20 Baby Shower Game Ideas
These baby shower game ideas are the ones I have actually played at real showers, not just read about online, in living rooms, gardens, and one very competitive church hall.
How I picked these: I kept games that need almost no setup, work for mixed ages, and let the mum-to-be join in without standing up, bending down, or being embarrassed. If a game needed expensive props, left anyone out, or took more than fifteen minutes, it did not make the list.
Key Takeaways
- Play three games maximum, and keep each one under fifteen minutes.
- Always have a calm, seated game for the mum-to-be and older guests.
- Prepare everything the night before, including pens, paper, and prizes.
- Give a small prize for every game, and a tiny prize for the funniest answer too.
- Explain the rules once, slowly, and demo one round before the real game starts.
Baby Shower Game Ideas That Guests Actually Enjoy
1. Baby Bingo, the Classic That Never Fails
I print bingo cards with gift words like nappy, bottle, blanket, and booties, and guests mark off each word as the mum-to-be opens her gifts.
At my sister’s shower, the bingo kept even the shyest guests engaged during gift opening, because everyone had a reason to watch. The downside is that it only works if gifts are opened at the party, so I skip this one entirely if the mum-to-be prefers to open gifts at home.
Pro Tip: Offer two prizes, one for a full line and one for a full house, because the second prize keeps late players interested.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free to print / 10 minutes to play / Easy. Best for 8 to 30 guests.
2. The Price Is Right, Baby Edition
I lay out eight everyday baby items, nappies, wipes, a bottle, a dummy, a bib, baby shampoo, a teether, and a small toy, and guests guess the price of each one without going over.
The most competitive guest at one shower was a grandfather who had not bought nappies in forty years, and his guesses were wildly, hilariously wrong. The downside is that prices vary by shop, so I now print the shop name on the answer sheet and I accept the nearest guess as the winner.
Pro Tip: Let the mum-to-be keep all eight items afterwards, because that turns the game into a genuinely useful gift.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $25, kept as a gift / 15 minutes / Easy. Best for 6 to 25 guests.
3. Baby Shower Charades
I write baby-related words on slips of paper, nappy change, first steps, midnight feeding, baby bath, and teams take turns acting them out without speaking.
The midnight feeding mime, with a guest rocking an invisible baby at three in the morning, made the whole room laugh until it hurt. The downside is that charades can drag if teams are large, so I cap teams at five players and I limit each round to one minute.
Pro Tip: Put a one-minute timer on your phone where everyone can see it, because an invisible timer feels unfair.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 15 minutes / Easy. Best for 8 to 20 guests.
4. Don’t Say Baby
I give every guest a small peg or a bead necklace on arrival, and anyone who says the word baby loses theirs to the person who caught them.
At one shower, the mum-to-be lost her own peg within five minutes and spent the rest of the party whispering the word infant instead. The downside is that guests forget the game is running, so I announce the scores twice, once halfway through and once at the end.
Pro Tip: Use beads, not pegs, for guests with delicate clothes, because pegs can mark silk and fine knitwear.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $5 for pegs or beads / All afternoon / Easy. Best for any group size.
5. Diaper Raffle with a Twist
I ask each guest to bring a pack of nappies for a raffle ticket, then I draw one winner for a prize at the end of the party.
The mum-to-be at one shower went home with six months of nappies, which she called the most useful prize she had ever won. The downside is storage, so I now ask for smaller packs, sizes one and two only, and I keep a big bag ready for the mum-to-be to carry them home.
Pro Tip: Draw the raffle before gifts are opened, so the winner’s excitement does not get lost in the gift pile.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $10 for the prize / 5 minutes / Easy. Best for 10 to 40 guests.
6. Guess the Baby Food
I peel the labels off six jars of baby food, number them, and guests taste a tiny spoonful of each and guess the flavour.
The look on guests’ faces when they tasted the meat flavour was priceless, and it is still a running joke in our family. The downside is allergies and strong dislikes, so I now check for food allergies first, I use only fruit and vegetable jars, and I never force anyone to taste.
Pro Tip: Cover the jars with paper and tape, not just peeling labels, because jar shapes and lid colours give flavours away.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $12 for six jars / 15 minutes / Easy. Best for 6 to 20 guests.
7. Baby Shower Trivia
I write twenty questions about babies in general, how many nappies a newborn uses, when babies first smile, plus five personal questions about the mum-to-be, which I check with her beforehand.
The personal questions are always the best part, especially when guests discover they know nothing about the mum-to-be’s childhood. The downside is that trivia can feel like a test, so I keep the tone light, I read the answers out loud, and I give a prize for the funniest wrong answer too.
Pro Tip: Mix easy and hard questions fifty-fifty, because an all-hard quiz embarrasses guests and an all-easy one bores them.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 15 minutes / Easy. Best for 8 to 30 guests.
8. Nursery Rhyme Quiz
I print the first line of twelve nursery rhymes with the last word missing, and guests fill in the blanks as fast as they can.
At one shower, a guest sang the whole rhyme out loud instead of writing it down, and the whole room joined in. The downside is that guests argue about versions, so I now accept any recognised version of a rhyme and I say so before we start.
Pro Tip: Play this one early, while guests are still settling, because it works as a gentle icebreaker.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 10 minutes / Easy. Best for 6 to 30 guests.
9. Measure the Bump
I hand out lengths of ribbon and guests cut what they think matches the mum-to-be’s bump, then we measure each ribbon against her bump with a tape measure.
One guest cut a ribbon twice as long as needed and blamed it on generous optimism, which made everyone laugh. The downside is that this game can feel personal, so I always ask the mum-to-be privately first, and I skip it entirely if she is not comfortable.
Pro Tip: Use ribbon, not string, because string curls and stretches and causes arguments about the result.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $3 for ribbon / 10 minutes / Easy. Best for 6 to 25 guests.
For party planning beyond games, Related article: my farm birthday party ideas show how I run stations and rotations at bigger parties, which works just as well for a large baby shower.
10. Baby Name Race
I give guests two minutes to write down as many baby names as they can starting with one letter, then we compare lists and cross out duplicates.
The arguments about whether a name counts are half the fun, especially with unusual spellings. The downside is that name games can touch a nerve if the parents have already chosen a name, so I check with them first and I avoid the letter their chosen name starts with.
Pro Tip: Set a timer everyone can see, because two minutes feels much longer when you are stuck on the letter Q.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 10 minutes / Easy. Best for 6 to 25 guests.
11. Toilet Paper Bump Game
I split guests into small teams, give each team a roll of toilet paper, and they wrap one team member to look like a pregnant belly, with a judging round at the end.
The winning belly at one shower had a paper bow tie and a tiny paper hat, and the photo is still in our group chat. The downside is mess, because toilet paper shreds everywhere, so I now play this one outside or on a wipeable floor, never on carpet.
Pro Tip: Use cheap two-ply paper, because expensive thick paper is hard to tear and slows the game down.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $6 for rolls / 15 minutes / Easy. Best for 10 to 30 guests.
12. Memory Tray Game
I lay out fifteen baby items on a tray, a dummy, a sock, a teether, a small bottle, a bib, and so on, cover it after thirty seconds, and guests write down everything they remember.
The guest who remembered all fifteen items was a grandmother who had raised five children, and nobody was surprised. The downside is that thirty seconds feels short, so I now show the tray for a full minute and I let guests walk past it once before covering it.
Pro Tip: Number the tray positions in your head, because it makes marking the answers much faster afterwards.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free using items from home / 10 minutes / Easy. Best for 6 to 25 guests.
13. Left Right Gift Game
I read a short story packed with the words left and right, and guests pass a wrapped gift left or right each time they hear one, with the guest holding it at the end keeping it.
At one shower the gift travelled around the room three times and ended up back with the person who started with it, which felt like fate. The downside is that fast readers ruin it, so I practise reading aloud once beforehand and I pause slightly after each left and right.
Pro Tip: Wrap the gift in several layers, because unwrapping it in front of everyone is part of the excitement.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $8 for the gift / 10 minutes / Easy. Best for 8 to 25 guests.
14. Jenga Tower Challenge
I write a baby-related dare or question on some of the Jenga blocks, sing a lullaby, name a baby item, and guests read out whatever block they pull.
The dare that made everyone groan was changing a doll’s nappy blindfolded, which took far longer than anyone expected. The downside is that a falling tower is loud, so I play this on a low table away from the gift table, and I keep a dustpan nearby for the blocks.
Pro Tip: Let the mum-to-be skip the dares and answer questions instead, because climbing under a table for a block is not for her.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $12 for a game set / 15 minutes / Easy. Best for 6 to 15 guests.
15. Who Knows Mum Best
I ask the mum-to-be ten questions in advance, her favourite food, her first job, her dream holiday, and guests guess her answers. I collect the mum-to-be’s answers in writing beforehand, because asking her live slows the game down and puts her on the spot.
The question that split the room was her favourite film, which even her sister got wrong. The downside is that personal questions can embarrass, so I approve every question with the mum-to-be first and I drop anything she hesitates over, no questions asked.
Pro Tip: Give a bonus point for the funniest answer, because the funniest answer is usually more memorable than the right one.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 10 minutes / Easy. Best for 6 to 30 guests.
16. Baby Shower Emoji Quiz
I print ten nursery rhymes and baby items written only in emojis, and guests decode them as fast as they can. I test the sheet on one friend first, because an emoji puzzle that is too clever is just frustrating, and I keep the answers on a separate sheet for marking.
The bottle plus moon plus star clue stumped everyone for five minutes, until a teenager solved it in seconds. The downside is that emoji meanings differ by phone, so I print the sheet in colour and I avoid emojis that look different on different devices.
Pro Tip: Offer a hint after three minutes, because a stuck room goes quiet fast and the energy drops.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 10 minutes / Easy. Best for 6 to 25 guests.
17. Pass the Parcel, Baby Edition
I wrap a small gift in ten layers, put a tiny treat or a forfeit in some layers, and play music while guests pass it around, stopping the music to unwrap one layer. I use a playlist I control from my phone, and I keep the forfeits gentle, like singing one line of a lullaby.
The guest who won the final layer at one shower had also won two treats along the way, and nobody minded, because the game itself was the fun. The downside is that music licensing and volume matter in hired halls, so I keep the volume low and I use my own playlist, not a speaker system I cannot control.
Pro Tip: Mark the layers with numbers, because guests sometimes unwrap two layers by accident in the excitement.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $10 for the gift and treats / 15 minutes / Easy. Best for 10 to 30 guests.
For dessert table inspiration after the games, Also read: my Halloween dessert table ideas show how I build a table at different heights, a trick that works for any party theme, not just Halloween.
18. Guess the Due Date
I put up a calendar page and guests write their name on the date they think the baby will arrive, plus the time if they want to be precise. I keep the calendar on display all afternoon, and the closest guess wins a small prize, with a second prize for the closest time.
At one shower, a guest guessed the exact date and time, and we all decided she must have insider knowledge. The downside is that due date games can add pressure if the baby is late, so I frame it as pure fun, I never share guesses with the mum-to-be’s doctor, and I keep the tone light.
Pro Tip: Use a big paper calendar, not a phone screen, because everyone can see it and join in at their own pace.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $3 for a calendar print / All afternoon / Easy. Best for any group size.
19. Baby Photo Match
I ask guests in advance to send a baby photo of themselves, print them without names, and everyone guesses who is who. I print them at home on plain paper, I number each one, and I keep a master list in my pocket so I can mark answers quickly.
The photo that fooled everyone was a guest who looked exactly the same as an adult, just smaller. The downside is privacy, so I only use photos guests send willingly, I collect the prints at the end, and I never post them online without asking each person first.
Pro Tip: Ask for photos two weeks ahead, because chasing them in the last two days is stressful and some guests will forget.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $5 for printing / 10 minutes / Easy. Best for 8 to 25 guests.
20. Wishes and Advice Cards
I set out cards and pens all afternoon, and guests write one wish and one piece of advice for the new parents, which I collect in a keepsake box. I print a gentle prompt on each card, because blank cards make guests freeze, and I read a few favourites out loud at the end.
The advice that made the mum-to-be laugh hardest was sleep when the baby sleeps, and also sleep when the baby is awake, if you can. The downside is that advice can turn preachy, so I remind guests to keep it kind and short, and I quietly remove anything unkind before the box goes home.
Pro Tip: Use thick cards, not thin paper, because thin paper curls in a warm room and looks untidy in the keepsake box.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $6 for cards / All afternoon / Easy. Best for any group size.
Baby Shower Game Ideas at a Glance
| Game | Best For | Time | Group Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Bingo | Gift opening | 10 minutes | 8 to 30 |
| Price Is Right | Competitive guests | 15 minutes | 6 to 25 |
| Don’t Say Baby | All afternoon | Ongoing | Any size |
| Guess the Baby Food | Brave guests | 15 minutes | 6 to 20 |
| Memory Tray | Calm moments | 10 minutes | 6 to 25 |
| Wishes Cards | Keepsakes | Ongoing | Any size |
Mistakes I Made / What I Learned the Hard Way
Playing too many games. My first hosted shower had seven games, guests were exhausted by game four, and the last three were played to an empty room. Now I play three maximum, and I cut one if the party is running late.
Forgetting spare pens and paper. I once had twenty guests and six pens, and the first ten minutes of every game were spent borrowing pens. Now I buy a pack of cheap pens and I count them the night before, like a teacher on exam day.
Choosing games that embarrassed the mum-to-be. I played a game that put her on the spot in front of everyone, and she laughed politely but told me afterwards she had hated it. Now I approve every game with her privately, and I skip anything she hesitates over.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many games should I play at a baby shower? Three is my answer for most showers. It gives structure without taking over the party, and it leaves time for food, gifts, and proper conversation.
How long did your games actually take? Most took ten to fifteen minutes, exactly as planned, except trivia, which ran long the first time I played it. Now I cap trivia at fifteen minutes and I stop reading questions when the timer goes off, even mid-round.
What would you do differently next time? I would prepare a backup calm game, like wishes cards, in case a planned game falls flat. Having a quiet option ready means I never have to improvise in front of a room full of guests.
For the next celebration after the baby arrives, Read this next: my first birthday cake ideas will help you plan a first birthday, including a safe smash cake and a family cake everyone can enjoy.
Final Thoughts
If I could keep only three of these baby shower game ideas, I would keep Baby Bingo, Don’t Say Baby, and Wishes Cards, because they cover gift time, the whole afternoon, and a keepsake the parents will treasure. Add one funny game if your group loves to laugh, and you have a complete plan.
