No discount-store kits required. Here are 25 games that keep a baby shower moving without anyone standing around wishing they hadn't come.
Baby shower games have a bit of a reputation. Some guests love them, some would rather be anywhere else, and the wrong game can bring a whole room to an awkward standstill. The good news is you don't need a Pinterest board's worth of props to get it right. Most of what works well needs almost nothing you don't already own.
Below are 25 games sorted into five easy categories, so you can mix and match based on your group, your venue, and how much time you actually want to spend on games versus food and chatting.
Before You Pick Your Games
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Make games optional, not compulsory. Mamamia puts it well: know the mum-to-be and what she's actually into, and if games aren't her thing, it's fine to skip them rather than treating them as a fixed part of the day.
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Two or three games is usually plenty for a two-hour shower. More than that and energy tends to drop.
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Skip anything that leans heavily on labour or delivery details if you're not sure how the mum-to-be feels about that kind of humour in front of a full room.
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Small prizes work better than expensive ones. A candle, a nice hand cream or a small Sleepybelly item goes down just as well as anything pricier.
If you're still working out the basics, like who's hosting and when to hold it, our guide to baby shower etiquette in Australia covers all of that first.
Icebreaker and Mingling Games
1. Don't Say "Baby" Give each guest a clothes peg or ribbon when they arrive. Anyone caught saying the word "baby" during the party loses their peg to whoever caught them. Whoever holds the most pegs at the end wins. Zero prep, runs the whole party.
2. Two Truths and a Baby Lie The mum-to-be shares three "facts" about her pregnancy or the baby's due date, two true and one invented. Guests guess which one is the lie. Works well as an opener while people are still arriving.
3. Baby Word Scramble Print or write out 10 to 15 baby-related words (nappy, bassinet, dummy) with the letters jumbled. First guest to unscramble the most wins. Easy to prep on a laptop the night before.
4. Guess the Guest Ask everyone to bring a baby photo of themselves ahead of time. Pin them up on arrival and have guests guess who's who. Genuinely one of the better mingling games, since it gets people talking to each other, not just the host.
5. Match the Celebrity Baby Print childhood photos of well-known celebrities alongside their adult photos and have guests match them up. Works as a quiet table activity for guests who'd rather not be centre of attention.
Guessing Games
6. Guess the Baby Food Peel the labels off five or six jars of baby food, number them, and have guests guess the flavour by smell or taste. Reliably one of the most talked-about games afterwards, for better or worse.
7. Guess the Belly Size Pass around a ball of ribbon or string and have each guest cut a piece they think matches the size of the mum-to-be's belly. Wrap it around her at the end to see who guessed closest. Worth checking she's comfortable with this one before you plan it.
8. Due Date and Details Predictions Set out a simple card or sheet for guests to guess the baby's birth date, weight, length and time of day. Keep it for after the birth, it's a lovely thing to look back on.
9. How Many Lollies in the Jar A classic for a reason. Fill a jar with lollies or small chocolates and have guests guess the count. Whoever's closest takes the jar home.
10. Price Guess Lay out five or six baby items (a dummy, a pair of booties, a nappy pack) and have guests guess the price of each. Closest total wins.
Gift-Opening Games
11. Gift Bingo Make bingo cards with common shower gifts (nappies, wraps, bath products) in the squares. Guests mark off items as the mum-to-be opens her gifts. Keeps everyone engaged during what can otherwise be a slow part of the shower.
12. The Ribbon Countdown Every ribbon that breaks or gets cut (rather than carefully untied) during gift opening adds a "point" to a running joke tally. Low effort, gets a laugh, doesn't need any setup.
13. Guess Who Gave It Before gifts are opened, have guests anonymously guess which gift belongs to which guest based on the wrapping style. Reveal the answers as each gift is opened.
14. Reaction Bingo Write down phrases the mum-to-be might say while opening gifts ("I needed this," "so cute," "how did you know") on bingo-style cards. Guests mark them off as she reacts to each gift.
15. Wishes for Baby As each gift is opened, have the guest who gave it share one wish or hope for the baby. Turns gift-opening into something a bit more meaningful without slowing things down too much.
Keepsake and Sentimental Games
16. Advice Cards Set out cards and pens for guests to jot down one piece of advice for the new parents. Collect them into a jar or book the mum-to-be can read later, especially useful at 3am feeds down the track.
17. Words of Wisdom Book Similar to advice cards but in a proper guest book format, so it becomes a keepsake rather than loose cards. Good option if you want something a bit more polished for photos.
18. Letters for the Baby's First Birthday Have each guest write a short letter to the baby, to be opened on their first birthday. A lovely, low-key activity that doesn't need announcing or "winning."
19. Baby Prediction Time Capsule Guests write down predictions (who the baby will look like, what their first word might be) and seal them in an envelope to open on the baby's first birthday.
20. Family Recipe Exchange If food is a big part of your group's culture, ask guests to bring a written copy of a favourite family recipe to build a little cookbook for the new parents. Doubles as a genuinely useful gift.
Low-Prep, No-Materials Games
21. Baby Shower Trivia A quick round of general baby and pregnancy trivia questions, easy to find online or put together from what you already know. No materials needed beyond a printed sheet or your phone.
22. Nursery Rhyme Fill-in-the-Blank Write out a few well-known nursery rhymes with key words blanked out and have guests fill them in from memory. Surprisingly divisive, in a fun way, since everyone half-remembers the words differently.
23. He Said, She Said Ask the other parent a series of questions about the pregnancy ahead of time ("what was her biggest craving," "what will you miss most about sleeping in") without the mum-to-be hearing the answers, then see how many she can guess correctly.
24. Speed Nappy Change Guests race to "nappy" a doll or stuffed toy as fast as possible, blindfolded if you want to raise the difficulty. Genuinely one of the funniest games on this list to watch, minimal setup.
25. Would You Rather, Parenting Edition A few rounds of parenting-themed "would you rather" questions (would you rather change a nappy on a moving train or do bedtime alone for a week). No prep beyond a list of questions, works well as a closer while people are getting ready to leave.
Prize Ideas Worth Having on Hand
Keep prizes small and useful rather than novelty items that end up in a drawer. A Magnesium Body Cream or a pair of Maternity Compression Socks makes a genuinely welcome prize for a guest who's pregnant herself, alongside the usual candles, chocolate or gift vouchers.
If you're still working through the rest of the planning list, we've put together guides on the best baby shower gifts for every expectant mum and thoughtful gift ideas for a pregnant wife or partner, both worth a look alongside this one. If you're also stuck on what to write in the card itself, our guide to baby shower card messages has 100 sorted by relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many games should we actually play at a baby shower?
Two or three is usually the sweet spot for a two-hour shower. Beyond that, energy tends to drop and guests start drifting toward food and conversation instead, which is a perfectly good outcome too.
What if some guests really don't want to play?
Make participation optional from the start rather than assuming everyone's keen. Quiet table-based games (like matching celebrity baby photos) give reluctant guests something to do without putting them on the spot.
Are these games only suitable for women-only showers?
No, all of these work fine for mixed or co-ed showers. A few, like speed nappy changing and would-you-rather, tend to go down especially well in mixed groups.
How long should game time take up overall?
Somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes total across two or three games is a reasonable target for a shower that also includes food, gifts and general mingling.
What if the mum-to-be doesn't want to be the centre of attention?
Choose games that involve the whole group rather than singling her out repeatedly, like trivia, gift bingo or the advice cards. She can still be involved without every game revolving around her directly.
These are starting points, not a fixed script. Adjust freely based on your group, your venue and how much time you've actually got.
