1. Baby Fear Factor
This is not your typical baby food game played at baby showers. Buy about 10 jars of the most disgusting baby food you can imagine. Something like squash and prunes mixed with mashed chicken. Split the guests into 2 or 4 groups, depending on the size of your party. Have each team elect a captain. Each team must finish one or two jars of this baby food delight. Figure 1/4th jar per person. Give each person their own plastic spoon. For sanitary reasons, you could give each person a separate little dish. The captain feeds herself first, then force-feeds her team members until the jar(s) is finished, just like we do to our kids. Each person on the team must swallow at least one spoonful. If anyone complains, tell them that if all those people on TV can eat pig intestines, you can eat a little of what you feed your children. The first team to finish all their jars wins. A good prize might be to give each person on the winning team their very own baby food jar.

2. Change the Diaper
Perfect for couples showers. Each couple is a partner, or pair up in two's if it is not a couples shower. Have a doll already dressed in clothes with a diaper. Each team must change the diaper and put the clothes back on, but each person can only use one hand. Time each team with a stopwatch. You'll get to see who is able to best work together to handle the daily stress of kids.

3. One Word Taboo
As guests arrive, give them one diaper pin. Pick a word or phrase such as "baby", "pregnant", "fat", or "best baby shower I've been to". Tell each guest that they can't use that word or phrase in any conversation. Any time someone hears someone else use that word or phrase, they get to take their diaper pin(s). If they have several diaper pins from catching someone earlier, you get to take all their pins. Whom ever has the most pins at the end wins the game.

4. Help the Mom-To-Be
As each guest arrives, tradition has it to give them an envelope and ask them to write their address on it. When everyone has arrived, all the envelopes are placed in a basket and a winner is drawn. She can use them for her thank you's and won't have to find addresses.

Help the Mom-to-be Big Time: Better yet, do we really want the mom-to-be to waste her time writing 20 thank you notes? It can put a damper on a great party. After the drawing, the host announces that she and the Mom-to-be want to thank everyone for their thoughtful presents, and that the Mom-to-be will be painting the baby's room instead of writing thank you notes. Tell them that they have an opportunity to follow this trend when they have a party. Soon this extremely painful ritual will be a thing of the past.

If you still feel guilty, put a lotto ticket in each envelope and give it back to them. Would you rather have a chance at a million dollars, or a thank you note in the mail? If you prefer, you could place $10 or $20 in a charity chosen by the Mom-to-be in replace of the thank you notes.

5. Baby Pictionary
Split the group into 2 or 4 teams. Write down on individual cards several "actions" that are baby-related and some items, such as going for a walk, changing a diaper, dressing a baby, giving birth, breast feeding, etc. Pick one player from the first team and only show them the card, and tell them to draw what is on the card. Tell them that they can't talk or do charades. The other team members have one minute, or until the sand is gone, to guess the word phrase. Whichever team gets the most right wins. This game is especially loads of fun for people who haven't played it before-make sure to let them have a turn to draw. Our baby's great-grandma kept wanting to spell the hints on paper or tell us the hint she was drawing. I've never seen her laugh so hard-it is one of the fondest memories I have of her.

6. Teddy Bear Rotation
Find a stuffed animal in your house such as a teddy bear. Pass the teddy bear around the room and ask everyone to kiss it. Don't tell them why yet. Starting with the first person you gave the teddy bear to, each person has to kiss the Mom-to-be in the same place that they kissed the teddy bear. This can be a great ice-breaker and a good way for the Mom-to-be to get to know all the guests. Don't get carried away!

7. Rub it in
Give each guest a disposable newborn diaper. Ask everyone to write a personal note to the Mom-to-be, so she can enjoy the diaper changing experience even more as she reads your diaper. For example, you could write: "I'm sound asleep now, but I have to wake up at 9:00 to play tennis", "they say that you really haven't achieved motherhood until you've been up with your baby 90 straight days, how many days do you have left?", "I bet you never thought they would smell worse than the diapers at the baby shower, we tried to prepare you", or "don't worry - you didn't do anything to make your baby cry, it's probably that 9 month colic thing".

8. Tray Game Changeup
Start the traditional tray game by purchasing about 10 small baby items, such as baby rattles, bibs, baby mittens, no-doz for mom, etc. Place them on a tray and have the mom-to-be show them to each guest. Many guests will try to memorize all the items. Ask the Mom-to-be to leave the room with the tray. Give everyone a sheet of paper and pen. Instead of asking them to list the items on the tray, ask them to write down what the Mom-to-be was wearing. Tell them to note the color and article. They can count make-up, sweater, jewelry, hair piece, thong, etc. The one who has the most items with the correct color wins. You'll hear several moans, as some people thought they had all 10 memorized.

You can use these same items for the "Price is Right"(found later), and give them to the guest of honor after the games are finished.

9. This is Your Life
Produce a special videotape for the mother-to-be and give it to her at the shower. Interview every guest and ask them a few questions. It is better to do this in a separate room, perhaps set up with a tri-pod. You will probably get more meaningful responses in a separate room than going around in the main party room. The host may want to assign someone else to be in charge of doing this videotape, so the host can concentrate on running the rest of the shower. You can ask different questions depending if they are a mother, a friend, or relative:

-what was one of the best times you've had with the mother-to-be?
-what is the best part about being a mother?
-what advice do you have for the mother-to-be?
-why would the mother-to-be make a good mother?
-what were the best qualities of your mother?
-what do you want to say to the mother-to-be 20 years from now?

Some people will be serious and some will be funny or you will have a combination. If they are camera shy, tell them to just wish her luck, but still lead with some questions when they get to the room. This can be especially meaningful from the mother-to-be's mother and grandma. The video may be the best gift she receives.

Another thought is to have someone video tape the whole shower or parts of it.

10. Stupid Game
This is a stupid game, but it is a great icebreaker, and it is a random way to pick teams for other games listed here. If you have 15 guests, you may want to break up into 3 teams of 5 people. This can vary. Select 5 nursery rhymes. Write each nursery rhyme on a separate piece of paper. Put the 15 pieces of paper in a basket, and have each guest pick one out. After everyone has a piece, everyone starts humming their nursery rhyme. For instance, if the title was Three Little Kittens, they start humming: "… Lost your mittens? You naughty kittens, then I must buy you some Quickmitt mittens - they won't fall off.", or however the rhyme goes. The object is to find the other 4 people who are humming your same title. You must keep humming as you try to find your other teammates. When everyone is finished, the teams are formed. You can give a prize to the team who found each other first. Note: if you play a lot of team games, you may want to switch teams, so more people may get to know each other.

11. Awesome! Baby!! Did You See That!!!
Make Dick Vitale proud of you by making all 10 diapers in the diaper pale. This can be an individual game or a team game. Set a diaper pale about 15 feet from the shooter. Each person gets 10 attempts at throwing a folded up diaper into the pale. The individual or team with the most in wins.

12. Real Dirty Diaper
This game is sure to get your guests gagging. Number 10 disposable diapers from 1 to 10 with a sharpie. Find the most disgusting items around your house. Use things like tuna fish, vinegar, Lindbergh cheese, warm old egg, cat litter, and garlic. If you want to be authentic, mix in the real stuff. You can use a wet diaper from a baby or use your pooper-scooper and get some from the back yard. Or use your imagination. This will give the Mom-to-be a real "taste" of life to come. You'll be doing her a favor. You can get some great pictures of guests holding diapers up to their nose. The game is best played in teams of about 3 to 5 people. Have each team figure out what they think is in each diaper, and write it down next to the number. Whichever team gets the most right wins.

13. Boring Game
This is a boring game. Do not play this game. Trust me! If you play this game, you run the risk of throwing a really boring baby shower. I have seen this "traditional" baby shower game played many times, and it is boring. If you play this game, do not tell others that this website promoted it.

The object of the game is to guess how big the Mom-to-be's waist is. Take turns giving each guest a ball of string or yarn. Tell them to cut a length of string that would just fit around the largest part of the mother-to-be's stomach. No fair putting it around your own or someone else's stomach or using a calculator to figure the circumference of a circle with a given diameter. Whatever you do, do not tell them that pi is 3.141592654. You can use ribbon or toilet paper as well. Use a few balls of string if you want to speed things up.

After everyone has a piece, each guest wraps their string around the mommy to see how close they are. The closest one wins. Boring!

14. Major Ice Breaker
A baby shower typically can have several small-related groups of people who have never seen each other. This game gets people talking to each other and in the mood for more fun. Prepare name tags for each person. In addition to their names, write what their name means. Click on Baby Name Meanings to get a list of name meanings. Also, write down a baby-related item. As each guest arrives, place their name tag on their backs. Masking tape can be used also. Have the guest ask questions to other guests about what their baby item is. You can only ask each person 3 questions, and they can only answer yes or no. At the same time they can guess what their name meaning is. The first one to get his item correct first wins a prize and the first one to guess their name meaning wins a prize. When someone finally figures out their word, after asking you a question, you can tell them the meaning of their name, if they haven't guessed it yet. People really enjoy knowing what their names mean as well. Note: instead of writing baby-related items on the name card, you could write "famous Moms", "Disney characters", or "children's names on famous TV shows".

15. The Price is Right
Buy 10 or 12 baby-related items such as a baby book, baby mittens, a baby rattle, etc. Purchase small envelopes and cards from a florist shop. Write down the name of the item on the envelope and the price of the item on the card. Seal them all. Put everyone's name in a hat, and pick out three people to start the game. Make sure that each time you call out someone's name you scream "Bertha, Come-on Down!!" Show the 3 contestants the item, and tell them to guess the price, but they can't go over. The person who is closest to the price without going over wins the round. If you have enough items, you could have 3 items for each round. Call 3 more people from the audience. After everyone has had a turn to come up, have a playoff with all the winners, to see who wins the grand prize.

16. Yuuuk !!!
Some guests thought their dirty diaper changing days were over. Make a nasty sticky paste with things you may have in the pantry. Perhaps use peanut butter, something green like smashed peas, molasses, and maybe throw in some Lindbergh cheese.

Collect: 1 large doll, some cloth diapers, and some diaper pins, a case of wipes, and a bottle of baby powder.

Each guest can have a turn, or if time is an issue, form teams and half of the team can do it. The host spreads the poop all over the baby's behind and puts a diaper on and some pants. This diaper and pants can be used for each person. Remember, each guest must take off the diaper, clean the babies behind completely, spread the baby powder, and put the diaper and pants back on. The guest who changes the diaper the fastest wins. If there are teams, add up each person's times on the team.

17. Baby Fear Factor II - Guessing Game
This is a variation of the traditional baby food guessing game. Split up into 4 teams again.

Buy 5 different types of baby food jars. If you have 3 teams, buy 3 jars of each type of baby food. Mark the lid and jar itself after the label is off with a number from 1 through 5, and note what the contents are. Place a spoon in each jar of baby food. Give each guest a paper plate and a spoon. The objective of the game is to identify each of the 5 kinds of baby food, and write them down on a piece of paper. When the host says "go", each team begins. You can smell the jars and examine them. If you are really daring and want to win, you can spoon some of the jar on your plate and taste it. The team discusses and tries to agree what to write down. Remember, unless you taste it, your team may not listen to you.

Make sure when you buy the baby food, that you don't pick out something like applesauce, that is too easy. Buy real nasty baby food - make them earn it if they want to win.

18. Pin the Pacifier
Wouldn't it be nice to be 5 years old again? You probably haven't played this game since you were a kid. The game is similar to pin the tail on the donkey. Place a pin through a rubber pacifier or a copy of a pacifier. Find a picture of a crying baby on a Clipart program and enlarge it to about 11x17. Turn them around and place them in the general direction of the wall. Closest to the baby's mouth wins.

19. Three Little Kittens
Find a nursery rhyme book. Pick out phrases from several nursery rhymes. Select a lot of phrases, because they go quick. You can break up into teams or everyone can play individually. The host reads a phrase such as "we sadly fear our mittens we have lost"

Anyone who knows the title of the nursery rhyme yells out: "Three Little Kittens". Whom ever gets the most titles right wins a prize. Instead of a free for all, this game could be played on paper by writing all the phrases on a list and giving each person a copy to figure the titles, but the interaction of the first way can be more fun.

20. Baby Bingo
Make a bingo card, draw lines for 5 squares going horizontally and 5 squares going vertically. Copy the master and give each person one card and a pen before opening the presents. Ask them to fill the squares up with items that they think the mother-to-be will receive. They can only write down 1 item in 1 square and cannot use the same item in more than one square. Each time a present is opened, the guest can mark an "x" on the square if the present matches their card. The first one to get 5 in a row yells bingo. You can keep playing the game until all the presents are opened.

21. Clothesline Mama
Collect plenty of clothespins and a real life size baby. Ask 2 guests to hold a clothesline across the room. Put several articles of clothing in a clothesbasket. Each guest tries to hang as many clothes as they can in a minute. But the trick is they have to hold a cell phone to their ear, and hold a 2-month old crying baby. Remember to tell them that the baby cannot hold its head up yet, so it must be supported the entire time.

22. Baby Scattegories
Write down several categories such as:

-what you can do at 3:00 in the morning
-baby names
-things baby's eat
-things baby's play with or games to play
-famous kids names from TV shows
-occupations your baby could be when he/she grows up

Use a Scattegories die or write each letter of the alphabet on a piece of paper and put it in a jar. Pick one letter out or roll the die. The guests have to write down all the baby's names, for instance, that begin with that letter. You can give them one minute per category or use a sand timer. You get one point for each item. Who ever gets the most points after say, 5 rounds, gets a prize. Since there will be a lot of people there, let people get a point even though some one else wrote down a same word. It would be too confusing to score and a high number of items would be eliminated, if you didn't allow ties.

23. Keepsake Scrapbook
Prepare several cards that fit into your scrapbook. Ask each person to write a note about: how great it is to be a mother, advice to be a good mother, or their best wishes.

Make sure to get cards from both mothers and grandmothers of the parent-to-be. Include all the candid pictures from the party. Also include mementos from the party such as the invitation and team scores from games. You can dress the scrapbook up as much as you want to. She'll love you for it.

24. Sculpture Mania
Separate the group into teams. Write down several baby-related items on individual pieces of paper, fold them up, and put them in a basket. Buy a few cans of play dough or clay. The host picks a name out and tells one person on each team what is on the paper. This person has to make the object out of the clay or play dough. Each team can yell out several words until the sculpturer says they're right. Play several rounds and switch the sculpturers each round. Whichever team gets the most words right wins.

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