Games can be loads of fun at parties! They break the ice, heat up the conversation, and get guests actively involved. There are games that relate to the party theme, and there are traditional shower games. Some games include:

• Pin the Diaper on the Baby. Modeled after Pin the Tail on the Donkey, this game features a supersized picture of a baby, some diaper-shaped cutouts, double-sided tape, and a blindfold. Blindfold the guests and spin them around twice. The goal is to pin the diaper on the baby’s “tush.”

• Baby Trivia. You can create your own baby-trivia cards or purchase them online. Separate your guests into two groups, each with at least 10 cards. Make sure parents and non-parents are evenly dispersed! Have each side quiz the other, one question at a time. The team that has the most correct answers wins!

• Baby Diapering Game. For this diaper-changing relay race you need a pile of newborn diapers, four baby-sized dolls, and four packages of baby wipes. Split your group into four, or if there are only 12 women, two teams. On the mark, the first person in line must change the baby’s diaper, including wiping its bottom and putting on a clean diaper. The next person in line starts the process all over again and so on, until everyone on the team has changed the baby.

• Baby Bingo. This is another game that you can create yourself or purchase. There are many themes for this game, such as Baby Gift Bingo, Baby Lingo Bingo, and Baby Bath Bingo, but the game is played the same. Using a five-by-five grid, fill each box with one piece of information.

  For example: In Baby Lingo Bingo, the hostess should create a different card for each guest using about forty common baby-related words, such as binky, pacifier, bottles, bottle brush, bulb syringe, etc. Using the master list of words, write each word on a slip of paper and put it in a fishbowl. The hostess or appointed “caller” randomly pulls the words from the bowl. The first guest to get “Bingo” wins.

Essential

Shower game prizes can be tailored to your theme (like nail polish for the spa shower) or be silly and fun. Remember, you may only need a couple. Some general ideas for prizes are: Baby Ruth candy bars, Sugar Babies or Sugar Daddies, bubblegum Band-Aids, potted herbs, bottle of wine, or lottery tickets.

• Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. Open up a nursery-rhyme book before the game and select phrases from the rhymes. Make up at least two per person for as many people as you expect (e.g., write 30 if you expect 15 women). Give all your guests a sheet of paper and a pen.

  Read the rhyme aloud, for example, “The sheep’s in the meadow.” Each guest must write the title of the rhyme on her paper. Repeat until you’ve used all the rhyme snippets you collected. Have a list of answers. Whoever has the most correct is the winner. This game is also available in a ready-made version online.

• The Price Is Right Game. Buy a dozen baby items of various prices (like a package of wipes, some Desitin, a jar of baby food, a box of Zwieback toast, a pacifier, etc.). Keep a master list of the prices paid for each item. Choose three contestants at a time, and just as on the game show The Price Is Right, have them guess on five of the objects. The contestant who is closest to the exact price moves on to the next round. When all guests have played the first round, have a lightning round with each group’s winning contestant to determine the grand prize winner.

• Baby Pins in a Bottle. Fill a jar with brightly colored diaper pins, jelly beans, or small candies, and have each guest write down her best estimate. The winner who is closest to the true number wins a prize!

• Mother’s Circumference. This is a traditional baby shower game. Get a skein of baby yarn in pink or blue and a pair of scissors. Pass the yarn around and have each guest cut off a piece that she estimates will fit around the mother-to-be’s tummy. Then, the mom-to-be has to try on each person’s yarn. The one that fits wins! The best thing about this version of the game is that there is no tape measure, and no belly size revealed.

• Who’s Who Baby Pictures Game. Have each guest bring her baby picture. Number and arrange all the pictures on a big corkboard or clothesline. Let each guest try to figure out who is who.

• Celebrity Baby Pictures. For variety, you might be able to find some celebrity baby pictures on the Web or in a magazine. Mingle them in with the game above, or make them into a game of their own.

• Baby Picasso. Have your guests try their hand at drawing baby-to-be without looking. Supplies are simple—a white uncoated paper plate, some markers, some lengths of ribbon, and a hole punch. Distribute plates and markers and have each guest place the paper plate atop her own head. Then let the inner artist emerge!

  Each guest draws a picture of baby. Give them a few minutes, and then stop to see what’s been created. Pass the plates to the mommy-to-be, who chooses her favorite. You can punch two holes in the plates’ edges (at the 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock positions), lace with ribbon, and have a display around the room.