Baby shower games: 50 fun ideas in 7 groups, plus a 3-game plan for any crowd

The short answer: the best baby shower games are short, easy to explain and fun for guests who barely know each other. Pick two to four: an icebreaker, one game during gift opening and one or two quick group games.

• Two to four games is plenty, and keep each under 15 minutes
• Classic for gift opening: baby shower bingo
• Mostly strangers: bingo, find the guest who, price is right
• 50 ideas in 7 groups, a three-game starter plan and prize ideas are below
• Next step: Get the free fall baby shower games (we email it to you); want more? The Newborn Baby Tracker is $3.99.

The best baby shower games are short, easy to explain and fun for guests who barely know each other. Pick two to four: one icebreaker as people arrive, one game that runs during gift opening (baby shower bingo is the classic), and one or two quick group games in between. Below you'll find 50 baby shower game ideas in 7 groups, a table to match games to your crowd, a ready-made three-game plan and a simple timeline so nothing runs long.

How to choose baby shower games (the quick rules)

Before you print anything, check with the parent-to-be. The Emily Post Institute's baby shower hosting guide puts it plainly: many honorees and guests don't care for shower games, so ask whether they want games at all and which ones they'd enjoy. Then use these rules of thumb:

1. Two to four games is plenty. A shower usually runs two to three hours, and food and gifts are the main events.
2. Keep every game under 15 minutes, except the one that runs quietly during gift opening.
3. Mix the formats. One pen-and-paper game, one talking game and one keepsake activity covers shy and outgoing guests.
4. Skip anything that could embarrass the mom-to-be. Belly measuring and diaper "taste tests" are fine for some groups and awful for others. Ask first.
5. Let people sit out. Guests can watch and cheer without playing, and a good host doesn't push.
6. Have small prizes ready. One per game plus a spare for ties.

Baby shower games: 50 ideas in 7 groups

Every idea below is a short description you can run with pens, paper and things you already own. Choose by group, then check the table in the next section.

Icebreakers for arrival (8 ideas)

1. Guess the due date. Guests write a date and time on a card. Whoever is closest after the birth wins.
2. Guess the baby's stats. Weight, length and hair color, all on one card. You choose the winner after the birth, so collect phone numbers.
3. Baby photo match. Guests send a baby photo ahead of time. Pin them up with numbers and have everyone guess who's who.
4. Name tag nickname. Each guest writes a baby-themed nickname on their name tag, such as "Auntie Snack Drawer."
5. Don't say "baby." Give everyone a clothespin or sticker. If someone says the forbidden word, the person who catches them takes the pin. Most pins at the end wins.
6. Find the guest who. A bingo-style card with prompts like "has changed a diaper this year" or "was born in winter." Guests mingle to fill squares.
7. Prediction cards. Will the baby have mom's nose? Sleep through the night by six months? Guests fill in a card the parents open later.
8. Wishes for baby. A jar of blank cards by the door. Guests write one wish for the baby's life.

Pen-and-paper games (8 ideas)

1. Baby shower bingo. Squares name common gifts, such as wipes or a swaddle. Guests mark them as gifts are opened. First full row wins.
2. Baby word scramble. Scramble 15 to 20 baby words, such as "rattle" as "telatr" or "bottle" as "tlobet." Fastest correct sheet wins.
3. Baby name race. Pick a letter and set a two-minute timer. The longest list of real names wins.
4. Nursery rhyme quiz. Finish the line: "Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the..."
5. Baby animal match. Pair each animal with its baby name: kangaroo and joey, goose and gosling.
6. Baby song or movie emoji quiz. Show emoji clues for kids' books or songs. Guests decode the titles.
7. Mad libs for new parents. A short story about the first week home, with blanks for nouns and verbs. Read the funniest aloud.
8. Baby trivia. Ten questions about babies in general, such as how many teeth come in during the first years. Keep the answer key handy.

Games about the parents (7 ideas)

1. How well do you know mom? Twenty questions about her childhood, favorite foods and pregnancy cravings. Ask her the answers ahead of time.
2. Who said it: mom or dad? Collect answers from both parents-to-be, then guests guess who said each one.
3. Would she rather. "Diaper duty or night feeding?" Guests predict mom's answer, then she reveals it.
4. The parent shoe game. For a co-ed shower, the couple sits back to back holding one of each other's shoes and raises one to answer questions like "Who will be the stricter parent?"
5. Guess the baby photo of the parents. Mix the parents' baby pictures in with a few friends' photos.
6. Mom's childhood timeline. Put five life events in the right order. Fastest correct order wins.
7. Parent prediction showdown. Who will cry first at the birth? Who will do bath time? Guests vote with a show of hands.

Active and team games (7 ideas)

1. Diaper changing race. Teams race to diaper a baby doll while wearing oven mitts.
2. Bottle-drinking race. Volunteers race to finish a baby bottle of juice or water. Fill bottles only partway.
3. Baby bottle bowling. Fill bottles with water as pins and roll a small ball.
4. Pacifier hunt. Hide pacifiers around the room before guests arrive. Most found wins.
5. Diaper bag relay. Teams race to pack a diaper bag from a pile of supplies, including a few silly decoys.
6. Clothesline relay. Teams hang baby clothes on a string with clothespins. Fastest line wins.
7. Pin the pacifier on the baby. A poster of a baby, a paper pacifier and a blindfold.

Guessing games (7 ideas)

1. Price is right. Show ten baby items and have guests guess each price. Closest total wins.
2. Guess how many. A jar of candy, cotton balls or safety pins. Closest guess wins.
3. Baby food taste test. Cover the labels on six to ten jars and number them. Guests taste and guess the flavors.
4. What's in the diaper bag? Guests reach into a closed bag and name items by touch.
5. Memory tray. Show a tray of 15 baby items for 30 seconds, cover it, and have guests list what they saw.
6. Measure the bump. Guests cut string to the length they think fits around mom's belly. Only play this if she says yes.
7. Melted candy bar diapers. Guests guess which candy bar is melted in each diaper. Many hosts skip this one, so ask first.

Keepsake and craft activities (7 ideas)

1. Advice cards. Guests write their best advice for the new parents. The Emily Post game ideas list suggests picking winners at random or choosing the funniest and best.
2. Build baby's library. Guests write a favorite children's book in a journal, with one line on why. Some bring the book itself.
3. Decorate a onesie. Plain onesies and fabric markers. The parents go home with a stack of one-of-a-kind outfits.
4. Diaper messages. Guests write short notes on diapers for those 3 a.m. changes.
5. Bib or burp cloth station. Iron-on letters or fabric paint for simple designs. For more on this topic, see our baby shower planning.
6. Letters to baby. Guests write a letter to open on the child's first or 18th birthday.
7. Time capsule. Collect cards with today's prices, top songs and news headlines in a box to open later.

Virtual and hybrid baby shower games (6 ideas)

1. Virtual bingo. Email cards before the call. Guests mark them as gifts are opened on camera.
2. Scavenger hunt at home. Call out items, like a baby photo or something yellow. First to show it on camera scores.
3. Online trivia. The host reads questions aloud, and guests type answers in the chat.
4. Baby photo guessing. Share a slide of numbered baby photos.
5. Name that lullaby. Play the first few seconds of each song. First correct answer in the chat wins.
6. Group advice slideshow. Collect advice ahead of time and present it as a slideshow during the call.

Match the game to your crowd

Not every game fits every guest list. Use this table to narrow your list fast.

If little ones will be at the party, keep pacifiers, safety pins, candy and other small game pieces off low tables. The HealthyChildren.org choking prevention guide from the American Academy of Pediatrics lists coins, marbles, balloons, toys with small parts and hard candy among common choking hazards for young children.

Funny baby shower games that stay kind

Funny games get the biggest laughs, but humor at a shower should never land on the mom-to-be's body or weight. These stay light:

• Mad libs for new parents, read aloud by the person with the best dramatic voice.
• The shoe game, because the couple's answers rarely match.
• Diaper changing with oven mitts, which is hard for everyone, including grandparents.
• Don't say "baby," which gets funnier as the gifts come out.
• Bottle-drinking race, with grown adults trying not to laugh.

A starter plan: three games for any baby shower

If you only want one plan, use this. It works for 10 to 30 guests and needs pens, cards and one printout.

That plan mixes a quiet game, a talking game and a keepsake, and none of it puts the guest of honor on the spot.

Baby shower timeline: where games fit

A two-and-a-half-hour shower usually flows like this. Shift the times to match your start.

Gift opening is often the longest stretch. Emily Post's guidance notes that with 30 guests, opening gifts can take 30 to 60 minutes, which is exactly why bingo works so well there. While the gifts come out, have one person write down each gift and who gave it, so thank-you notes are easy later.

Baby shower game prizes that guests actually use

Small and useful beats themed clutter. Good prizes include:

• Hand soap or lotion
• A candle
• Chocolate or a favorite snack
• Kitchen towels
• A small plant
• A coffee shop gift card

Plan one prize per game, plus one or two spares for ties. Wrap them in the shower colors and set them on the gift table, where they double as decor.

Hosting tips that keep games running smoothly

• Print and prep five days ahead. Pens, clipboards or hard backs, prize bags and answer keys in one box.
• Assign a game helper. One friend explains the rules and keeps time so the host can enjoy the party.
• Put the answer key in your pocket, not on the table.
• Read the room. If a game is dragging, call a winner early.
• Give the keepsakes to the parents. Advice cards, wishes and letters go home in an envelope with the gift list.

A thoughtful extra: help the parents get organized

Games are the fun part, and the gift that keeps helping is something that makes the first weeks easier. The Newborn Baby Tracker ($3.99, printable) is a 14-page PDF with feeding, diaper and sleep logs, pediatrician visit notes, a growth tracker and a vaccination record, so the details are written down and easy to find at checkups. Print it and tuck it into a card, or pair it with the shower's guest gift list.

For a bigger gift, the Family Life Admin Bundle ($15.99, $23.95 when bought separately) includes the Newborn Baby Tracker plus a kids chore chart, pet health records, a meal planner and grocery list, and a family recipe binder. Browse all printables, see every bundle, or shop the family collection.

Planning the rest of the party? Start with our baby shower food ideas, see how I'm planning a baby shower on a budget for 30 guests, grab our free fall baby shower games, help the parents build a baby registry checklist, and see gifts for new parents. Hosting a wedding shower next? Our bridal shower games page has free printables.

For the full checklist and timeline, see our guide on how to organize a baby shower.

Hosting a reveal before the shower? See 50 cheap gender reveal ideas under $25 (safe, no fireworks).