by Danielle Schultz *
Appeared in “Space Coast Parent” April 1998
There is nothing like a baby shower to bring out the “kid” in us. Enjoy some of the following traditional and original baby shower games at the next baby shower you give or attend.
Daring Diapers…
Who could have a baby shower without diaper games? You may want to plan ahead and ask guests to bring extra baby dolls for some of these games.
Pick A Diaper
Purchase a package of newborn disposable diapers. Take one per guest and put into a bag. Place either a glob of peanut butter or a squirt of chocolate syrup in one of the diapers, then fold back into original shape. Have each guest pick a diaper. The guest selecting the “dirty” diaper wins. Give the remaining package of diapers to the guest of honor.
Diaper Corsages
Cut one triangle for each guest from white felt. Place a dab of mustard or chocolate syrup in the center of one of the triangles. Fold the triangles like a diaper, and then close with a safety pin. Give each guest a diaper to wear, attaching with a straight pin. Near the end of the shower, have everyone undo their diapers. The one with the dirty diaper wins.
Diaper the Doll
Gather a few disposable diapers, baby powder and baby dolls. Have a race to see who can diaper a doll the fastest. The mom-to-be then gets the remaining diapers and baby powder.
Cloth Diaper Challenge
Purchase a package of cloth diapers and diaper pins. Give each participant a baby doll, a diaper and two pins. (Let mom-to-be watch to learn some tips, and some “how not to’s.”) See who can finish with the most secure diaper.
Bottles…
Each of the activities below uses a baby bottle and other items. After each game, present the bottle and unused items to the mom-to-be.
How Many Cotton Balls?
Gather a baby bottle and a package of cotton balls. Have everyone guess how many cotton balls will fit into the bottle. Allow everyone to count as the cotton balls are stuffed into the bottle. The guest with the closest guess wins.
Bottle Races
Fill several baby bottles with apple (or other pulp-free) juice. Have a race to see who can finish the juice first. Give a new bib to each participant to wear during the race.
Guess How Many
Count the items as you fill a clear baby bottle with jelly beans or other small candies. Allow each guest to guess how many jelly beans are in the bottle. The person with the closest guess wins, and gets to share the jelly beans with the other guests.
Assorted Fun…
Baby Item Bingo Make home-made bingo cards filling the squares with baby items such as: bottle, blanket, pacifier, nightgown, stroller, carseat, monitor, etc. Place the words in different squares on each card. Give each guest a card, and have them mark their cards as the gifts are opened. The first one to get a bingo wins. As a variation of this game, instead of giving the guests filled out bingo cards, you may give each guest a blank bingo grid at the beginning of the shower. Allow the guests to fill in the blanks themselves with the presents they think might be given. Play as described above.
The Big Belly
There are a few different ways to gauge the size of the mom-to-be’s belly. One method is to have a roll of toilet tissue and have everyone tear off the number squares they think will measure around the mother-to-be’s belly. You can also do this with yarn, string or ribbon. The closest guess wins.
Take the Clothes Pin
Give each guest a clothes pin to pin to their clothing. If a guest catches another guest crossing her legs, she may take the “leg crosser’s” clothes pin. The person with the most clothes pins wins.
Nursery Rhyme Game
Read a Mother Goose Rhyme book to create riddles for everyone to answer. For example, you might ask, “Who had so many children she didn’t know what to do?” (The little old woman who lived in a shoe.) “Who would eat no lean?” ( Jack Sprat’s wife).
The Name Game
Get your hands on a baby name book. Write the meaning of the names of the guests on slips of paper. Read the meanings to the group and have them guess whose name it is describing.
What Food Is It?
Purchase several varieties of baby foods. Take the labels off and write a number on each with permanent marker. List the type of each next to the number on a piece of paper. Pass the foods around and let everyone guess what food each is.
Baby Names
Give each participant a piece of paper and pen/pencil. Ask them to write down as many animal mother/baby pairs as they can think of. Example: Cow/calf, kangaroo/joey, horse/fowl, etc. Whoever can think of the most in 60 seconds wins.
