 9 mo compaired to some of the animals)
i passed around a tray that had about 15 baby items on it and told everyone to look at it, then took the tray in the other room and told everyone to write down 10 things i was wearing ( i added extra rings and put things on right before i did this so it wasn't what i originally had on to mix it up to come up with the number) after we finished what i was wearing then had them write down the 15 items on the tray... it threw everyone and really made them think but was fun.
we had a few gifts (candles to the over all big winners and then gag gifts baby related for the others) we gave out to the winners but i think we had more fun with the winner getting to wear the crown.. a large diaper what was decorated.
hope some of these help and you have fun!
One game I've played at a shower is finding things in your purse that a mom would have: safety pin, crayon, paper, kleenx, diaper, wipes, band aid, pictures, chapstick, snacks, dr phone #, toys, or whatever else you can come up with. The person with the longest list wins.
Another one we played was everyone had to come up with as many songs as they could that had the word "baby" in it. "Hit Me Baby One Mre Time", "Baby It's You", "There Goes My Baby", etc.
I hosted a shower where we bought little tiny plastic nuks and froze them in ice cubes. Who's ever melted first one a small gift. We also filled up a couple baby bottles with m&m's and jelly beans and had people guess the amounts (worked well because we had a few kids there so we let the kids do the final counting and then eat the candy!). You could also do the baby picture guess where everyone brings a picture of themselves as a baby and everyone gets to guess who's who. We numbered the pictures and handed out pens and paper, later reveiling the correct answers. Good luck and have fun!!
This will only work if your sister in law is still pregnant and a good sport. Pass a skein of yarn around and have everyone cut a length of yarn that they think will fit around her waist. Then have her go around the room and have everyone try their yarn around her. The one closest to the right length wins.
This game was done at my baby shower and I thought it was hilarious. However, by the time I got to the end of the room, I really needed to sit down, so you might want to watch for that. But it was a neat way to get to talk to each of the guests. I had thought that a quicker and easier way to judge the game would be to take a tape measure and just measure my belly and then have everyone measure their yarn. But doing it the hands on way keeps numbers out of it and its a bit funner.