Fall Baby Shower Games

Opens on the fall set of pumpkins, leaves and corn, with three more shower themes in the menu below.

Shake and Sort the Corn Rattles1. Seal dried corn kernels in five small tubs: one kernel, five, ten, twenty and fifty. Letter the tubs in any order. 2. Guests shake each tub and write the letters in order from fewest kernels to most. 3. Open the tubs to check. All five right wins. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: five small sealed tubs of dried corn, paper and pens.
Leaf Prints on a Bodysuit1. The decorating table, with leaves for stamps. Set out plain baby bodysuits, fabric paint and a tray of flat fresh leaves. 2. Each guest brushes paint on the back of a leaf and presses it onto the cloth. 3. Hang the bodysuits on a line to dry. Guests sign the inside of the collar. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: plain baby bodysuits, fabric paint, brushes, leaves and a clothesline.
Pass the Pumpkin Like a Newborn1. Teams stand in lines. The first in each line cradles a small pumpkin in both arms, with one hand under the stem end as if it were a head. 2. Pass it down the line, cradle to cradle. 3. Anyone who grabs it by the stem or with one hand sends it back to the start. First pumpkin to the end of its line wins. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: a small pumpkin for each team.

Next step Bingo cards for the gift opening

How it works

These fall baby shower games use what the season hands you: pumpkins, dry leaves and corn. Three more themes have a set of their own in the menu, each with twenty games built on its props.

Read the full guide

Pick the theme first

The page opens on Fall and little pumpkin, where ten of the little pumpkin baby shower games are played with a real pumpkin. Buffalo plaid baby shower games and baby shower camo games share the set Camo and buffalo plaid, which has no hunting in it.

What each set needs

Fall: mini pumpkins, a bag of dry leaves, dried corn. Dinosaur: plastic eggs and toy dinosaurs. Camo and plaid: flannel, camouflage tape, work gloves. Christmas: plain ornaments, baby socks, a doll.

Tips

Buy the diapers, socks and bibs in the size the parents asked for: they go home with them.
Three games are enough for a two-hour shower.

Questions and answers

What are good dinosaur themed baby shower games?

Short-Arms Diaper Change, with elbows tucked like a dinosaur's, and Egg Hunt With a Prediction in Every Egg. The Dinosaur set has twenty, half of them played with plastic eggs or toy dinosaurs.

Which Christmas baby shower games suit a winter shower?

Decorate One for the Baby's First Tree and Twenty-Four Notes for an Advent Box leave the parents with keepsakes. For a race, try Bundle the Doll for the Snow or Hang the Tiny Stockings, Doll on Your Hip.

Where are the safari shower games?

On a page of their own, safari baby shower games, so none of them is repeated here. This page keeps four themes that have no page of their own.

All 80 games

Fall and little pumpkin 20

A Round Passenger Through the Cones 1. The stroller course, with a passenger that rolls. Sit a round pumpkin in a toy stroller or a laundry basket on a towel. 2. Push or pull it through a line of cones and back. 3. If the pumpkin tips out, stop and settle it before moving on. Fastest clean run wins. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a toy stroller or a laundry basket, a round pumpkin and cones.
A Wish Tied to the Bare Branch 1. Cut paper leaves in fall colors and stand a bare branch in a vase. 2. Each guest writes one wish for the baby's first fall on a leaf and ties it to the branch. 3. The mom-to-be draws three leaves to read aloud and guesses who wrote each. Players: 3 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: paper leaves, pens, thread and a branch in a vase.
Baby Socks in the Leaf Pile 1. A hunt, in leaves. Tip a bag of dry leaves into a wading pool or onto a sheet and mix in ten pairs of baby socks. 2. Two guests at a time have thirty seconds to find socks. 3. Only matched pairs count. Most pairs wins, and the socks go to the baby. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a bag of dry leaves, a sheet and ten pairs of baby socks.

Show all 80 games (77 more)

Fall and little pumpkin, continued

Corn Husk Baby in Ten Minutes 1. Give each guest a handful of dried corn husks soaked in water, and lengths of twine. 2. Fold and tie the husks into a small doll. 3. Stand the dolls along the gift table. Each maker names their doll and says what kind of baby it is. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: dried corn husks, a bowl of water and twine.
Diaper the Little Pumpkin, One Hand 1. The diapering race, on a pumpkin. Each racer has a small pumpkin and a diaper. 2. With one hand behind the back, fasten the diaper around the pumpkin so that the stem pokes out of the top. 3. The judge lifts each pumpkin by its diaper. The first one that holds wins. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a small pumpkin and a diaper for each racer.
Draw the Baby's Face on a Pumpkin 1. Each guest gets a mini pumpkin and a marker. 2. In three minutes, draw what the baby will look like: whose nose, whose eyebrows. 3. Line the pumpkins up on the mantel. The parents-to-be choose the one they hope is right, and the row stays as the decoration. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a mini pumpkin and a marker each.
First Hayride Packing Chain 1. A memory chain. The first guest says: for the baby's first hayride I packed a blanket. 2. Each guest repeats the list and adds one thing a baby needs in fall. 3. A guest who misses an item drops out. The last one left packs the real diaper bag. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Leaf Prints on a Bodysuit 1. The decorating table, with leaves for stamps. Set out plain baby bodysuits, fabric paint and a tray of flat fresh leaves. 2. Each guest brushes paint on the back of a leaf and presses it onto the cloth. 3. Hang the bodysuits on a line to dry. Guests sign the inside of the collar. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: plain baby bodysuits, fabric paint, brushes, leaves and a clothesline.
Mini Pumpkin Stack, One Minute 1. Each guest gets five mini pumpkins and one minute. 2. Stack them into a single tower, stems and all. 3. The tallest tower standing when time is called wins. Flat pumpkins make better foundations. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: five mini pumpkins each.
Mini Pumpkins Into the Tipped Crib 1. Lay a laundry basket on its side as the crib, with a baby blanket inside. 2. Guests roll mini pumpkins from four steps away. 3. A pumpkin that rolls in and stays in scores. Five rolls each. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a laundry basket, a baby blanket and five mini pumpkins.
Nobody Says Pumpkin 1. The forbidden word game. Every guest gets three clothespins at the door. 2. Anyone who hears another guest say pumpkin takes one of that guest's pins. 3. Count pins before the gifts are opened. The host says pumpkin as often as possible to make it harder. Players: 5 to 40. Time: 30 min. Props: three clothespins for each guest.
Pass the Pumpkin Like a Newborn 1. Teams stand in lines. The first in each line cradles a small pumpkin in both arms, with one hand under the stem end as if it were a head. 2. Pass it down the line, cradle to cradle. 3. Anyone who grabs it by the stem or with one hand sends it back to the start. First pumpkin to the end of its line wins. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: a small pumpkin for each team.
Pumpkin Bowling at Diaper Pins 1. Bowling, with pins made of diapers. Roll six diapers tightly, band each one and stand them in a triangle. 2. Each guest rolls a small round pumpkin twice from five steps. 3. A point for each diaper knocked flat. The diapers go to the parents afterward. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: six rolled diapers, rubber bands and a small round pumpkin.
Pumpkin Seeds in the Baby Bottle 1. The jar guess, in a baby bottle. Fill a clear bottle with dried pumpkin seeds, counted as they go in. 2. Guests write their name and a guess on a slip. 3. Tip the seeds out and count them in tens. The closest guess keeps the bottle of seeds for planting. Players: 4 to 40. Time: 5 min. Props: a clear baby bottle of counted pumpkin seeds, slips and pens.
Scarecrow Baby 1. Teams of three get a baby sleeper, a pile of dry leaves or straw and a paper bag for a head. 2. In four minutes, stuff the sleeper and give the scarecrow a face. 3. Sit the scarecrow babies in a row of chairs. The mom-to-be chooses the one she would trust to guard the pumpkin patch. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 10 min. Props: a baby sleeper, dry leaves or straw, a paper bag and a marker for each team.
Shake and Sort the Corn Rattles 1. Seal dried corn kernels in five small tubs: one kernel, five, ten, twenty and fifty. Letter the tubs in any order. 2. Guests shake each tub and write the letters in order from fewest kernels to most. 3. Open the tubs to check. All five right wins. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: five small sealed tubs of dried corn, paper and pens.
Swaddle a Pumpkin 1. Pairs get a receiving blanket and a pie pumpkin. 2. One partner holds the pumpkin still. The other wraps it snugly with only the stem showing. 3. Pass every bundle once around the table, hand to hand. The wraps that are still closed at the end win. Players: 4 to 20 in pairs. Time: 10 min. Props: a receiving blanket and a pie pumpkin for each pair.
Teething Rings Thrown at Five Stems 1. Ring toss, with teething rings. Line up five pumpkins with good stems on a bench. 2. Each guest throws five teething rings from three steps back. 3. A ring that hangs on a stem scores. Highest score takes home the smallest pumpkin. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: five pumpkins and five teething rings.
Twenty-Six Names From the Season 1. Each table has five minutes to write a baby name for every letter of the alphabet. 2. Each name must come from the season: a tree, a color, a month, a spice. 3. Read the lists aloud. A name that no other table wrote scores a point. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and pens.
Which Pumpkin Weighs What the Flour Baby Weighs? 1. Wrap a five-pound bag of flour in a receiving blanket: the flour baby. Number six pumpkins of different sizes. 2. Guests hold the flour baby, then lift each pumpkin and write down the number of the one closest to it in weight. 3. Weigh the pumpkins on a kitchen scale one by one. Closest wins. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a five-pound bag of flour, a receiving blanket, six numbered pumpkins, a kitchen scale, paper and pens.

Dinosaur 20

A Saurus Named for the Family 1. Each guest invents a dinosaur name for the baby by adding saurus to a family word: the surname, the street, the pet. 2. Under it, write what this species eats and when it sleeps. 3. The mom-to-be reads them aloud and pins her favorite to the gift table. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: cards and pens.
Advice on Paper Bones 1. Cut bone shapes from white card. Each guest writes one piece of advice for the parents on a bone. 2. Bury the bones in a box of shredded paper. 3. The parents-to-be dig them out one at a time and read each aloud. Players: 4 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: card bones, pens and a box of shredded paper.
Best Baby Roar 1. Each guest in turn gives the roar of a dinosaur that hatched this morning. 2. The roar must be small. Anything loud enough to wake a real baby is ruled out. 3. The parents-to-be choose the roar they would like to hear at three in the morning. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Big Print, Little Print 1. A pairs game. Draw eight kinds of footprint on cards, each kind twice: once large for the parent and once small for the hatchling. 2. Lay the sixteen cards face down in a grid. 3. Guests turn over two at a time and keep a parent and child that match. Most pairs wins. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: sixteen hand-drawn footprint cards.
Build a Nest for a Dozen Eggs, One Hand 1. Each guest gets a pile of shredded paper and twelve plastic eggs. 2. With one hand only, shape a nest and set all twelve eggs in it so that none rolls out. 3. First nest holding a full dozen wins. The other hand cradles a doll. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: shredded paper, twelve plastic eggs and a doll for each guest.
Cut the Ribbon to the Dinosaur's Length 1. Stand a large toy dinosaur on a table across the room. 2. Each guest cuts a ribbon to the length they think it is from nose to tail, without going closer. 3. Hold each ribbon against the toy. The nearest length wins. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a large toy dinosaur, a roll of ribbon and scissors.
Dig Out the Dinosaurs With a Baby Spoon 1. Bury ten toy dinosaurs in a tub of dry rice or sand. 2. Each guest has thirty seconds to dig with a baby spoon. No fingers in the tub. 3. Count the dinosaurs lifted clear and bury them again for the next digger. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a tub of dry rice or sand, ten toy dinosaurs and a baby spoon.
Dinosaur Tracks on a Bib 1. The decorating table, with feet for stamps. Set out plain bibs, fabric paint on a plate and a few toy dinosaurs. 2. Each guest walks a dinosaur through the paint and across a bib. 3. Leave the bibs flat to dry. The parents choose one to use first. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: plain bibs, fabric paint, a plate and toy dinosaurs.
Egg Hunt With a Prediction in Every Egg 1. Hide plastic eggs around the room, each holding a slip with one question: the baby's first word, hair color, favorite food. 2. Each guest finds one egg, writes an answer and their name on the slip, and puts it back in the egg. 3. The parents keep the basket of eggs to open on the first birthday. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: plastic eggs, question slips and pens.
Egg on a Diaper Stretcher 1. Pairs hold a cloth diaper stretched flat between them by its corners. 2. Lay a plastic egg in the middle and walk it across the room and around a chair. 3. An egg that rolls off goes back to the start. Fastest pair wins. Players: 4 to 20 in pairs. Time: 10 min. Props: a cloth diaper and a plastic egg for each pair.
Eggs Into the Diaper Bag: Guess, Then Count 1. Hold up an empty diaper bag and a basket of plastic eggs. 2. Each guest writes down how many eggs will fit with the bag still zipped shut. 3. Fill it egg by egg while the room counts aloud. Closest guess wins. Players: 3 to 40. Time: 5 min. Props: a diaper bag, a basket of plastic eggs, slips and pens.
Feed the Baby Dinosaur 1. A beanbag toss. Cut a wide mouth in a box and paint a dinosaur face around it. 2. Guests throw five green beanbags, the leaves, from four steps. 3. A leaf in the mouth scores. Five in a row earns a roar from the whole room. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a box with a mouth cut in it and five beanbags.
Guard the Nest of Six Eggs 1. One guest kneels beside a nest of six plastic eggs as the parent dinosaur. 2. The others stand in a ring and try to take an egg without being touched on the hand. 3. A touched hand goes behind the back for the rest of the round. When three eggs are gone, the guest holding the most becomes the parent. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: six plastic eggs and a nest of shredded paper.
Line Up the Herd by Feel 1. Put six toy dinosaurs of different sizes under a baby blanket on the table. 2. With hands under the blanket and eyes on the ceiling, each guest lines them up from smallest to largest. 3. Lift the blanket. A point for each dinosaur in the right place, and a new shuffle for the next guest. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: six toy dinosaurs of different sizes and a baby blanket.
Milestones Acted by a Hatchling 1. Charades, with a rule. Write a baby milestone on each card: first tooth, first steps, first bath, first haircut. 2. The actor must perform it as a baby dinosaur. 3. The team guesses the milestone. One minute a turn. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: cards with a milestone on each, and a timer.
Rewrite a Lullaby for a Hatchling 1. Each table chooses a lullaby everyone knows. 2. In five minutes, rewrite its first verse for a baby dinosaur: tails, swamps, very large footsteps. 3. Tables sing their verse to the mom-to-be. She picks one for the nursery wall. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and pens.
Short-Arms Diaper Change 1. The diapering race, with a dinosaur's reach. Each racer tucks both elbows tight against their ribs. 2. Without the elbows leaving the ribs, put a diaper on a doll. 3. A judge calls out any elbow that escapes. First fastened diaper wins. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a doll and a diaper for each racer.
Spikes on the Tail 1. Tie a length of rope to the back of a chair as the tail. 2. Each guest has twenty seconds to clip clothespins along it, one at a time, using one hand. 3. Count the spikes that are still on after the tail is given one shake. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 5 min. Props: a rope, a chair and a basket of clothespins.
Three-Claw Block Stack 1. Each guest has ten wooden baby blocks. 2. Using only the thumb and first two fingers of one hand, the claws, stack them into a tower. 3. Tallest tower after one minute wins. A fallen tower starts again. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: ten wooden blocks each.
Tiptoe Past the Sleeping Hatchling 1. The mom-to-be sits with her eyes closed beside a toy dinosaur in a basket. 2. One guest at a time carries a baby rattle across the room, past the basket, without letting it make a sound. 3. If she hears it and points at the walker, the walker starts again. Count the guests who get across. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a baby rattle, a basket and a toy dinosaur.

Camo and buffalo plaid 20

A Camo Doll Nobody Notices 1. Before guests arrive, dress a doll in camouflage and sit it somewhere in full view: among cushions, on a shelf. 2. Tell guests it is there and that nothing needs moving to see it. 3. Whoever spots it whispers the place to the host. First five to whisper win. Players: 4 to 40. Time: 5 min. Props: a doll in camouflage clothes.
A Lumberjack Beard for a Very Small Chin 1. Set out plain bibs and fabric markers. 2. Each guest draws a lumberjack beard on a bib, sized for a very small chin. 3. Hold the bibs up under your own chins for a photograph. The parents pick one for the first pancake breakfast. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: plain bibs and fabric markers.
Baby Things That Shine Back 1. Stick a square of reflective tape on eight baby things and set them around a darkened room. 2. Guests share two flashlights and call out each thing as the beam catches it. 3. The caller keeps a tally. Most finds wins when the lights come on. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: eight baby things, reflective tape and two flashlights.
Button the Flannel Shirt One-Handed 1. Each racer holds a doll in one arm and stands in front of a flannel shirt laid on the table. 2. With the free hand, do up every button from collar to hem. 3. The doll may not be put down. First shirt fully buttoned wins. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: a flannel shirt and a doll for each racer.
Camo or Plaid? Cards Up 1. Give each guest two cards, one marked camo and one marked plaid. 2. The host flashes a square of cloth or paper for one second: camouflage, plaid, or a trick pattern that is neither. 3. Guests hold up a card, or no card for a trick. A wrong card sits out one round. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: two cards for each guest and a stack of pattern squares.
Carry Three Logs and a Baby 1. Roll newspaper into three logs for each team. 2. A runner carries all three logs and a doll across the room and sets them down by the fireplace, a box. 3. Anything dropped means starting that trip again. The doll is always the last thing put down. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: three newspaper logs and a doll for each team, and a box.
Fill the Baby Bottle From the Canteen 1. Each racer has a full canteen of water and an empty baby bottle standing in a baking dish. 2. Pour from the canteen into the bottle with no funnel, up to the top line. 3. First to the line with the least water in the dish wins. Nobody drinks anything. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: a canteen of water, a baby bottle and a baking dish for each racer.
Find the Hidden Camo Pacifiers 1. The pacifier hunt, made harder. Wrap ten pacifiers in camouflage tape and set them among green houseplants and leafy branches. 2. Guests look without touching anything and write down where each one is. 3. After five minutes, walk the room together and point them out. Most found wins. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: ten pacifiers, camouflage tape, paper and pens.
Flapjack Flip Into the Baby Bowl 1. Cut ten flapjacks from felt or cardboard. 2. Each guest flips them one at a time off a spatula toward a baby bowl two steps away. 3. A flapjack in the bowl scores. Ten flips each. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: ten felt or cardboard circles, a spatula and a baby bowl.
Pacifiers Against Rattles on the Plaid Grid 1. Tic-tac-toe, as a relay. Mark a three-by-three grid on a buffalo plaid blanket with ribbon. 2. One team plays pacifiers and the other rattles. Runners take turns placing one piece and running back. 3. Three in a row wins. When all the pieces are down, a runner may move one of their own instead. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a buffalo plaid blanket, ribbon, three pacifiers and three rattles.
Paper Log Cabin for the Teddy 1. Each team rolls sheets of brown paper into logs and tapes them. 2. In five minutes, stack the logs into a cabin around a seated teddy bear, with a door the bear could use. 3. The cabin that stands when the table is knocked once wins. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: brown paper, tape and a teddy bear for each team.
Ring the Work Boot 1. Ring toss, onto boots. Stuff three work boots with red-and-black flannel so that they stand up. 2. Guests throw four rope rings from three steps. 3. A ring over the top of a boot scores 2. A ring leaning on one scores 1. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: three work boots, flannel and four rope rings.
Sort the Baby Socks in Work Gloves 1. The sock-matching race, in gloves. Tip ten pairs of baby socks into a pile. 2. Wearing thick work gloves, each racer has one minute to match and fold as many pairs as possible. 3. Only pairs folded together count. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: ten pairs of baby socks and a pair of work gloves.
Spot the Baby Things Through Binoculars 1. Tape twelve small pictures of baby things to a far wall or a fence: a bottle, a rattle, a bib. 2. Guests take turns with a pair of binoculars from across the room, twenty seconds each. 3. Write down every picture seen. Most right wins. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: twelve small pictures, tape, binoculars, paper and pens.
Tall Tale of the Baby's First Year 1. A story chain. The first guest begins: by the end of the first week, this baby had already. 2. Each guest adds one sentence, with a feat a little taller than the last. 3. A scribe writes it down. The last guest ends the tale on the first birthday. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and a pen.
Teddy in a Flannel Sling Through the Cones 1. Each runner ties a flannel scarf across one shoulder as a sling and tucks a teddy bear into it. 2. Walk fast through a line of cones and back, hands off the bear. 3. A bear that falls out is tucked in again at the start line. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a flannel scarf and a teddy bear for each team, and cones.
Ten Things on the Camo Blanket 1. Spread a camouflage blanket on the table and lay ten green or brown baby things on it: a sock, a spoon, a teether. 2. Guests have thirty seconds to look. 3. Cover the table. Everyone writes down what they saw. The things that matched the blanket best are the ones most forgotten. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a camouflage blanket, ten green or brown baby things, paper and pens.
Timber! The Diaper Tree 1. Stand rolled diapers on end to make a trunk, one on top of another. 2. Guests take turns adding one diaper to the top. 3. Whoever makes it fall shouts timber and collects the diapers. See how tall the tree gets. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a pack of diapers and rubber bands.
Weave a Paper Plaid 1. Each guest gets a red sheet slit into strips that are still joined at one edge, and a pile of loose black strips. 2. Weave the black strips over and under to make a buffalo check. 3. First finished mat with no mistakes wins. The mats go under the cups. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: red paper slit into strips and loose black paper strips.
Which Plaid Is the Odd One? 1. Pin up six squares of red-and-black plaid. Five are cut from the same cloth and one from a slightly different one. 2. Guests study them from two steps back and write the number of the odd square. 3. Turn the squares over to show which is marked. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: six numbered plaid squares, paper and pens.

Christmas and winter 20

Babble That Carol 1. A guess-the-tune round. One guest chooses a carol and sings it using only baby sounds: ga, goo, ba. 2. The first table to name the carol scores. 3. Whoever guessed babbles the next one. No real words allowed. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Bundle the Doll for the Snow 1. Each racer has a doll and a pile of winter baby clothes: a snowsuit, a hat, two mittens, two booties. 2. Dress the doll completely, mittens included. 3. First doll fully bundled and held up wins. A missing mitten sends the racer back. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: a doll and a set of winter baby clothes for each racer.
Decorate a Gingerbread Baby 1. Ask about allergies first. Each guest gets a plain gingerbread cookie, a little white icing and a few small candies. 2. Decorate the cookie as a baby: a diaper, a bib, one curl of hair. 3. Lay them on a tray. The mom-to-be picks the one that looks most like a relative. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: plain gingerbread cookies, white icing and small candies.
Decorate One for the Baby's First Tree 1. Set out plain ornaments, paint pens and ribbon. 2. Each guest decorates one for the baby's first tree and writes the year underneath. 3. Hang them on a small tree on the gift table. The family takes the tree home. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: plain ornaments, paint pens, ribbon and a small tree.
Eight Baby Things in a Tied Stocking 1. The feel-and-guess game, in a stocking. Put eight baby things in a large stocking and tie the top. 2. Guests feel through the cloth for thirty seconds each. 3. Write down everything recognized. Empty the stocking to check. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a large stocking with eight baby things in it, paper and pens.
Eight Parcels of Baby Gear, Look and Lift 1. Wrap eight pieces of baby gear in the same paper and number them: a bottle, a rattle, a bath duck, a brush. 2. Guests may look and lift but not squeeze. 3. Write a guess for each number. The mom-to-be unwraps them in order. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: eight wrapped and numbered pieces of baby gear, paper and pens.
Fill the Tiny Stocking With Kitchen Tongs 1. Each racer has a baby sock for a stocking and five small things on a plate: a pacifier, a spoon, a teether, a ribbon, a block. 2. Using kitchen tongs, lift each one into the stocking. 3. First stocking filled wins. Anything dropped on the floor starts again from the plate. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a baby sock, kitchen tongs and five small baby things for each racer.
First Christmas Predictions, Sealed 1. Each guest fills in a card: what the baby will do on the first Christmas morning, and which present will be ignored for its box. 2. Seal the cards in one large envelope marked with the year. 3. The parents open it on Christmas Day and send a photograph to whoever was closest. Players: 3 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: cards, pens and a large envelope.
Hang the Tiny Stockings, Doll on Your Hip 1. The clothesline race, with stockings. String a line between two chairs and put ten baby socks and ten clothespins in a basket. 2. Holding a doll on one hip, pin the socks to the line one at a time. 3. Most stockings hung in one minute wins. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: a line, ten baby socks, ten clothespins and a doll.
How Many Layers Is the Doll Wearing? 1. Before the shower, dress a doll in as many layers as will fit: bodysuits, sweaters, a snowsuit. 2. Guests look, but may not touch, and write down a number. 3. Undress the doll one layer at a time while the room counts. Closest guess wins. Players: 3 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: a doll dressed in many layers, slips and pens.
Lullaby or Carol? Cards Up 1. Give each table two cards, one marked lullaby and one marked carol. 2. The host hums five seconds of a tune. 3. Tables hold up a card on three. A point for each right card, and a bonus for naming the tune. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: two cards for each table.
Match the Guest to the Christmas Morning Photo 1. Ask each guest to bring a photograph of themselves as a small child at Christmas. 2. Number the photographs on a board. 3. Guests write a name beside each number. The mom-to-be reads the answers, and each owner tells the story of the picture in one sentence. Players: 5 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: a photograph from each guest, a board, paper and pens.
Name Ideas, Link by Link on the Tree 1. Cut strips of red and green paper. 2. Each guest writes a baby name on a strip, with a middle name to go with it, and loops it onto the chain. 3. Drape the chain on the tree. The parents-to-be read it link by link at home. Players: 4 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: paper strips, pens and tape.
Sign a Window on the Due Date Calendar 1. The due date calendar, with windows. Draw a calendar of the due month with a window for each day, in the style of an advent calendar. 2. Each guest signs one window and adds a guess at the time of day. 3. The parents keep the calendar. Whoever signed the right window is the first to hear the news. Players: 5 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a hand-drawn calendar and pens.
Snow Globe in a Baby Food Jar 1. Give each guest a clean baby food jar with its lid, a spoonful of glitter and a small plastic figure. 2. An adult glues each figure inside its lid beforehand. 3. Guests add water and glitter, screw the lid on tight and turn the jar over. The row of globes decorates the nursery shelf. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: baby food jars with a figure glued inside each lid, glitter and water.
Snowman From Three Rolled Diapers 1. Each pair gets three diapers, rubber bands, a baby hat and a baby sock. 2. Roll the diapers, band them and stack them into a snowman. The hat goes on top and the sock is the scarf. 3. First snowman to stand for a count of ten wins. Players: 4 to 20 in pairs. Time: 5 min. Props: three diapers, rubber bands, a baby hat and a baby sock for each pair.
Twelve Gifts New Parents Want, Sung 1. Each table writes its own twelve gifts for new parents, from twelve hours sleeping down to one quiet cup of coffee. 2. Every line must be something a new parent would really want. 3. Tables sing their lists in turn. The room joins in on the fifth line. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: paper and pens.
Twenty-Four Notes for an Advent Box 1. Number twenty-four small envelopes. 2. Guests each take one or two and write a short note for the parents to open on that day of December: a joke, a kind word, an offer to bring dinner. 3. File the envelopes in order in a box. The parents open one a day. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: twenty-four numbered envelopes, note cards, pens and a box.
What Goes On First? Order the Winter Layers 1. Lay out six pieces of a baby's winter outfit, each with a letter: socks, bodysuit, sweater, snowsuit, hat, mittens. 2. The mom-to-be writes the order she would put them on and seals it. 3. Guests write their own order. Open the envelope. A point for each letter in the same place as hers. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: six lettered pieces of winter baby clothing, an envelope, paper and pens.
Wrap the Gift With a Doll in One Arm 1. Each racer holds a doll in the crook of one arm. 2. With the other hand, wrap a small box in paper and stick it with three pieces of tape. 3. The doll may not be put down. Neatest parcel inside two minutes wins. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 5 min. Props: a doll, a small box, wrapping paper and tape for each racer.

How this list was compiled: Our suggestions for a baby shower with a theme, written for this site. The wording is ours, and the player counts and times are our estimates. Each set holds twenty games built on that theme's own props, and many are shower classics played with the theme's props. No game measures or guesses at anyone's body, nobody drinks from a baby bottle, the camo set has no hunting in it, and the one game with food asks about allergies first. No facts are stated. Safari showers have a page of their own. Licence: own work