Activities for a Baby Shower

One of the best things that happened at my shower was there was a Diaper/Wipe raffle. There were 3 small prizes (gas card, olive garden gift card, and movie tickets) and if a person brought wipes or diapers, they got a ticket at the door. Then at the end we did the drawing. As a mom of mulitples, it was a huge huge huge help to not have to buy diapers for 4 months. The stores will exchange the sizes no questions asked, so the diaper size and brand can be changed if she wants.

Are you doing a whole meal or just snacks> You can do snacks and punch and baby mints.

You can make finger foods. Like sandwiches with different types of grated cheese and mayonaise mixed together and spread on different types of bread, cut in triangles. This one went over well at mine. There are lots of cracker spread recipes you can probably find one at www.allrecipes.com Punch- Hawaiin punch, pineapple juice and sprite all mixed together with sherbert on top was always a big hit.

Decorations: At my shower someone dressed a balloon as a baby and it turned out so cute. Also, there was little decorations for me to keep like a wicker (small one for looks bassinette).

Game ideas:

Pacifer necklace game: Make pacificers out of lifesavers and jelly bean. Glue one lifesaver horizontally to another one verically, then glue jelly bean in hole. String ribbon (long enough for a necklace in the lifesaver hole (vertical one - other will be filled). Then you can give each guest one. You can tell them it's so they don't say the name baby, or what's the name going to be, or whatever you want it to be. If they say that name you choose the person who catches them gets to take their necklace. The one who ends up with the most wins. These necklaces are also very cute for decorating the chandlier until the guest come.

Scrambled Baby name games: you can look these up online, set a timer and whoever scrambles the most when timer goes off when. This can be hard if you find unique names.

Putting a bunch of baby items on a tray and letting everyone look at them for a minute. Taking tray away and then whoever writes down the most within a one or two minute period wins.

Safety pins in a bowl of rice: put a bunch of the smallest (they come really small) safety pins you can find in a bowl of rice and mix them up. Blind fold one guest at a time and see how many they can get out. It is actually harder than it looks. This was always a big hit.

One thing one of my friends mom did for her daughter is while she opening presents she wrote down everything she said, and it was funny when she read it back.

I have seen some people get a box of thank you cards and make the guest fill out the envelopes so your sister would only need to write out the card, put it in the envelope and mail out her thank you. I thought this was a cool idea.

Gift Ideas: you can find lots of good gifts to give away from the dollar store. I was amazed at what some people have found. But stationary, Bath & body works often has good sales too, you can get the small size lotions, antibacterial soaps. etc.

I hope this helps.
K.

Baby Shower Checklist

Two months before the Baby Shower

Create the baby shower guest list
Determine a budget for the baby shower
Set the date of the baby shower
Decide on the baby shower location

One month before the Baby Shower

Decide on the baby shower theme
Select and mail the baby shower invitations – include directions
Plan for the baby shower menu

Three weeks before the Baby Shower

Order a the baby shower cake
Order balloons and flowers if they are planned decorations
Order tables and chairs if you’re hosting the baby shower a at home
Order any other special entertainment or surprises

Two weeks before the Baby Shower

Buy baby shower decorations, game prizes and party favors
Buy plates, cups, eating utensils, tablecloths, etc. if you’re hosting the baby shower at a home
Finalize the baby shower menu with the Caterer or Restaurant
Plan which baby shower games you want guest to play

One week before the Baby Shower

Establish a final count on your baby shower guest list
Call invited guests who have not RSVP’d to the baby shower
Wrap baby shower game prizes and party favors
Buy film and batteries for camera and video recorder
If you’re hosting the baby shower at a home, begin to clean the home
Prepare a printed baby shower menu, table assignments and name tags (if desired)
Buy your baby shower gift for mommy-to-be

The day before the Baby Shower

Begin decorating if you’re hosting the baby shower at a home – you will need tape and scissors
Set up tables, chairs, food table, drink table, etc. if you’re hosting the baby shower at a home
Buy baby shower drinks if you’re hosting the baby shower at a home
If you’re cooking anything for the baby shower, do whatever you can today
If you are baking the baby shower cake, today is the day
Get the baby shower games ready – make sure you have plenty of pencils
Prepare a timeline for the day of the baby shower so that you stay on schedule.
The timeline should include last minute tasks before the baby shower begins and a schedule
to keep the party on track (baby showers are generally 2 to 3 hours)
Double-check that every item on the checklist before “The Day of the Baby Shower” is done

The Day of the Baby Shower!

Follow your baby shower timeline to stay organized and calm
Pick up balloons, flowers and/or other centerpieces if you have ordered them
Pick up the baby shower cake if you are not baking it yourself
Finish setting up baby shower decorations and put party favors out on a table
Buy plenty of ice for drinks and setup up drinks and cups
Set out food on tables if you’re hosting the baby shower at home
Designate certain guests to take pictures and video of the baby shower
When mommy-to-be is opening baby shower gifts, keep trash bags close by
Write down the baby shower gifts and who they were given by – use the Invite/RSVP
list to make sending thank you cards easy for mommy-to-be
Have fun and rest assured that you have planned a wonderful day for mommy-to-be!

Hi -

I threw a shower a couple of months ago and had everyone play a game that I had never played before. It was really fun and I got a lot of complements on it. I made a game board on poster board with bunch of baby words on it (heart burn, girl, hospital bill, epidural) and then I had a bag of candy bars each one that went with a word. (Hot tamales - heart burn, baby ruth - girl, 100 grand - hospital bill, life savers - epidural). I would hold up one at a time and the first person to shout out the correct name won the candy bar. The candy bar is the prize. If you want the whole list just send me a message and I can email it to you.

I have been to a lot of baby showers lately (a lot of friends having babies), one thing I don't like is when all of the games are writing games. I don't want to spend the whole time writing. Make sure to keep the party moving because some people only want to stay for a little while and not all day. Try and stay organized and have everything ready in advance so it is not stressful to you and you can enjoy it also.

Have fun,
B.

Hi S., I know you already got a lot of ideas, here's another. You can get cheap white paper plates (not styrofoam) and each person puts a plate on top of their head and is told to draw a picture of the baby, without looking or removing the plate from their head. it's really funny to watch. Then they put their names on the back, and the mom-to-be picks the best one and they get a prize. You can also do this for bridal showers and tell the women to draw a picture of the bride, or bride and groom. Good luck and have fun!!!

At my baby shower, my friend had this game.....when guests arrive, they are given a cute diaper pin (a decorative one from a craft store). They are also given instructions, that anytime they say the word, "baby" during the shower/party that they have to give up the pin to the person who catches them. The guest with the most pins at the end gets a prize!

Also, when opening presents you can have a guest or do this yourself...record the gift and the giver on a piece of paper and do a little drawing of the item, which makes a nice keepsake and the Mom To Be can easily make Thank-you Notes.
Have fun!

hi S.
i saw already there are bunch of lovely ideas for u. all i would like to add to it is i am an heena tattoo artist i do baby showers party where i come and do temporary, hygienic, painless tattoos, and i charge per hour or per party, i am new to this place so am very very reasonably prized so if u are interested it pls feel free to call me. my number is listed in my profile of business u can even check out pics of it in my profile, or u can even msg me urs i will give u a call.
its a very unique thing and ppl really love this...

hope u have a nice baby shower waiting for ur reply
N.

Ditto the poster board game...lots of fun. It's like baby word memory. I think my friend found it on the internet...

I've done tons of baby showers as I'm part of the women's ministry group at our church.

My best advice is to let friends help you out- one person do games (tons of free internet games)and little prizes for the winners (always have a couple of extra), one person do decorations, somebody else in charge of the cake, other people to help with food (just have an idea of what you want),assign someone to take pictures, someone to make sure to write down the gifts she receives.... it's much more fun that way and if everyone pitches in, it doesn't cost a bundle.

I personally think the more relaxed things are, the more everyone will have a good time.

I hope you enjoy planning it, and remember the mommy to be will really appreciate all that you've done for her... I know I did when my friends showered me!
Toni

Go to Babyshower101,com It has alot of ideas and games to play.

Hi S.,

My sister threw me a baby shower and it was awesome. She found a scrapbooking store and used their workshop as our party sight. During the party, everyone picked a theme out of a bag and created a scrapbook page for me. Everyone was able to go through the store and pick out things they wanted to use on the page. We simply had a sandwich tray, drinks and a cake. It was great because everyone was entertained and I ended up with a fantastic scrapbook.

Ideas to make it cheaper: Forego the decorations (we didn't have or need any there) If you do it at home simply set up tables for scrapbooking. Simple food. If you have it at a place: you could give a budget for each page or have everyone pitch in $10.00, at home: have people bring xtra supplies (pack of paper, xtra scissors, glue, markers)

Just a quick hint... set up a time for presents, we were having so much fun we almost forget!

Is she having a girl? If so, this isn't so much a game, but my sister did this for my shower and I thought it was a great idea. She asked everyone to bring a barette. She made one of those picture holders with the sheet from my nursey theme, ribbon and buttons (to hold the picturs to the board) and when you came in the door, you added your barettes to the ribbon. So if my daughter's hair ever gets long enough, I have a ton of barettes in various sizes and colors all ready to go.

The most morbid game I ever played at a baby shower was the funnest game I ever played at a baby shower. Take the chep NB diapers, and melt and break up a candy bar in each one, and have the ladies guess what kind of candy bar it is. Make sure you take pictures while they smell it to see if the candy smells familiar.

I was just at a baby shower over the weekend. They played the diaper pin game, which is always fun. There was also the "measure the mommy's belly". We eye-balled the mommy and a roll of yarn went around and everyone took their turn in cutting a piece that they thought would fit around the mommy's belly. They also played a game I have never seen before. It was kinda gross, but interesting. They had 5 diapers, numbered 1-5 on the counter, and in the diaper, they had smashed and rubbed 5 different candy bars in the individual diapers, and the guests had to figure out what kind of candy bars they were. They could smell or taste if they dared. It is really funny to see the reactions of the guests when they first open up the diaper (they really looked like "dirty" diapers)!!! The person with the correct number of guesses won a prize.
Good luck, and most of all....have fun planning it! :O)

I just planned one for my girlfriend a few months ago and got carried away in all the planning part...there are a ton of baby shower websites! The only "game" we did was measure the belly, but we had onesies and fabric pens and stencils out on the tables and also advice cards for everyone to write advice to the mom to be. At my shower they put scrapbook pages out on the tables with a ton of scrapping supplies and everyone made a page so all I had to do was insert pictures. Good luck...and have fun planning.

Hi S.,
One idea (if you are a crafty sort of person) is to have the guests of the shower decorate a burp rag for the baby. You purchase cloth diapers from a retail store and items to decorate them with. (Ribbon, paint, crochet thread etc) Depending on the talents of those who are comming the mommy gets some very diverse burp rags and remembers those who made it.
Another idea (if the baby doesn't have a name yet) is to have everyone write a name down and put it in a jar and then go through them while everyone is eating.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your shower!

The cotton ball game is fun. Cotton balls in a bowl and an empty bowl near by . They are blind-folded and use a spoon to scoop the cotton balls in the bowl . It is funny to watch.
Also put baby safety pins in a nice container/ceramic and mix it all together, blind fold the mommies and they have 3 min to find the saftey pins in the rice. It is hard.
Have a bunch of blank envelopes in which the guest write their address on them and do a door prize. Then the TY cards are all filled out for her.
I like to do a open game to get to know people first. I did this by taking magazines gallore and had a team of 2 or 3 work together to build a baby as to what the Lady's baby was going to look like. Allow about 20 min for this. It was a great success. They were paired in with those that they did not know and the ladies love the crafty stuff. Have to get lots of magazines to pull it off, so try to find them free.
So once you have an ice breaker...then you do snacks, then game, then presants, then game then cake and your done.
Good luck.

Here is an idea that we did for a shower. Purchase enough thank you cards themed toward the shower if possible. When each guest arrives you ask them to self address the envelope (the guest doesn't get the card though, that will be mailed later) and keep adding them in a box or basket what ever you want to put them in. Later you will draw one out and that person gets a prize. It is great for the mother to be, the envelopes are done and also it works in leu of a game if you don't want to do a bunch of games. It was also done for me and I loved it. No delay in getting my thank you's out.