Baby Shower Activities Guests Actually Enjoy (No Awkward Games)

Plenty of guests quietly dread baby shower games. Nobody wants to taste baby food in front of an audience or measure a stranger's belly with toilet paper. The good news is that a shower doesn't need forced games to be fun. It needs a couple of activities that let guests mingle, make something for the parents-to-be, or share advice without being put on the spot.

Here are baby shower activities that guests enjoy, including a few quiet ones for groups that aren't into games, and what you need for each.

Activities that leave the parents with something

1. Paint the nursery art together

This is a lovely one for smaller showers. Set up a table with one of our mini paint by numbers sets: six small 6" x 8" canvases that share one set of numbered paints. Guests drop in and paint a section or two over the course of the party. By the end, the parents have a set of six little paintings for the nursery, each one touched by the people who love them.

Sets with soft, cute animals work best. Blossom Critters has woodland animals wearing flower crowns, and Critter Cards and Cool Critters are more playful. Choose the pre-stretched version and the paintings come with hangers, ready for the nursery wall.

Tip: put a small card by the table so each guest can write their name on the back of the canvas they helped with.

2. Advice and wishes cards

Print cards with prompts like "My best advice for sleepless nights is...", "I hope you'll always...", or "The first book I'd read to this baby is...". Guests fill them in whenever they want, and the parents read them later. Put them in a small box or a photo album.

3. A book instead of a card

Ask guests to bring a favorite children's book with a note inside the cover instead of a greeting card. The parents start a library, and each book comes with a story about who gave it.

4. Onesie or bib decorating

Plain white onesies in a few sizes, fabric markers and iron-on letters. Guests make one each, and the baby has a wardrobe of one-of-a-kind outfits. Use fabric markers, not regular paint, so they survive the wash.

Low-pressure games people actually like

• Guess the baby photo: guests bring a baby photo of themselves and everyone matches photos to people. Always gets laughs.
• Baby predictions: a card where guests guess birth date, weight, hair color and first word. Seal them and open after the birth.
• Price is right: show a few baby essentials and have guests guess the price. New parents are usually shocked.
• Nursery rhyme finish-the-line: read the first half of a rhyme and teams finish it. Quick and silly.

A simple shower timeline

1. First 30 minutes: arrivals, food and drinks. Have the advice cards and painting table open from the start so early guests have something to do.
2. Next 45 minutes: one or two games, if the group is up for them.
3. Next 30 minutes: gift opening, if the parents want to do it. Many now skip this or keep it short.
4. Last half hour: dessert and mingling. Take a photo of the guests with the paintings. The parents can finish any last sections at home.

Gifts that fit the same spirit

If you're a guest looking for something personal, a custom paint by numbers kit made from a favorite photo of the couple is a thoughtful gift, and it gives them a relaxing thing to do in those last few weeks of waiting. For more ideas for parents and grandparents, see our gift guide.