5 Baby Shower Games For a Fun-Loving Crowd

Sometimes, you just want a baby shower that's a little more rousing or colorful than the average event. Maybe you're expecting a lively crowd, or maybe your shower's pretty large -- like a "Come and Go" shower -- and you'll have lots of guests who don't know each other that well.

In that case, you might want some active, hands-on games to help pass the time at your shower and keep things lively. Here are some baby shower games sure to get things moving -- all of them inexpensive, and not a single one requiring guests to scribble out their answers ons a sheet of paper while the clock ticks away!

1) The Cotton Ball Game. This hilarious game is totally easy to set up, and doesn't require anything you don't probably already have in your home: cotton balls, a spoon, and some bowls. You can play this game in pairs, or singles. Just plop down a bowl full of cotton balls in front of your player, who you've blindfolded. Have them try to spoon all the cotton balls from their bowl into another bowl -- either one in sitting in front of their partner, or a second bowl balanced on their own head!

Watching people play the cotton bowl game will make everyone laugh their heads off. Cotton balls are so light, you can't really tell if they're actually on the spoon, so most of the time your players will be working hard to transfer nothing at all. Whoever transfers the most cotton balls to the other bowl wins a prize.

2) Don't Say "Baby". As each guest arrives, give them a necklace (that is, a length of string) with a baby pacifier or a safety pin strung on it. Any guest who hears someone else say the word "baby" can call her out. If she's the first one to do so, she gets that woman's pacifier or safety pin. The woman with the most pacifiers or safety pins at the end of the shower wins a prize. For a variation, tell guests they can't cross their legs instead of telling them they can't say "baby."

3) Head Artist. Give each guest a pen or pencil and a paper plate, and have them place the plate on their head. When you say "go," have each guest draw the best picture of a baby they can manage -- while the plate is sitting on their head! This game is extremely challenging, but some guests are really good at it! The best drawing of a baby earns a prize.

4) The Toilet Paper Game. Pass around a roll of toilet paper, and have each guest tear off a piece according to how big around she thinks the new Mom's tummy is. The closest guesser wins a prize! (But only play this game if Mom's pretty svelte, so you won't hurt anyone's feelings.)

5) Twister. The twist on this game of Twister is that the players have to be "pregnant" (e.g., they stuff big pillows under their shirts). Get a nice prize for the last one standing, er, twisting! Naturally, any truly pregnant women will be sitting this one out, but laughing their heads off!

As for prizes, do guests have to give them all to Mommy? You might have heard this "rule," and wondered about it. The answer is: absolutely not! The gifts are for the mommy; the prizes are for the guests. So pick out some small but sweet items, and tell your guests to enjoy!