Baby Shower Games Can be Fun and Inexpensive
by Jennifer Barnett

Description: Easy, creative baby shower game ideas for any budget.
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Are you planning a baby shower? Are you trying to figure out what to do? If so, here are a few fun baby shower game ideas for you.

The key to great baby shower games is to be short and fun. The games will serve as ice breakers if the guests do not know each other, and the themes should always be babies. For a typical baby shower in which no full meals are served, expect to be able to play two or three games.

ICEBREAKER GAMES

These games will get your guests interacting.

Who Am I, the Baby Version - In this game, players are each given a piece of paper with the name of a famous person on it. They do not look at the name, but tape it to their forehead. They then must figure out who they are by the reactions of the other guests. In the baby version, consider using only famous celebrity mothers, or perhaps cartoon characters. Be creative!

Who Is That Baby? - Before the party, have guests send you photos of themselves as a baby. Have each guest try to match the baby picture with the correct adult. The person with the most matches wins.

Don't Say It - When guests arrive, give them each a pacifier on a ribbon which they can wear over their neck. Instruct them that they are not allowed to say "baby" during the party. If another guest catches them at it, the can take their pacifier. At the end of the party, the guest with the most pacifiers wins.

WORD GAMES

Baby Boggle - Come up with a fun sentence about the baby and the mother-to-be. See how many baby related words guests can make in three minutes from the letters. Everyone reads their list, crossing off duplicates, and the person with the most remaining wins. Use a phrase such as "So there's going to be a new [parents' last name] in the world!" Advice Poem - Have someone write down a short piece of advice to the new mother. Then have the next person write down a line to create a poem about advice they have for the new mom. Continue with each guest adding a line, but each time, fold the paper so that the only line visible is the last one that was written. At the end, have someone read the finished poem. It is sure to contain lots of good advice in quite a funny way. This can also be done with guests writing a poem about the mother-to-be. This is especially good at a "Pamper Mommy" themed party.

Time Capsule - Have each guest write a short note to the baby. Seal the notes in a plastic bag and place them in a box for the mother-to-be, telling her she can open them with her child on his or her fifteenth birthday.

GAMES WITH GIFTS

Assuming everyone is bringing a gift, you can easily create a game around them.

Baby Box - Ask every guest to bring a small item such as a rattle or a pacifier. As they arrive, place the items in a box which has a small hole cut in the side. After all the guests have arrived, give each person 20 seconds to touch as many items as they can (no peeking!), then have them write down what they felt. The person with the most correct wins.

ACTIVE GAMES

These games will get the guests up off the couch.

Diaper Tower - Have guests stack as many diapers as they can without the tower falling over. Of course, the mother-to-be gets to keep the diapers!

Tree Planting - Have guests help plant a tree in honor of the baby. This is especially nice if the mother-to-be recently moved into a new home. (Of course, get her input on the type of tree she would like.)

Dirty Diapers - Buy ten different chocolate candy bars (Snickers, Hershey's, etc.). Melt the bars and put each into a separate diaper. Hang diapers along a clothesline before the guest arrive. Give each guest a piece of paper and have them smell all the diapers (take lots of pictures!). The winner is the guest who correctly identifies each candy bar.

OTHER GAMES

Are You Hungry? - Before dessert is served, bring in a tray of various baby foods, with the labels removed. Number each bottle and have the guests look at each (no tasting or smelling!) and write down what they think it contains. The winner is the person who identifies the most correct foods.

Pacifier Pass - Have everyone put a pen or pencil (or chopstick) in their mouth. Place a pacifier on the end of one of the pencils. Guests must pass the pacifier around the circle without using their hands. If a guest drops the pacifier, they are out. The winner is the last person still in the circle.

Bottle Race - Time guests drinking juice from a bottle - the fastest time wins! This is best done as a race, with white grape juice or something else that won't stain. And once again, the mother-to-be keeps the bottles.

GIFTS FOR THE WINNERS

Gifts for the winners of the baby shower games can vary, but something inexpensive like shower gel or coffee will do nicely. Or guests can rack up points for each game they play (100 to the winner, 90 to second place, etc.) and at the end of the night the grand prize winner can take home something a little nicer, such as a restaurant gift certificate or bottle of wine.

While you can buy baby shower games from most party stores, the games that are the most fun are those you create with the mother-to-be specifically in mind. A new mother will also appreciate it if any of the games result in baby items she can keep, and the guests will love a door prize. One way to get something every mother needs: tell guests that there is going to be a raffle, and the cost of entry is a pack of diapers. They can enter as many times as they would like. Then either buy or make a gift basket. For instance, the prize could be a bottle of wine, pasta, sauce, parmesan cheese, and some yummy cookies in a basket. It could also be a gift certificate to a restaurant or spa. This will keep the new mother in diapers for quite awhile!

Jennifer Barnett is a successful party planner providing valuable tips and advice on planning a baby shower that is inexpensive, fun for the guests with baby shower games, and choosing the perfect baby shower gift. http://www.about-baby-showers.com

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