The best baby shower games are short, easy to explain, and get people laughing, without putting anyone on the spot.
Baby shower games have a reputation for being a little cringe, but the right ones break the ice, mix friend groups, and give everyone a story to tell. The trick is choosing games that fit your guests and keeping them short.
Here are 35 baby shower games and activities, sorted into classic, funny, no-supply, co-ed, and virtual picks, plus how to choose the right number of games, prize ideas, and a few safety notes for the parent-to-be.
Key Takeaways
Plan two or three games for a typical two to three hour baby shower.
Pair one active game with passive games like bingo or a guessing jar that run in the background.
Classic picks: baby shower bingo, guess the baby food, the dirty diaper game, and don’t say “baby.”
Co-ed and virtual showers work best with team games, trivia, and polls.
Keep foods safe for pregnancy and drinks alcohol-free for the guest of honor.
Table of Contents
How to Pick the Right Baby Shower Games
The right baby shower games depend on your crowd. A small group of close friends can handle silly, hands-on games. A big mixed crowd with coworkers, grandparents, and kids does better with easy, no-pressure games people can play from their seats.
A few rules of thumb from experienced hosts:
Plan two or three games: for a typical two to three hour shower. More than that starts to feel like a schedule.
Mix one active game with one or two passive ones: passive games (like a guessing jar or a bingo card) can run in the background while people eat and chat.
Check with the parent-to-be: some people hate being the center of attention, and belly-measuring games are not for everyone.
Keep it inclusive: pick games that work for guests who do not have kids and for partners at a co-ed shower.
Have small prizes ready: candles, hand cream, gift cards, plants, or mini bottles of hot sauce for the winner.
Classic Baby Shower Games
Baby shower bingo: guests fill a bingo card with gifts they think the parent-to-be will open. They mark squares during gift opening. Keeps everyone paying attention.
Guess the baby food: label jars of baby food with numbers and cover the labels. Guests taste or sniff and guess the flavor.
Dirty diaper game: melt a different candy bar into each of several clean diapers. Guests guess which candy is in each one. It is gross-looking and always gets laughs.
Don’t say “baby”: everyone gets a clothespin or ribbon. If you hear someone say “baby,” you take their pin. Whoever has the most at the end wins.
Baby photo match: guests bring a baby photo of themselves, and everyone tries to match photos to people.
Who knows mom-to-be best?: a quiz about the parent-to-be’s favorite foods, childhood, and how the couple met.
Guess the due date and weight: guests write their prediction for birth date, weight, and length. Whoever is closest wins after the baby arrives.
Price is right: guests guess the cost of common baby items, like a pack of diapers or a box of wipes. Closest total without going over wins.
Funny Baby Shower Games
Baby bottle chug: volunteers race to finish a baby bottle of juice or soda. Watching adults try to drink from a nipple is the whole point.
Diaper the baby, blindfolded: contestants put a diaper on a baby doll while blindfolded. Time it.
Mommy or daddy?: read out funny statements (“Will be the first to cry at kindergarten drop-off”) and guests vote for which parent it describes.
Pin the sperm on the egg: a grown-up spin on pin the tail on the donkey. Best for close friend groups.
Baby animal names: match the animal to its baby name: kid (goat), joey (kangaroo), cygnet (swan), kit (fox), calf (whale).
Nursery rhyme fill in the blank: read the first half of a rhyme and guests finish it. Speed round for a tiebreaker.
Guess the bump: guests cut a length of ribbon or string they think will fit around the belly. Only play this if the parent-to-be is happy to join in.
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Short on time? These games need nothing but people and a phone or pen:
Purse or phone scavenger hunt: call out items (a pacifier-sized item, a receipt over 50 dollars, a photo of a pet). First to show it wins a point.
Baby name race: pick a letter and guests write as many baby names as they can in one minute.
Two truths and a lie, parent edition: the parents-to-be share three facts about their own childhoods.
Advice round: each guest shares one piece of real advice or one funny prediction for the baby.
Celebrity baby names: read unusual celebrity baby names and guests guess the famous parent.
Baby Shower Games for Co-Ed Showers
Co-ed showers and couples showers work best with team games and friendly competition:
Diaper changing relay: teams race to diaper a doll and pass it to the next teammate.
Onesie decorating station: guests decorate plain onesies with fabric markers. The parents get a stack of one-of-a-kind outfits.
Baby trivia: questions about newborns: how many diapers a newborn uses in a day (often 8 to 12), how many hours newborns sleep (about 14 to 17 in 24 hours), and when babies start smiling (around 6 to 8 weeks).
Cornhole or giant Jenga: outdoor lawn games with a baby-themed twist, like writing advice on the blocks.
Guess the parent’s baby food: the parents-to-be taste blind and guess, while guests bet on who gets more right.
If newborn sleep comes up during trivia (it will), our newborn sleep schedule guide has the real numbers.
Virtual Baby Shower Games
For family across the country, these games work on a video call:
Digital bingo: email bingo cards ahead of time and play during gift opening.
Baby emoji pictionary: guests decode baby phrases written in emojis, like a moon and stars for “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Virtual scavenger hunt: guests race to find household items on camera.
Who said it?: read quotes from the parents-to-be and guests guess which one said it.
Online trivia poll: use your video app’s poll feature for quick quiz questions.
Baby Shower Activities That Aren’t Games
Not everyone loves games. These activities still give guests something to do and leave the parents with keepsakes:
Advice cards: guests write advice, wishes, or predictions for the baby. Read them during late-night feeds.
Diaper message station: guests write funny or encouraging notes on diapers for those 3 a.m. changes.
Book instead of a card: each guest brings a favorite children’s book with a note inside the cover. It starts a library on day one.
Letters to baby: guests write a letter to open on the baby’s first or 18th birthday.
Freezer meal swap: guests bring a labeled freezer meal for the first weeks home, which many new parents call the most useful gift of all.
Most baby shower games are harmless, but a few tweaks keep things comfortable for the pregnant parent. Skip games that involve tasting raw or undercooked foods, unpasteurized soft cheeses, or deli meats that have not been heated until steaming, which the FDA and ACOG advise pregnant people avoid because of listeria. Make any drinking games alcohol-free for everyone, or at least for the expecting parent.
Also avoid activities with a lot of standing, heat, or physical exertion late in pregnancy, and give the guest of honor a comfortable seat with back support. If she has a medical condition like preeclampsia or is on modified activity, keep the games low-key and seated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most popular baby shower games?
The most popular baby shower games are baby shower bingo, the dirty diaper candy bar game, guess the baby food, don’t say “baby,” baby photo match, guess the due date and weight, and who knows mom-to-be best.
How many games should you play at a baby shower?
Two or three games is usually right for a two to three hour baby shower. Add a passive game, like a guessing jar or bingo during gift opening, so guests stay engaged without the schedule feeling packed.
What are some baby shower games that aren’t cringe?
Games that don’t feel awkward include baby shower bingo, baby trivia, a purse or phone scavenger hunt, onesie decorating, a baby name race, and advice cards. They are quick, inclusive, and don’t single anyone out.
What are good baby shower games for a co-ed shower?
Team games work best at co-ed showers: diaper changing relays, baby trivia, the baby bottle chug, onesie decorating, mommy or daddy, and lawn games like cornhole.
What can you play at a baby shower without supplies?
Games that need no supplies include a purse or phone scavenger hunt, a baby name race, two truths and a lie, an advice round, and celebrity baby name guessing.
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