baby shower games?

[Arnold Winkelried]

All right, so my presence is expected at a baby shower the day after Thanksgiving (for my girlfriend's sister-in-law.)

I can't think of any baby shower games (except the "guess the circumference of the expecting mother"). So I'm turning to the teeming millions for help.

The games should (preferably) be the kind of games you would be willing to play in front of your mother. (No, my mother won't be there, but I'm trying to create a good impression with my future in-laws. I don't intend to present them with anything of the form "what would you like to stuff up there?")

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La franchise ne consiste pas à dire tout ce que l'on pense, mais à penser tout ce que l'on dit.
H. de Livry

[PunditLisa]

I have two words: stork bingo!

[beefymeg]

Ok, this isn't quite a baby shower game, but it's a GREAT party game, especially if the gang is in their 20s and 30s and into pop music. The bro of a friend of mine made up this '90s "I'll give you the lyric, you tell me the artist & song title" list. Since it's 280-lyrics-long, email me and I'll send it to you, if you want.

Otherwise, there's the standard "famous parents and their famous kids" matching game.

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Sucks to your assmar.

[Arnold Winkelried]

two words: stork bingo!

one punctuation mark: ?

beefymeg, I don't think the lyric/song game would match our crowd, but thank you for the "famous kids of famous parents" idea. Do you know where I could find such a list?

[beefymeg]

Last time I heard of someone playing it, they just made it up themselves. I can see if she still has the list laying around for your plagiarism purposes! Is tomorrow (Wednesday) morning ok?

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Sucks to your assmar.

[Imthecowgodmoo]

Game: Two Truths and a Lie.

Directions: Each person at the shower gets to think of two truths and a lie about themselves. The person who leads the shower gets to guess which is the lie and which are the truths. Can also play it as Two Lies and a Truth.

Disclaimer: Beware, you might find out stuff about your friends that you never knew before!

For instance.. If it where my turn, I would say that
1) I've been pulled over by the police on 2 occasions.
2) My favorite vegetable is the potato.
3) Until I was 7 years old, I had a blankie and wouldn't go anywhere without it.

The person would then guess which one isn't true. (the lie is #3)

Its fun for small and large groups.

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"I may be crazy, but at least I'm not as crazy as you."-- Calvin and Hobbes
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[metroshane]

how 'bout 'guess who the father is?'

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We live in an age that reads to much to be wise, and thinks too much to be beautiful--Oscar Wilde

[Arnold Winkelried]

beefymeg, yes, Wednesday morning would be great. I'm flying out tomorrow evening (Wednesday before thanksgiving.)

metroshane: bad boy.

cowgod: I'll float your proposal, but I don't know if it will fly.

[Manda JO]

Just for the record, I have never known anyone to bitch that they went to a baby shower and didn't get to play enough games. I would recomend that less is more here. Playing a quick game to break the ice makes sense, but be prepared to drop the whole idea if conversation seems to be flowing all right on its own. There is nothing worse than being absorbed in a particulaly good piece of gossip, only to have some over-eager-orginizer make twenty comfortable people go on a scavenger hunt.

[thirdwarning]

I don't know how these will fly with your friends, but I have one that uses "hieroglyphic" symbols to represent words associated with babies. The first one is crib, and you give them that, and then go from there. First one done wins. I don't think I can send you the symbols (I don't know how to do that), but I can send the words, if you want the list. Otherwise, just wing it with your own list.
We've also done a thing where you combine the letters in the parents' first names and then list as many names as you can come up with from those letters, for the baby. Most names wins. (duh)
These are a little silly, but the whole point is just a little good-natured fun before refreshments or gifts.
We did one at a wedding shower once where each person wrote a list of advice for the bride, starting with the letters of the couple's names, and then the bride tried to guess who wrote each list by the advice on it. I suppose you could use the parents' names, or the baby's name, if it has been chosen.

[Shirley Ujest]

I agree with several of the suggestions above. Keep away from a baby theme. It's really passe.

[rant] I personally hate sitting through another dull game of themed baby stuff. To me ( and this is just my HUMBLE -ergo up my ass- opinion) guessing the circumference of the mommy to be is tasteless. What if she never loses that weight or is really self conscious about that. YOU WOULD NEVER ASK A NON PREGNANT woman her waist size, would you? [/rant]

Games you could play: It sounds like it is a age-varied crowd. How about:

1)Charades.(this is an all time fav. at our parties.)
2)There isn't much time, but maybe a list of
Name the celebrity babies. Tallulah to Demi Moore... those who can correctly name the most star kids to their parents win something.
3)Instead of games, do some kind of ice breaker game ( I'm all for something like " Without any pants on" idea). Then, for prizes without competition, at the end of the party "raffle" it (whatever the prizes are) to
" Who has a birthday closest to the baby's due date?" Who has a child who's birthdate is closest to the baby's due date?" Who had the shortest labor here" etc...

( Oh, and make it a rule that no one tells labor horror stories. Gawd, talk about mental terrorism for the poor mommy to be.)

Another funny one that I read, of all places, was an Erma Bombeck book, was when the mommy opens a present and makes a comment of " Oh it's so little" or " I just love Pink." tell the other ladies there that the comments she makes about the gifts are ones she made the night the baby was conceived. Don't tell the mommy for the first few times. It's really a scream.

[Shirley Ujest]

I know I sound like a cranky person when I say that baby-themed games are passe. But everyone here as endured stork bingo and the enthusiam just wasn't there on the first round, much less the 20th time. Although, it is possibly the better of all baby shower games to sit through because there is something else going on too.so you are not trapped.

Keep the conversation flowing, break up people that came together to force them to mingle and chat with others. Less games the better. Remember, Friday is everyone's day off too and they'd rather be someplace else.Keep things at a good pace.

At my wedding shower my maid of honor did a movie trivia list.( I am a movie buff) Nothing related to weddings or drippy love stuff and told everyone from the start it was only X amount of questions. The crowd ranged from Seniors to teenagers and she covered all age brackets. It just killed me not to answer any of the questions, so we turned it into The Bride Will Act out the Hint for you. It was a riot.

An idea that just floated through my head and I haven't had time to edit it, so here it goes: why not give all the guests an index card and pen and ask them to write one the one thing they wish for the baby. " I wish that he will always have joy in his life..."
Don't show it to Momma, seal it in an envelope and give it to her at the hospital or after she arrives home. (ohhhh, I LIKE THIS ONE ALOT) Suddenly I want to host a baby shower....and that is something I'VE NEVER WANTED TO DO BEFORE.

[BoBettie]

Here ya' go- more shower games then you can shake a stork at *snort*
http://allaboutshowers.com/baby/games/

Zette

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Zettecity

[ChrisCTP]

This isn't really a game, but...

Get a couple of those really thick cloth diapers (not prefolded, just thick) and cut them up into enough squares that all the guests get one. Fold the squares into triangles (they're supposed to look like 'ittle diapers) and pin each one with a cutesy diaper pin. When you're down to ONE diaper, put a little bit of mustard on it before you fold it up and pin it.

Each guest gets a diaper when they walk in the door, and as soon as everyone's there and you're ready to start the games, the person who has the soiled diaper gets a door prize.

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"...all the prettiest girls live in Des Moines..."
--Jack Kerouac, On the Road

[Lucky]

Why is it that we women play these stupid games at baby showers anyway? Does anyone actually enjoy these? Isn't it time we came up with alternative entertainment?

I, for one, will try to find any excuse I can to avoid a baby shower because I find them to be both boring and stupid. I send a nice gift, of course, but I'd rather be boiled in oil than attend one of those insipid events. Otherwise intellegent women who could no doubt find interesting things to talk about are made to play games even the retarded wouldn't find amusing. I simply can't understand why we continue this worthless tradition.

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Don't get me wrong--I love life. I'm just finding it harder and harder to keep myself amused.

[thirdwarning]

Shirley: I love the index card idea! Even though I had a fleeting vision of the three good fairies from Sleeping Beauty. It's still a good idea, just don't call me Merriweather.

[Arnold Winkelried]

Thank you all for your help. You SDMBers are the best! I will take your suggestions and pass them on to the baby shower committee.

This will be a small family only baby shower. The mother already had a "friends" baby shower, but since she's living far from home there was no family around for the first one. She invited all the people whose baby showers she had been to in the past, but only two people showed up, so she was very disappointed. Life is hard when you move to a new city.

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La franchise ne consiste pas à dire tout ce que l'on pense, mais à penser tout ce que l'on dit.
H. de Livry

[PunditLisa]

Stork bingo is bingo with baby related items in place of numbers. Instead of "B-6", it's "B-Diaper" Just be thankful you didn't know what it was...

My sister and I usually make up our own games when we host showers. For instance, we'll have 20 questions, with questions like this: 1)Name the six Brady children. (Bonus -2 points each: Name the actor/actress).
2) Name the original Mousketeers. (Bonus 5 points: Be the first to sing out loud the completion to this: "M-I-C (See ya real soon!")

For a large co-ed shower, we've played "I never" and passed the coffee can with the words "Junior's College Fund" on it. Last one left gets a lovely doorprize.

BTW, the most popular doorprizes we've given away are instant lottery tickets.

[ChrisCTP]

I simply can't understand why we continue this worthless tradition.

Gifts, attention, and food.

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"...all the prettiest girls live in Des Moines..."
--Jack Kerouac, On the Road