11 Baby Shower Games That Are Actually Fun (and Free!)

Baby showers are a fun way to celebrate a new life, and to give parents a day to relax with friends. The right baby shower games will help to keep your guests entertained, and make the day a memorable one. 

We have compiled a list of 10 baby shower games which are actually fun, and they won’t break the bank! Most of the supplies you will already have in your cupboard, and because they are uncomplicated even the hosts can enjoy themselves:

1. How Big is Her Belly?

You Need: A ball of string, scissors.

You’re probably showing off your baby bump by now, but just how big is it? Seat your guests in a circle and give the first player a ball of string and a pair of scissors. Ask them to guess how big Mum’s belly is, by cutting a piece of string which they think could fit around her middle.

Pass the string around and when everyone has had a turn, Mum can measure her belly, wrapping around her back and over her belly button. The winner is the person whose string is the closest in length.

Suggestions: If you don’t want to use string, ask your guests to guess how many cm they think your tummy is. Use a soft tape measure to find out!

2. Painting Competition

You need : Paint, brushes, and canvas or paper

Pick a theme and get your guests to paint their own masterpieces. You can download some pre-sketched drawings that can act as background for a splash of colour. Then have a vote on who’s painted the ultimate masterpiece!

Or if you can’t be bother organising it yourself, professionally organised paint & sip (including non-alcoholic sipping) parties are a lot of fun. Most providers (such as Pinot and Picasso baby shower packages) have dedicated packages for mums-to-be and will be able to come to your venue of choice.

3. The Balloon Wobble Race

You need: Balloons

When you are heavily pregnant it can be hard to walk, and this gives guests a taste of what it feels like! This is a relay…with a difference. Sort the guests into teams, and have them stand single file in lines.

The first person in each line is given a balloon, and when the time starts they have to blow it up and place it between their legs. They then have to run (waddle) along a distance before returning and passing the balloon to the next person. When everyone has completed the race, the last person has to pop the balloon to determine who is the fastest team. Any team who pops the balloon before the end has to start over!

Suggestions: To make it trickier you can state that the balloons need to be passed without hands.  

4. Quick! Dress the Baby

You Need: Baby dolls, doll clothes, nappies, and swaddling wraps. Ask your guests in advance as many will already have items on this list.

The time pressure of this game can lead to hilarious results, as baby wrapping can be a delicate art! Ask everyone to select a partner and choose a baby doll. They then need to decide who will be the Mum and who will be the Dad. Each baby doll should be dressed with a nappy, clothes, and swaddling blanket. 

Starting with the “Mums”, the baby should be unwrapped, undressed, and the nappy removed. The “Dads” then need to reverse the process, starting with the nappy. Whichever team changes and wraps the baby quickest are the winners. 

Suggestions: To make the game more complicated, you could include bathing the baby doll before redressing. Using old fashioned cloth nappies with safety pins will also make things more interesting!

5. Find Your Match

You Need: Sticky labels and a felt tip pen.

When your baby shower guests don’t know each other, this game is the perfect icebreaker. On sticky labels write a list of names, ensuring each one has a pair. For example, one could be Mickey, and the other, Minnie. Each guest has one sticker stuck to their back, and their mission is to find their match.

Players can ask questions to determine who they belong to, but the answers can be “yes”, or “no” only. It is OK to ask, “am I a boy?”, but not “who am I?”

Suggestions: Other pairs could be Batman and Robin, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Meatballs and Spaghetti, Gin and Tonic, or Bert and Ernie.

6. How Well Do You Know Them?

You Need: Signs, quiz questions, tokens.

Seat every guest and give them two signs, one with each of the parents names. The host will have a list of quiz questions about the couple, and as they are asked the guests should hold up one sign with their chosen answer.

Questions could be; “Who does the dishes?” “Who snores the loudest?” “Who has the most annoying habit?” 

You can make the questions as fun, or as embarrassing as you like. For example, it might have been love at first sight and you could ask “Who said I love you after just one date?” Or, someone might have a funny quirk such as “Who is afraid of monkeys?” When someone guesses correctly, hand them a token. Chocolate coins, or paddle pop sticks will work well. Whoever has the most tokens is the quiz champion.

Suggestions: If you prefer you can give your guests a print out with questions, and they can fill them out throughout the day. If you have a large number of guests, you could even allocate teams.

7. My Water Broke!

You Need: Ice cube tray, mini baby dolls, water, cups.

In the lead up to the baby shower, place mini baby dolls in an ice cube tray before filling with water, and freezing. If you know the sex of the baby you may like to add a drop of pink or blue food colouring to each ice cube prior to freezing. When you offer your guests a drink, the game can begin! 

Place one frozen baby in each glass of water, and serve to your guests. The first person to have melted ice should hold up their baby doll and scream “My Water Broke!” 

Suggestions: If you have trouble sourcing mini baby dolls or want to use something you already have, try lego characters! To complement the baby theme you can serve their drinks in baby bottles.

8. Guess the Baby Food

You Need: Jars of different baby foods, spoons, blindfold, pen, and paper.

If you have ever tried baby food you will know it’s not particularly appetizing, and that is what makes this game entertaining. Line up a variety of baby food jars, ensuring each label is covered. 

The players take turns being blindfolded, and have to try to guess which flavour each baby food is. The aim is to get the most correct guesses.

Suggestions: You can mix it up and double the laughs by having other soft foods which you already have in the cupboard such as tomato sauce, and vegemite.

9. Who is That Baby?

You Need: Baby photos of your guests, pin up board, pins, pens, and paper.

For this game the host will need to request a baby photo from each guest. Each photo should be pinned to a board with a number. 

After everyone has had a chance to introduce themselves, they can then write their guesses of who is who on a piece of paper. When the owner of each baby photo is revealed, who will have the most correct guesses?

Suggestions: This can be organised prior to the event by requesting digital files for printing. Alternatively, photos can be collected on the day. If you are at someone’s home, the photos could be stuck to the fridge with magnets.

10. Nappy Decorating

You Need: Nappies, and waterproof coloured markers.

This is a fun activity which will give your guests the chance to be creative. Start with a pile of nappies (try these free baby samples), and ask each person to take one. The aim is for everyone to decorate a nappy with a personal message or drawing. 

Once the artwork is complete the nappies will be put aside for the new parents. Sleep deprived nappy changes will be that little bit easier when they are met with a message from a friend.

Suggestions: Name each nappy before you begin, and remind the artists to only decorate the outside. If you like, you can ask the guests to draw something specific such as what they think the new baby will look like.

11. Who Sang Baby?

You Need: Paper and a pen for each guest.

Test the group’s knowledge of popular culture with a music quiz! The aim of the game is to secretly write down as many songs as you can think of featuring the word “baby”. Set a timer for 2 minutes, and when the time runs out whoever has the most songs on their list…wins! 

Suggestions: You may like to offer bonus points for anybody who can remember, and sing, the lyrics. Being in tune is optional. Songs could include, “Baby” by Justin Beiber, “Hit me Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, “Baby Love” by the Supremes, and “Always be My Baby” by Mariah Carey. To make this one of the more modern baby shower games, create a playlist on Spotify or your favourite music streaming service, with some of likely candidates. Then, you can play the song to check what the lyrics really are!

The best things in life are free – including baby shower games

Baby shower guests of all ages will love these free (or inexpensive) baby game ideas. They are casual, fun, and easy to set up. There will be no eye-rolling, as these games are designed to get everyone mingling and getting to know one another. 

Just make sure you have someone taking photos, since some of the mid-game reactions will be hilarious!

Once you’ve chosen games for your baby shower, it’s time to look for some unique baby shower decorations to make your party stand out!

These are just a few ideas for your baby shower, which ones will you choose?

Anna Wood is a freelance writer and mother of 3