Baby showers with both parents are becoming even more popular than showers with just the expectant mother and her friends and family. This trend is awesome and really allows both partners to feel celebrated and a part of the event. Whether the expected arrival is traditional, or via adoption or surrogacy, the anticipation of a new baby is always exciting and showers are a big part of that! With both parents-to-be attending showers now, shower games are becoming a little bit trickier. Games can serve as an icebreaker, as well as a way to fill the event time, so it’s always a good idea to have at least 2-3 different games up your sleeve and ready. The easiest and most entertaining games to choose are those that have an element of competition, especially between the expectant parents! Here are five easy baby shower games that are sure to be a hit at your party.
Diaper Changing Challenge
Listen y’all, you are going to want to have a camera ready for this one! Stage a table with a sheet or towel, two lifesize baby dolls, and some diapers. Make sure each doll is already diapered at the start of the game – raise the difficulty level by adding a blindfold or smearing some melted chocolate or peanut butter in there and having a couple of tubs of dollar store wipes at the station. Choose two people to begin the game – it’s always an instant hit when you begin with the expecting parents competing against one another. Get your stopwatch ready and blow a whistle to start them off. Require them to completely change and clean their doll or stuffed animal and re-diaper. The first one to finish is the winner! Write down everyone’s time and give a prize at the end to the person with the shortest time. Be prepared to have some tie-breaker rounds. Ensure you’ve got a good prize like a date night – restaurant or movie gift cards – and you’ll have invested contestants.
The Newly Parented Game
This one is a bit of a spectator game but the other guests can get involved by placing bets or guesses to the new parents’ answers. Honestly, this game is just so amusing to watch, you’ll have some entertained audience members for this one. To really stick to the traditional “newlywed game” style, choose three different sets of parents – obviously, your new expecting parents are the newest parents, then choose a set of parents with elementary-age kids, and a set of parents with teenagers. Have them all face-off by hiding half of each couple in another room and asking the remaining set a series of questions. They’ll then guess how the other parent would answer. These questions can range from preferred diaper brand to bedtime, curfew time, whether vegetables will be required at each meal, etc. Get creative and have fun with it! Award first, second, and third prizes to the winners – gift cards, bottles of wine, or coffee are always great gifts for this one. This game can and will eat up a decent amount of time so if you choose this one, it might be the only one you need to play!
Baby Bump Twister
Who doesn’t love a good game of twister? This game gets even crazier and more challenging by trying to compete with a balloon or soccer ball in your shirt! Try getting your left foot on red and right hand on green with that happening! Have face-offs and tournaments to determine a winner and ensure you’ve got a good prize like a six-pack of beer and sunglasses or a gift card to a local brewery. Participation will be a cinch to get with this game! Take lots of photos for the parents to put in the baby book so they can enjoy and remember for years to come.
Baby Pictionary
You can order custom playing cards online, or easily create your own and print them on cardstock. Laminate them for extra durability. Include items that have to do with a baby – put some simple ones in there like “pacifier” or “bottle” of course, but make sure to include some challenges and laughs like “breast pump,” “diaper blowout,” or “mom in labor,” etc. Have an easel with a big flip pad of paper and some markers for the active player. Form two teams and have them guess what each drawing is. Hilarity will ensue!
Stroller 500
If you have an accessible outdoor space like a driveway or backyard, or even if your event is taking place somewhere with a gym or basketball court – you won’t want to miss this one. Create a racetrack using spray paint or painters tape – you can do a straight track or a circular one. Purchase a couple of cheap umbrella strollers or have a couple of guests bring one so you have two. Start the stopwatch, blow the whistle, and have two people pushing strollers race to the finish line. The first one there wins! Keep a record of everyone’s times and award the winner(s) at the end. An empty or filled stroller each provides their own set of challenges so it’s up to you whether to plop a diaper bag and a stuffed animal or baby doll in there. You could even say time lost if the baby falls out of the stroller. For example, you could mark off three seconds for each item dropped. Be creative and have fun with this one. You may even want to offer medals for the winners!
Baby shower games have gotten a bad rap and are usually the most hated part of any baby shower. But, having good games will be a total game-changer – pun intended. And making sure you’ve got a selection of good prizes at the end of your game time is the easiest way to get attendees to participate. You’ll be creating fun and memorable moments for everyone who attends!
