If you're just a few weeks away from having your baby, you're probably busy planning your baby shower. Or maybe you're throwing a surprise party for a pregnant friend and need some fun games to keep everyone entertained. We've got you covered with some of the best baby shower games to help your guests have a great time!
Planning a baby shower can feel a bit overwhelming. There’s a lot to think about—sending baby shower invitations, picking out fun games, choosing a baby shower gift, deciding on a theme and decorations, finding a baby shower cake (and maybe a nappy cake!), and figuring out the food and drinks. It can seem like a never-ending list.
But don’t stress! We’ve picked out some fantastic games and ideas to help you plan the perfect baby shower. Let us help make your celebration fun and memorable!
The best baby shower games everyone will love to play
Icebreaker baby shower games
All about mum
What you need: Pen and paper.
Before the party: Find out as much as you can about the mum-to-be and write a series of questions about her.
How to play: Guests (either individually or in teams) answer the questions based on what they think the mum-to-be’s answers would be. The person or team with the most correct answers wins!
Baby predictions
What you need: Baby prediction cards (We love this one 20 pack Baby prediction card from Amazon).
Before the party: Prepare or purchase a set of baby prediction cards.
How to play: Guests fill out the cards with their predictions about the baby’s name, date of birth, weight, and other details. This game doesn’t have a winner on the day, but it makes for a fun keepsake to look back on when the baby arrives.
Guess the baby photo
What you need: A baby photo of each guest, a board or handout for photos, and answer sheets.
Before the party: Collect baby photos from all the guests. Prepare a board or handout for displaying the photos.
How to play: Guests guess who each baby photo belongs to. The person with the most correct guesses wins!
Baby pictionary
What you need: Paper, markers, and a list of baby-related words or phrases. You can hand out colouring pencils like this chuncky STABILO woody 3 in 1 - Pack of 6 - Assorted Colours with Sharpener.
Before the party: Prepare a list of baby-themed words or phrases for Pictionary.
How to play: Guests take turns drawing baby-related words or phrases while others guess what they are. The person or team with the most correct guesses wins!
Mummy and daddy trivia
What you need: A list of trivia questions about the parents-to-be.
Before the party: Prepare trivia questions about the parents-to-be and their relationship.
How to play: Guests answer questions about the parents-to-be. The person with the most correct answers wins!
Funny baby shower games
String around the bump
What you need: String and a slip of paper for each guest.
Before the party: Include a ball of string and a slip of paper with the invitation, explaining the game.
How to play: Guests cut the string to the length they think will fit around the mum-to-be’s baby bump. At the party, try out all the lengths, and the closest guess wins!
Nursery rhyme karaoke
What you need: A karaoke machine or a way to play karaoke tracks, and lyrics for nursery rhymes.
How to play: Guests take turns performing nursery rhymes karaoke-style. Judges or the crowd can vote for their favorite performance.
Baby shower word search
What you need: Printable baby-themed word search puzzles and pens.
Before the party: Create or print baby-themed word search puzzles.
How to play: Guests complete the word search puzzles. The first person to finish or the guest with the most words found wins!
Active baby shower games
Blindfolded nappy changing
What you need: Blindfolds, baby dolls or teddy bears, nappies, and babygros (one set per guest).
How to play: Guests, blindfolded, must remove and replace a nappy on a doll and put on a babygro. The quickest and most accurate participant wins!
Balloon pop race
What you need: Balloons and pins. Make it festive with these colourful confetti balloons from Amazon.
How to play: Divide guests into teams. Each team member inflates a balloon and places it under their top. Once everyone has a balloon, they pop them in order. The team that completes this the fastest wins!
Baby shower scavenger hunt
What you need: A list of baby-related items or clues and small prizes.
Before the party: Hide baby-related items around the party area or prepare clues for a scavenger hunt.
How to play: Guests work in teams or individually to find the items or solve the clues. The team or individual who finds the most items or solves the clues first wins a prize.
Feed the baby
What you need: Aprons or bin bags, blindfolds, and pots of baby food (if you’re not keen on pureed veggies or fruits, any jarred soup works too!)
How to play: Guests are divided into pairs. One member of each pair feeds the baby food to their partner while blindfolded. The pair who finishes the pot of baby food first wins!
Baby bottle chugging
What you need: Baby bottles and a drink (e.g., juice, water).
How to play: Fill baby bottles with a drink. Guests race to see who can drink the contents of their bottle the fastest. The fastest drinker wins!
Baby bingo
What you need: Bingo cards with baby-related items or phrases and markers. This teddy bear baby bingo cardwill just melt hearts!
Before the party: Create or print out bingo cards with baby-themed words or phrases. Provide markers or pens for guests. We love theseFelt-tip pen with cap-ring STABILO Cappi. They're perfect for parties because the cap-ring ensures you never lose a pen cap, even in the midst of chaos. We've all experienced that moment, so you can thank us later!
How to play: As the host calls out the baby-related items or phrases, guests mark them on their bingo cards. The first guest to complete a row or column shouts “Bingo!” and wins a prize.
Nappy raffle
What you need: Raffle tickets and a prize for the winner.
Before the party: Include a note about the nappy raffle in the invitations, asking guests to bring a pack of diapers to enter.
How to play: Guests who bring diapers receive a raffle ticket. At the party, draw a ticket to determine the winner of the prize.
Break the water
What you need: Mini plastic baby dolls (one for each guest) and an ice tray. We love these 50 Pcs Mini Plastic Babies from Amazon. You've got this game covered for the next mum-to-be!
Before the party: Freeze a baby doll inside each ice cube slot of the ice tray.
How to play: Guests receive a frozen block of ice with a baby inside. They must melt the ice to free their baby. The first guest to free their baby wins!
Fun baby shower guessing games
Baby shower charades
What you need: A list of baby-related words or phrases for charades.
Before the party: Prepare a list of baby-related charades prompts.
How to play: Guests take turns acting out baby-related words or phrases without speaking, while the others guess what it is. The guest or team with the most correct guesses wins!
Name that baby tune
What you need: A playlist of baby-related songs and a way to play them (e.g., speaker, computer).
How to play: Play short clips of baby-related songs. Guests guess the song title or artist. The guest with the most correct answers wins!
Guess the celebrity baby
What you need: Printed pictures of celebrity children without their famous parents.
How to play: Guests guess the celebrity parent of each child. For a tech twist, create a slideshow of the images.
Baby song challenge
What you need: Pen and paper for each guest.
How to play: Guests write down as many songs as they can think of that include the word “baby” in the title. Set a five-minute time limit, and the guest with the most correct song titles wins!
What’s that baby food?
What you need: Unlabeled jars of baby food, paper and pen for each guest.
How to play: Fill jars with different baby foods and place them on the table. Guests smell each jar and write down their guesses. For added difficulty, guests can be blindfolded.
Guess the number of candies/chocolates
What you need: A jar filled with candies/ chocolates and a prize for the winner. The Quality Street or Cadbury Herous tub would work well in this game.
Before the party: Fill a jar with candies/chocolates and write down the total number of candies.
How to play: Guests guess the number of candies/chocolates in the jar. The guest with the closest guess wins the jar of candies!
What’s in the diaper bag?
What you need: A diaper bag and a variety of baby items (some obvious, some unusual).
Before the party: Fill a diaper bag with various baby items. Keep a list of the items inside.
How to play: Guests take turns reaching into the diaper bag (without looking) and try to identify the items by feel. The guest with the most correct guesses wins!
Who’s that baby?
What you need: Baby photos of famous people or cartoon characters.
How to play: Show guests photos of famous babies or cartoon characters as babies, and have them guess who they are. The guest with the most correct answers wins!
Tips on planning a baby shower
Pick someone you trust
Etiquette says the mum-to-be shouldn't plan her own shower (but if you do want to then go for it!) When deciding on a host, choose a friend or family member you trust to do things your way, and accept you won't have too much input!
Choose the right time
Most women have their baby showers at around 36 weeks, as by then you have normally finished work, and the arrival of your baby seems imminent! Around two hours is usually a good amount of time.
Check the guest list
It's ok to keep things small and intimate, but make sure you check the guest list with the mum-to-be first to ensure you've not missed someone important!
Choose a baby shower theme
Think afternoon tea, with some thank-you cupcakes for guests to leave with. If you know the sex of the baby, you can have fun with pink or blue, if not, opt for golds and neutral colours. Or you could take inspiration from the nursery decor, like Olivia Bowen did with her safari themed baby shower.
Do a baby shower wishlist
Of course, there are some baby essentials that make great baby shower presents, but to avoid everyone turning up with Sophie the Giraffe or Ewan the Sheep, ask the mum-to-be to make a baby shower wish list.
How do you make a baby shower fun for everyone?
Mix and mingle activitiesNot everyone at the shower will know each other, so plan some icebreakers to get people talking. Simple activities like a bingo game with guests’ names or a “find someone who” scavenger hunt can really help everyone connect.
Involve everyoneMake sure your activities are inclusive so that everyone can join in, no matter their age or how well they know the parents-to-be. You want everyone to feel comfortable and included!
Music and dancingCreate a fun playlist to set the mood! If there’s enough space, a little dancing can really lighten the atmosphere and get everyone in the party spirit.
How can I make my baby shower more fun?
Interactive food stationsSkip the traditional buffet and set up some fun food stations where guests can whip up their own snacks. Think taco bars, cupcake decorating, or even a DIY drink station. It’s a great way to get everyone involved!
Memory sharingInvite your guests to share their favorite parenting tips or funny baby stories. You can have a guestbook or a “story jar” where they can write down their thoughts. Plus, why not set up a little photo frame with Instax cameras? Guests can snap pics and stick them in—it’s a perfect keepsake!
What to do at a baby shower instead of games?
There are so many fun things you can do instead of traditional games! Consider having a lovely lunch at a restaurant, booking a pottery-making class, or even treating the mom-to-be to a massage. Anything that feels relaxing and pampering is a win! A getaway to a spa or just a chill brunch can be perfect too.
About the author
Anne Lora Scagliusi is a Senior Digital Writer at Mother & Baby. She is a Scotland-based journalist with over a decade of international writing experience, specialising in women’s health, maternal mental health, and wellness. Her work has been featured in Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, and Glamour and has appeared on several Vogue global editions. She is mum to a one-year-old bambino and lives between Italy and the UK.