Seeking Great Ideas for a Baby Shower

For my shower, each person brought a special bead to be incorporated into a necklace. When each bead was presented, the person explained why she had chosen the bead, and stated a thought/wish for me, the baby, or the upcoming birth. I then had the necklace with me for the rest of my pregnancy, and throughout labor and birth. It was a great way for my friends to be with me, lending their strength and support on the big day!

ooh, I am such the "party planner"!
For a large group like that you have to keep it moving...
Gift Bingo is always fun. You print-out bingo pages and you have the guest fill in the boxes with what they think the mother-to-be will get as gifts (bottles, car seat, blanket, etc.) and they mark them off as she opens her gifts. The first with Bingo WINS! it is fun.

There is also "price is right". Have them flip over their paper. You hold up baby items (Shampoo, desitin, breast pads, etc.) and the guest have to write down how much they think each item is, they then total their list and the closest to the actual price, without going over WINS! Or you can have them just guess a total... It is fun.

I have many more ideas if you are interested write back and I will keep going.
Have fun with it!

thX,
R.

I have a good idea for a shower favor for your guests. For a few showers now, I've gone to the local plant nursery and picked up a flat of little plants... you know, the ones you use as starter plants (like 2-3 inch pots). Then I just tie a pink or blue ribbon around them, with a little note card that says something like "Welcome the beginning of a new life" or "Welcome the new little sprout!"... have fun with it. :0)

People really seem to like getting plants, because then it's something they can really keep and use, vs. something with candy or whatnot that will just get stuffed into a drawer at home. I actually still have one of my plants from a shower, that is now in a 12 inch pot, and looking beautiful!

Good luck!

At the last baby shower I went to we played a game that seemed pretty familiar, however, there was a new twist. The hostess brought out a tray of baby items and we all had a minute to look it over then we were going to have to write down everything we remembered once she took it away. The twist was that the second hostess instructed us to write down everything we could remember about what the first hostess was wearing instead.

BTW I think its great that your friend is having a shower for her new baby. Even if she still had "everything", I believe every baby should be celebrated!

Hope you all have fun.

For my sisters shower a year & a half ago, we had a raffle. As the hostess I bought the baby his first piggy, and the gifts for the raffle (nothing big a couple nice picture frames and candles, lotions... those kinds of things). I sold raffle tickets (1 for $1 or 10 for $5) all the money in the piggy at the time of the raffle was to start the babies savings account.
We also did the clothes line game. Hang a clothes line, fill a laundry basket with different clothing, towels, sheets etc. Give each player a baby doll and a telephone. They have to hold the baby and talk on the phone while hanging laundry. Whoever hangs the most clothing in the set amount of time wins. That was a lot of fun.
Good luck!

Hi
Buy her thank you cards for her in advance. Have the shower guests fill out their name and addresses on the envelopes--one less thing the guest of honor will have to worry about!
good luck
n

Hi there. I agree with the person that recomended a Blessingway. I have thrown a couple and one of my favorite things to do is weave a web. Everyone sits in a cirlce. Take a ball of fine twine and have the first person wrap it around her wrist a few times. She then throws it across the circle to someone else. The steps are repeated until everyone is connected. Then everyone pulls their wrist back a little see the web. Little girls can do this to. Then pass a pair of scissors around and have everyone cut between everyone with enough slack to tie the string on to their wrist's. Wear the bracelet until the mom has her baby to symbolize staying connected with her. Great way to support! I hope that you look more into Blessingways and I hope that I have explained this well enough. Have Fun!

Hi,
I dont have game ideas however I am looking for maturnity models to do airbrush artwork (FREE) on their baby belly and I have a professional photographer (FREE) to take tasteful pics (1 FREE pic) to have as a keepsake for the mom and can even make a guestbook (not sure how much this is but can find out) out of the photos for the baby shower. I am needing three models and there is no charge until I get three more samples together for my portfolio so if you think she would be interested pass the onto her and good luck with the shower.

A. H.
###-###-#### salon
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The baby picture game is fun and also gets those who don't know each other talking. Also, the gift bingo was fun. You can look on the registry for things that have been purchased to help make the bingo cards.

One game that has not been mentioned that was the biggest hit at my shower (great for first time mom's or ones who have not had a baby in a long time) was a mom and dad quiz. You put together a list of questions like, How many diapers will you go through in one day or how old will your baby be when she starts sleeping through the night? You can e-mail me and I can forward you the questions that were used. Anyway, you ask the mom and the dad before the shower without the mom knowing that the dad has been asked the questions too. Then the game is that the questions are read aloud and everyone has to guess what the mom and dad said. It's funny to hear the different answers and also allows the new mom to be participate in a fun game.

For a group this size game stations worked really well for us. People had an answer sheet to write their answers down on and were reminded to try and make a stop at each station while they socialized and visited.
We created a game using my ultrasound pictures. We put them up on a poster board and came up with questions about them...how many weeks is this picture, what is this a picture of etc...some very funny mistakes were made. What was nice is that it was up throughout the shower and people could make their way over to it and write down answers while they were mingling. It was a good ice breaker and easy to manage in a large group.

We also did the "dirty diaper" game- candy bars melted in diapers in the microwave. This was also left out as a game station so we didn't have to try and pull 20 people together at once.
At a certain point we gave a "last call" to write down answers and then read out the answers. Much easier to get everyone's attention once than three times!
A.

At my daughter's shower, the hostess supplied pain white onesies of various sizes and fabric paints. The guests then decorated the onesies as one of the shower activities. I just loved dressing my daughter in each onesie, remembering the person who was wrapping her in love.

Diaper raffle....anyone who brings a pack of diapers gets a raffle ticket for a gift basket of your making. My Niece had this at her party and she had over 20 pack of diapers to start her off. It was a couples shower and I think the guys got into to it more than the women. another game that was new to me was making a baby out of play dough give everyone a time frame 2 min and see what you get. We had some interesting and hillarious pieces of art.

I have to agree with H S. My cousin had a baby shower, and her invitations stated that everyone who brought a pack of diapers would be entered into a drawing. Of course, the party host made sure that that gift was really nice. My cousin didn't have to buy diapers until her son was around 5 months old. Another cool thing about it is that everyone will bring different brands; so you can try brands that you ordinarily wouldn't try, and those sometimes end up being your favorites. Have fun with it! These women have really given you some awesome ideas!!

Lucky you living where you do. One game that was popular when I was going through that part of my life and old and young seemed to enjoy it was giving each person a clothes pin when they come in the door and they pin it to the edge of their dress or anywhere on them that they can..collar,lapel etc. The object is to catch people crossing their legs. If you catch someone crossing their legs they have to give up their clothes pin or all the clothes pins they have accumulated. Make it last as long or short as you want. The one with the most clothes pins win. Another one is a tray with baby things on it people get to look at the baby things for a minute. Remove the tray and then have them write down all the things they can remember 10 items is a good number. All of the baby things could be given to the mother to be, pacifier, travel size baby powder, oil, etc. etc. after the game.

How many girl names can be spelled with the mother's to be first and last name. Hope this helps.

You should set up an area where just the kids will play and give them crafts to occupy them. At 1 shower I went to they took newborn diapers and put pieces of diffrent chocolate candies inside that melted and the guests had to decide by smell and look what kind of candy it was.n Of course it looked like poop and we were all smelling these diapers. We also had a babyfood tadting game where you took a taste and had to guess what it was.

I just went to a baby shower a couple weeks back and saw some interesting ideas. One idea that I just saw in a tabloid magazine, was that the mother to be wear a sash (just like how in the Miss America pageant). I thought that was pretty cool and then the grandparents got specialized buttons or something to signify their role too. Another idea that I saw was that everyone created a onesie. You get some blank onesies and Crayola markers that are made for clothing and wash proof and everyone would draw on them. I thought that was pretty cool and plus it was a way to be really creative. That would be cool for the kids to try. Good luck!

One game that I played recently at a baby shower as an ice breaker was "Famous Mothers and Famous Daughters" - everyone got a 3x5 card stuck on their back of either a famous mother or famous daughter (when you arrived). Then you had to figure out who you were and then find your famous mother or daughter. (i.e. Goldie Hawn and K. Hudson, Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow, Joan and Melissa Rivers, Ivana and Ivanka Trump, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, Naomi Judd and Ashley Judd or Wynona Judd, Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Garland and Liza Minelli, etc). I'm sure you could find more combos on the Internet. That was fun!!

Another fun game we played was with nursery rhymes. You write down questions from old Nursery Rhymes or children's songs and see how many your guests can guess the answers. (i.e. What did Peter Piper pick? How much wool did the black sheep have? What couldn't Jack Sprat eat?) Whoever gets the most correct wins a prize!!

Then of course, there's the classic "Guess the baby food" game.

Have fun!! A. R.

For my sister's baby shower, I created a word search on excel. Most of the items were baby-related words. However, I threw in some personalized words such as the names of my sister's other children, their last name, nicknames, etc. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Hi K.,
One idea I have used in the past is a Creative Memories Party. As the host, supply the album, pages, etc. Have the guests complete a page in the album and then write a little quib or quote for the mom to be. If you are interested in some products for babies, check out my website...www.mycmsite.com/aprildunhamfilson. Good luck!

When I had my baby shower, instead of playing a lot of games, the hostess of my shower did a "diaper raffle". When she sent out the invitations, she added that there would be a "diaper raffle" and that for every package of diapers brought, the guest would receive a raffle ticket. I didn't have to buy diapers until my son was 5 months old! Even though guests brought different sizes and brands, I had no problems exchanging unopened packages of diapers for the brand/size that I needed at the time. I have done this at every shower that I have thrown since and it has always ended up being really successful. I have been able to get really great gifts on the clearance racks, so it seems like the guests are getting more pricey items for their raffles prizes. We also played a couple of traditional shower games, just to fill in time, but would fill in the transition moments with a raffle drawing. For example, when we were finishing up lunch, or when we were getting ready to open presents, etc...we would draw a ticket or two.

Hi,
I am a consultant for The Body Shop at Home (www.thebodyshopathome.com/web/cflesher), and do free spa parties. I also am a massage therapist, and can provide spa therapies. Let me know if you need more info.
Thanks
Cynthia

I would recomment playing baby fear factor. It is soo much fun and if you want more details, please feel free to email or call back.
Trish ###-###-####

Hi K.!
The one game I've always enjoyed at baby showers is the one where you guess the chocolate bar. You probably already know this one but you purchase 5-10 different chocolate bars and small disposal diapers. You place a chocolate bar in each of the diapers and place it in the microwave for about 1 minute or so. Remember to label each diaper on the diaper itself because if you place a label near the diaper, like one of my friends did, different guests will pick it up at the same time and forget what number they are. Place the diapers side-by-side on a table and the guests have to guess which candy bar is what. It's so funny to see the guests sniffing the diapers!

My friend brought blank onesies in a variety of sizes and fabric paints for people to paint onesies at my shower. It was a huge hit, and I have all these gorgeous one-of-a-kind onesies. HIghly recommended! We also have done a bead ceremony, where we ask people to bring beads (but provide plenty of extras to choose from, since most forget), and go around the circle letting each person string a bead on a cord and express a wish for the baby. We also have a book on hand for people to write messages for the coming baby. My 4 1/2 year old son has no interest in his book now, but I know someday he will! Best wishes...

Little girl baby showers are so cute. I went to a shower that was a princess party - they had tiaras everywhere and a super cute diaper cake.

At my baby shower we had a lot of fun making baby clothes with white onesies in different sizes and little white T-shirts and fabric markers. People get creative with designs or sweet words on the clothes and then the new mom goes home with handmade clothes for baby. I loved dressing my little one in his special clothes. you can find fabric markers at Beverly's or any craft store and buy the packages of white onesies at babies-r-us. this is also fun and easy for the young girls to participate in. You can just let guest know about it in the beginning of the party and have guests make them through out the party- It was a big hit at my shower, oh have some hard surfaces available, like small books or cardboard so people can put it underneath the onesie or shirt and have a work surface and not have the marker bleed through to the back side, also wash the onsies first so they are clean and the marker will "stick" better
have fun

Hi,

I ran a clothesline through my living room and decorated it with all kinds of new onesies, bibs, rattles, etc. It was a cute backdrop to the party. Just an idea. Also, if your guests do any kind of onesie decorating, etc. it would be a cute place to hang them to enjoy during the party.

Hi,
We just gave a shower for my daughter. She didn't want the normal games. We bought an assortment of plain white one-z's
and plain bibs and lots of different colored markers that don't wash out. Everyone had a great time designing for the little
one. Be sure that they sign their names to. My daughter is going to save them and make a quilt after he grows out of them.
Good luck, L.

I have played "Guess the baby food flavor" by either tasting it or just smelling it. There is always the tough game "Can't say the word baby" you give everyone three tiny pin-on baby pins or pacifiers (you can find these in a party store) if you get caught saying the word baby you loose a pin or whatever you decide to use. The person at the end of the time allotted with the most pins wins! There is also a memory tray game - full of items that are baby related (20 -30 small items) pass this around the group once very quickly take it away and give a short amount of time for them to write down all they can remember. It also works to have a diaper bag with 6 - 8 items that a baby needs or a mom uses tio care for a baby - you pass it around and each person is given the same amount of time to feel the items and then guess what thery were. There are always word scrambles ( lists of things you need etc. each word scrambled up and they have to unscramble them), or listing how many things a 2008 baby needs in so many minutes, and maybe you can check an internet cite for more ideas. I have given shower gifts "A diaper full of Pooh" by getting a large diaper, stuffing it with wrapped items that were of "Winnie the Pooh" origin - it goes over very well as long as you write on the card " Let's get you started with A diaper full of Pooh"
I miss the days of throwing showers - I hope you have lots of fun! The more creative you are, the more fun it will be!
C. :0) the West side of the Sierras

My sister and niece made a cool poster board with celebrity bodies and random baby heads cute out on top. It was funny, but hard to guess who was who. The winner only got 7 right but you could make it easier by picking celebs with tatoos or distinguishing features. It was really fun!

I threw a baby shower for my girlfriend. It was an alphabet party. I had the alphabet all over the room and up the stairs. I assigned a letter to everyone who was invited. Their gift had to start with the letter they were assigned. I also gave ideas for each letter in their invitation. Some didn't follow the rules - not everyone will - but it was fun to see what some people came up with for the gift of their letter.

my friends through me a "blessing way". if this is her third baby she has done the traditional baby shower i'm sure...so try something new...look up "blessing way" and you will see...they are really special. I could tell you all about it but i figure you could find out a lot of infor on the internet. good luck!

For my shower, on the invitation and r.s.v.p.'s we asked that everyone bring a baby picture of themselves for a fun game. Upon arrival, we took the baby picture and the teens went in the back room, gave each picture a number on the back of the picture and matched the name with the number. They carefully hung them all on a bulletin board for disply. During the course of the shower, we asked people to guess who's who. Many people did not know one another so we listed the names on the board. The person with the most correct was the winner and received a gift. It was an ice breaker and lots of fun. One thing we did not do was take a picture of the bulletin board/and or the pictures which I never did see because of all the activity during the party. I would have loved to see all my friends as baby's. Good luck!

A fun game we played was using a bolt of ribbon where each guest cuts the ribbon as to how big around the mom is. After everyone has cut their ribbon you do a precise one around the mommy to be and measure it to all the guests'. You get some very short ribbons and extra long ribbons and most often no one is ever very close, it's rather funny. It's a nice short game that goes by fast. Have a great time.

Here are a few game ideas:
1) fill a baby bottle with jellybeans or m&m's and have everyone guess how many are in there (this is a great game that people can pass around while they are eating or mingling)
2) shower gift bingo- pass out bingo cards that are blank. Have each guest fill in each box with a gift item that they think the mom will receive: bottle, blanket, pacifier, towel, etc etc. As the mom opens up each gift the guests cross off their list. You can have one bingo winner or you could have several depending on how much you want to spend on prizes. A shower we went to the hostess just bought a bunch of things at the dollar store.
3) the price is right baby items. buy a bunch of baby items & have the guests guess the prices.

A fun game is where you put different small baby items, like toys, washcloths, wipes and things into plain brown lunch bags. Then you pass the bags around and try to guess what is in them. You number the bags and people write down what they think each thing is. Whoever has the most correct answers wins. It is a lot of fun and often gets people laughing with the creative guesses.
Another game often played at baby showers is having people match animals to their baby names: like swan and cygnet; porcupine and porcupette.

We've done 2 tea parties - so fun!