Pregnancy is such a special and magical time. Not only is there a precious life growing, there are hopes and dreams that emanate from within for the future child. These feelings are precious and well deserved; as every pregnancy is special and equally deserving of a special celebration or shower of love.

Throwing a baby shower for an expectant mother (or couple) can be a fun experience. There are shower invitations to choose, cute cakes to pick out, fun games to plan, guest favors to decide on, and adorable decorations to adorn the party site with. There are so many awesome  options, but one that is often overlooked is the physical documentation of the baby shower, in the form of pictures. After all, the new mom and dad  will definitely want pictures to put into a special album for the little one they will soon welcome into the world.

Often times the duty of photographing a baby shower gets forgotten.  Everyone is so busy enjoying themselves, eating, drinking, laughing, and playing games, that taking pictures falls by the way side. There’s one way to avoid a lack of baby shower photography. And that way is to find someone, perhaps another friend or relative, to be in charge of taking pictures. Whether a regular point-and-shoot or a DSLR is used, if you have someone dedicated to documenting the baby shower, you will succeed in achieving another planning step. Another way to ensure a magnitude of pictures are snapped is to leave disposable cameras on the guest tables. This way a multitude of guests can help capture special moments. Not only does this provide different perspectives, it gives mom, dad, and child something to look back on fondly.

Tips for the Best Baby Shower Photography:

• Take pictures with new mom (and dad) and all the guests as they arrive.
• Make sure you get a picture of the cake, shower favors, and decorations.
• It’s not necessary to photograph every shower gift being opened, but you should get some.
• Look for cherished moments to photograph; like mom and dad stealing a kiss, a hug from grandma-to-be, or mom’s best friend rubbing her belly.
• Take as many pictures as you can to ensure that the special day will be preserved in the minds and hearts of the ones being showered when they open up their baby shower photo album or scrapbook.

This baby shower game is very popular at showers and is great for everyone at the party, even children who can read and write. Before the day of the party, select as many words as you want that are related to pregnancy and babies, no less than 25 is recommended. Now, the fun part is to scramble the letters so that they are no longer in the right order.

For example, the words that you scramble would include: breastfeeding, rattle, baby, ball and these could become: ngstbrieedaef, ttrela, bbya, albl or any other combination you want. Vary the length and the difficulty of the words when making the scramble.

Set a time limit of approximately five minutes and the person who unscrambles the most words within the allotted time wins the game and the prize.

Do you have a favorite baby shower game not listed?  Please comment!

For this game you need to purchase about 10 – 12 bottles of baby food. Make sure that you get different flavors that look the same; this is especially important if you decide to go with the taste or smell version of the game without using blindfolds. You will also need to remove the labels from each bottle and write down the number alongside the correct contents of the bottle on a piece of paper.

One version of the Guess the Baby Food game and one that can be quite hilarious is to do the taste test. This game can be played with or without blindfold, as this increases the level of difficulty and the fun. It is common knowledge that bottled baby food is not something the average adult likes. For this version of the game some baby food is placed in plastic spoons and the guest or mom-to-be tastes the food and tries to guess what it is. The look on the faces of the persons doing the tasting is priceless and will bring life to any baby shower.

In addition to the taste version, guests can be blindfolded and given jars of baby food to smell and guess what it is. Another version is to just let the invitees try to look at the sealed jar of baby food and guess what it is. With the latter version the sealed jars and the list with the numbers indicating what each jar contains is given to the mom-to-be for future use.

Do you have a favorite baby shower game not listed?  Please comment!

For this game you need to get the following items:

• Bingo cards (these can be pre-printed with words that are associated with babies, e.g. changing table, diaper, nappies. The design of regular bingo cards can be used, so the “B” line would have only items to do with feeding, “I” to do with names etc.)
• Markers to mark the cards
• Papers marked with things associated with babies and pregnancy – make sure that all the words on the cards are included. Place these folded papers into a bag or deep container.

Each guest is given a bingo card when they arrive for the party. Once the game begins, the host or anyone else acts as the caller. The caller’s job is to pull the strips of paper from the container and call out what is written on it. Guests will mark that word off their bingo card. The first person to mark off a line of words based on the type of bingo being played, calls out “bingo”. This person is the winner of the game. Guests can play for just fun, or to get more interaction, small tokens can be used as prizes.

Type of bingo: Before the game, the caller will state what type of bingo is being played such as ‘full house”, that is, all the squares on the card must be filled or ‘corner to corner”. Regular bingo players can make suggestions.

Version 2: Each guest is given a blank bingo card and is asked to write down what types of gifts they think the mom-to-be will be getting. As she opens the presents, the guests tick off the correct answers on their card. The first person to tick all the guesses on the card wins the game by calling out “bingo”.

Version 3: Again this can be played like a regular bingo game, and the numbers on the bingo cards should ideally be representative of the number of persons at the party. Therefore if invitations were sent to 25 persons, the numbers on the bingo card should not go above 25.

Each guest is then given a number between 1 and 25 to place on their gifts which are placed on a table. The mom-to-be will select gifts in no particular order and call out the number on the gift and guests will mark this off on their cards if it is there. The first person to fill in a line vertically or completely fill in the card, depending on the rules, wins the game by calling out the word, “bingo”.

Do you have a favorite baby shower game not listed?  Please comment!

This baby shower version of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” is just as fun and can really bring life to a party. Anyone can join in, women, men, children, even the mom-to-be can safely take part in this game. For the game you will need to get the following beforehand:

• A nice life-sized picture of a baby

• Drawings of a pacifier – you will need one for each guest. Since this is easy to do you can opt for excess in case some guests want more than one try.

• Blindfolds – you can create blindfolds from paper or get scarves or even ask each guest to take their own material or sleep mask to use.

• Tape to use on the drawings of the pacifiers. Tape is safer than pins.

The objective is to have guests take turns trying to place the pacifier in the baby’s open-mouth while blindfolded. The person who comes closest to the baby’s mouth with the pacifier wins the game.

There are many variations to this game, so use your imagination. Some suggestions include:

• Instead of trying to pin the pacifier, other objects can be used instead such as baby bottles, sippy cups, even a thumb.

• Use an image of a mother with hands positioned as if holding a baby, but of course, the baby is missing. The game is to cut out images of babies and try to stick them into the cradled arms of the mommy. Really creative persons can have the mommy lying in bed, sitting in a chair or standing – the choice is wide open.

• Another nice variation is ‘pin the belly button’ with a picture of a pregnant tummy minus a belly button and guests try to place the belly button in the right position.

Do you have a favorite baby shower game not listed?  Please comment!

This fun game is a variation of the popular Price is Right Game. Before the start of the game buy between 15 and 20 different baby-related items – make sure to keep the receipts with the price.

Write down the price of each item and place it face down under each item. Make sure than none the guests sees the price when you are doing this. Give each item a number – make this visible. Next you will also need to place the same numbers in a container and have each guest pull out a piece of paper with a number.

Once the container is empty have each guest write down on the paper what they believe the right price of the item is. The guest whose guess is closet to the right price wins the game.

There are many variations of this fun game. Here are two twists that can be added to provide some variety.

1. Show each guest the items and ask them to write down the prices. Once everyone has written down the price of each item, compare prices and the person who has guessed the prices of the most items correctly wins.

2. Decide beforehand the rules in terms of ‘closest price”. Is it the nearest price without going over, or is it the nearest price within two dollars of the correct price. This means that the winner is the person whose guess is anywhere from the correct price to two dollars more or less than the right price.

Suggested baby items include:

• Pacifier

• Feeding bottle

• Rattle

• Diaper pins

• Wet wipes

• Stuffed toy

• Bottled food

• Hair brush and comb

• Wash rags

Do you have a favorite baby shower game not listed?  Please comment!

For this fun baby shower game, which is also great for children’s parties you need to get a nice gift and wrap it in many different layers of wrapping paper. Try to wrap the gift in as many layers as the number of guest you expect at the party. Make sure that each layer of wrapping paper is different so that it is easy to differentiate one layer from the other. To make the game really fun, add small gifts in between each layer. The gifts do not have to be expensive and can include a cute pen or some candies.

Have each guest sit on a chair in a circle and start the music. The person holding the parcel when the music starts passes it to the person sitting beside them. The parcel is passed from guest to guest until the music stops. The tempo and length of time between stopping the music can be varied to make the game more exciting. The guest holding the parcel when the music stops starts removing as many layers of wrapping paper as they can. If they find a present it is theirs to keep, but they must stop and pass the parcel on to the next person as soon as the music starts again.

The parcel is passed around until the last piece of wrapping paper is removed. The guest who removes the last piece of wrapping from the parcel wins the game and gets to keep the gift or they can give it to the mom to be if they wish.

This is a fun game and can include all invitees at the party, women, men and children.

Note: In another variation of the game, each time the music stops, only one layer of wrapping paper can be removed.

Do you have a favorite baby shower game not listed?  Please comment!

1. Baby Bank – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
   Ask guests to put the money in a piggy bank and give it to the parents for their baby’s first bank account. (usually goes with the baby pool)

2. Baby Bingo – Contributed by: Audra
   Print out BINGO sheets for all guest. Before gift opening instruct guests to fill in squares with “baby items”, rattle, teething ring, etc. While honored guest is opening gifts instruct guests to circle any and all items that are given that match what they have written on their BINGO sheets. As BINGO’s are being yelled out have a designated person pass out Shower prizes.

3. Baby Food Guess – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
   Preparation: Take about 10 different baby food jars and number the bottom of each bottle. Use a permanent marker or write on masking tape and stick it to the bottom of the jar. Be sure to write down which baby food goes with which number.Directions: Place the bottles on a tray and pass it around to the guests. The guests then try to guess what flavor is in each bottle and write it down. After everyone has seen the bottles and guessed, then read the answers. The person who has the most flavors listed correctly is declared the winner.Variation: Buy a stack of papered plates and write the numbers 1-10 around the outside. Then put a small spoonful of each baby food next to the number. Give each guest one of these baby food plates and a spoon. The guests then guess the food by tasting all the flavors! As before, be sure to write which flavor corresponds to which number.

4. Baby Pool – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
   Copy a page or two of a calendar. Have the guests put their initials on the date and time they predict the baby will be born. Each person pays a dollar or so for each chance she takes. For more variables, have people try to guess the sex (if unknown), weight, and length of the baby. The prize can be the money or another gift.

5. Baby Quiz – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
   Ask the grandparents to write up what the parents were like as babies. Have them include vital statistics such as time of birth, height, weight, first tooth, first smile, age when toilet trained, and early indications of personality. Based on this information, make up a quiz about the future parents to hand out to guests. The person with the most correct answers wins a prize.

6. Bottle Races – Contributed by: Anne
   Put 1 or 2 oz of milk or juice into bottles. Before explaining the game ask for volunteers (3) you can make sure to include the mother to be too. Give each volunteer a bottle, explain that they must drink from the bottle until the liquid is all gone, the first guest who finishes wins. It is a lot harder to drink from a bottle than you think! Even the people who are not drinking have fun cheering, watching, and laughing. This is a good time for pictures too.

7. Diaper Derby – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
   To play, you’ll need a four-roll pack of toilet paper. At the shower, divide your guests into four teams. Give each team one roll of paper. Using only that, each group should dress one of their team members in a diaper. They can’t use pins, staples, or anything else to hold it together. The mom-to-be picks the best-diapered baby, and the whole team wins small prizes.

8. Dirty Diapers! – Contributed by: Phyllis C.
   Make diapers out of paper napkins, put mustard inside of one napkin. Each person is to pick a napkin and the one with the dirty diaper (napkin) wins a prize!

9. Variation on Dirty Diapers Game – Contributed by: Alyssa W.
   Buy several diapers and several kinds of chocolate (Mars, butterfinger etc.). Melt one of the chocolates in one of the diapers. Do this with all the different kinds of chocolate. Lay the diapers on a table with a number next to each one. Have each guest look at and smell the inside of the diaper. Then have the guests write down the number and what kind of chocolate they think it was on an index card. The guest with the most right wins!

10. Don’t Say Baby! – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    The object of the game is to avoid saying the word ‘baby.’ Everyone gets a clothespin or safety pin when they arrive, and if someone catches you saying ‘baby,’ she gets your pin. The person with the most pins at the end of the party wins a prize.Variation: Everyone gets a clothes pin… and anytime you were sitting down, you couldn’t cross your legs. If you were caught crossing your legs, the person who caught you got your clothes pin. The one with the most in the end got a little prize.

11. Dress the Baby – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    Get a life-size baby doll, receiving blanket, cloth diaper, diaper wrap, and one-piece underwear. Guests take turns trying to either dress or swaddle the baby. Time each guest – the one who does it fastest wins.

12. Feeding Time! – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    Place a bunch of cotton balls in a large bowl. Set an empty bowl in front of it. Instruct the guests that they are to transfer as many cotton balls as possible from one to the other while blindfolded. Blindfold the guests, one at a time, and hand them a large wooden spoon from the kitchen. Give them 30 seconds to scoop up as many cotton balls as possible and place them in the second bowl. This is harder than you think because the balls are almost weightless on the spoon and the blindfolded person has no idea how many cotton balls they’ve gotten. The balls are counted after each guest plays. The guest who transferred the most wins.

13. Grab the Baby Pins – Contributed by: A. Swim
    Put several small safety pins in a bowl full of rice. Give each guest one minute to find as many pins (blindfolded) as possible. It’s amazing how difficult it is. The guest with the most pins, wins.

14. Gum Babies – Contributed by: Julie S.
    Each guest gets a piece of bubble gum (the square ones like bubble yum) and a number is attached. The guest has to make a baby out of the piece of gum, the wrapper can also be used. The gum is collected along with the number (each guest has to remember their number). The mom-to-be judges the baby figures for best and worst and a prize is won. It is a great way for guests to loosen up and meet the people around them.

15. Ice Cube Game – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    Buy a bunch of tiny plastic babies – the kind you might put on a cake – and freeze them in ice cubes. Each guest gets one in a cup or bowl. The first one whose baby is ‘born’ wins

16. Jellybelly Count – Contributed by: Adrienne C.
    You will need a baby bottle and 1/4 lb. of jellybellies. Fill the bottle with the jellybellies and write the number on a sheet of paper. Have the guests and guest-of-honor write their guesses on pieces of paper. The person with the closest guess wins the bottle!

17. Memory Game – Contributed by: Phyllis C.
    Place a large number of baby items (rattle, diaper, teething ring, etc..) in a large bag. Give each guest 1 minute to study the items in the bag. They need to write a list of as many items as they can remember. The guest with the most correct answers, wins!

18. Mom’s Book – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    Buy or make a small blank book. Ask each guest to write in advice, their blessings, a wish, proverb, or poems the mom may enjoy. She can read the book while waiting for the newest additions arrival. It’s nice to let guests know ahead of time so they are prepared.

19. The Name Game – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    Using the baby’s full name, the guests make up words using the letters in the name. The person who comes up with the most words is the winner.

20. Name That Tune – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    Play or sing the tunes to children’s songs like ‘Pop Goes the Weasel,”Hush Little Baby,’ ‘Rock-a-Bye Baby,’ and ‘Lullaby and Goodnight,’ and have the guests guess the titles.

21. Onsies Paintathon – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    Get some white onsies or undershirts and give each guest one. With (non-toxic) fabric paint the guests can decorate each one for the baby. Variation: – Contributed by Debbie L.
    You can also do this with bibs.

22. Picture It – Contributed by: Alisa V.
    Ask all of your guests to bring in a photo from when they were babies, hang them all on a bullitien board and have everyone try to guess who each photo belongs to. The person who has the most correct answers wins!

23. Pin Counting – Contributed by: Amy N.
    Fill an 8 oz bottle with diaper pins and pass it around to your guests. Have them write down their guess on how many are in it. The closest guess wins!

24. Pin the Umbilical Cord on the Baby – Contributed by: Sarah H.
    A variation on the classic “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” with a twist! Use a photo of a baby and a paper umbilical cord.

25. Playdough Babies – Contributed by: Mindy C.
    Using playdough, have your guest make a baby item. Mom-2-be will deside the winner!

26. Round the Tummy – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    Buy a ball of yarn or string before the shower. Pass the ball of yarn to each guest and let them cut off the amount that they think best represents the waistline of the mother-to-be. After each guest has their string, have the mother to be go around the room and try out each string by wrapping it around her waist. The one that comes closest to her actual size wins.

27. Time Capsule – Contributed by: Lainey
    Ask each guest to bring an item for a time capsule. It could be anything from a newspaper cutting for the year he/she was conceived, to a poem written by a friend of the mother-to-be on their thoughts of the mother-to-be.

28. Zoo Babies – Contributed by: Lorna F. of Pinopolis, SC
    Have someone name an animal like ‘bear’ and then everyone writes down what it’s baby is called (e.g. ‘cub’ for bear). The person with the most correct gets a prize too.

29. Onsie Messages – Contributed by: Shannon Ley
    Have some onsies of different sizes available and some permanent fabric markers so guests can write a message or draw a design on a onsie if they choose to. You can also ask each guest to bring their own onsie in the invitation. Be sure to have little pieces of cardboard cutouts to stick in each onsie so the markers don’t bleed through.

Do you have a favorite baby shower game not listed?  Please comment!