35 Baby Shower Games for Every Group Size

Baby shower games fail for one of two reasons: they need the mother-to-be to perform, or they need guests to be extroverts. Everything on this list avoids both. It is organized by how much time you have and how many people are coming.

Pick four games, not twelve

A common mistake is planning a long game programme because the shower is three hours long. It is not a game show - guests came to talk. Four short games, twenty minutes total, is the number that works. Choose one arrival game, one group game, one game about the baby, and one closing game.

No-prep games (pen and paper only)

• Baby predictions - birth date, weight, hair color. Read them out after the birth; this is the game with the longest life.
• Advice for the parents - one line each, collected into a book.
• The name game - guests suggest names, the mother-to-be ranks the top three.
• Guess the bump - a length of string cut to the mother-to-be's bump, closest wins.
• Don't say "baby" - a clothes peg, a five-minute rule, and the room polices itself.

One-sheet printable games

These need one printed sheet per guest. They are the workhorses: something to do while food is out, no facilitation required.

• Baby Shower Word Scramble - eight words, five minutes, works for every age.
• The Price is Right - guess the price of eight baby essentials, closest total wins.
• Baby bingo - guests pre-fill a grid with gifts they expect, then tick them off during opening.
• Nursery rhyme quiz - fill in the missing word. Surprisingly hard for everyone.
• Celebrity baby names - match the baby to the parent. Skip it if the room skews older; it needs pop-culture knowledge.

Games for a big group (25+ guests)

With a large room, individual answer sheets get chaotic and marking takes forever. Choose games where the whole room answers at once, or teams compete:

• Stand up if... - read a statement; guests stand if it applies.
• Team trivia by table - one answer sheet per table, five rounds.
• Guess the baby photo - guests bring a baby photo in advance; the room matches photos to guests.
• What's in the bag - diaper-bag items in numbered paper bags, teams guess by touch.

Games for a small group (under 10)

• The memory tray - ten baby items on a tray, thirty seconds, then recall.
• Two truths and a lie - about parenting, whether or not the guest has children.
• Decorate a onesie - fabric pens and plain onesies; doubles as a gift.
• Guess the baby food - jars with labels removed. Divisive, but memorable.

Games that suit mixed ages and both sides of the family

The safest games are word games, price-guessing games, and prediction games - none of them need a common cultural reference. If grandparents, colleagues and friends are all in the room, avoid anything that depends on knowing who a celebrity is.

Things to avoid

• Anything that comments on the mother-to-be's body. Not a game; not funny.
• Blindfolded feeding games. They photograph badly and half the room refuses.
• Games with a single winner and no runner-up. In a mixed room, most guests go home having lost.
• Long tournaments. Being knocked out in round one at a party is not fun.

A running order that keeps things moving

1. On arrival: a self-paced sheet on every table (predictions or word scramble).
2. After food: the group game, once everyone has arrived.
3. Mid-party: the game about the baby - this is where the room goes quiet in a good way.
4. During gifts: bingo running in the background, no announcement needed.
5. Before leaving: advice cards collected and read aloud.

Get the printables

Every game in our printable collection comes as a single PDF with the game sheet, the full rules, and a host answer key - delivered immediately after payment, no shipping. If you want to test the format first, take a free printable: it is a complete playable game, not a teaser. For the bridal side of the family, see bridal shower game ideas.