Recently I was at a baby shower and the women at my table got onto the topic of baby shower games. It became quite clear that while some guests enjoy the silly games at showers, some women absolutely despise them. Would you like to:
- *Guess which candy bar is melted in the diaper?
- *Mold a baby out of play-doh?
- *Draw a baby’s face on a paper plate (on your head)?
- *Unscramble fifty letters to make as many baby-related words as you can?
- *Guess the gestational period of various animals?
- *Taste unlabeled jars of baby food and guess what flavor they are?
- *Guess how big mama’s belly is?
When I was pregnant, I got three showers. Two of them had games and the third, thrown by my MIL (mother-in-law) did not. Well… sort of. There was a game involved: baseball on TV. My MIL hates shower games!
I think hosts should compromise to accomodate the guests who love to play the games and still avoid annoying the ones who would rather not participate. For instance, I think it’s a good idea to have the games during the meal or hors de’ouvres so that guests will not get bored during down time. The host should limit the number of games to three or less and each game should take no more than five minutes. Games that only allow for one person to play at a time should be avoided, since those who are waiting to play will get bored. While games that involve artistic skills are fun for some, they alienate those who are uncomfortable drawing or sculpting.
One of my favorite shower games is Shower Bingo. Guests fill out a blank bingo sheet with gifts they think the guest of honor might receive. Obviously everyone gets a freebie square by entering in the gift they brought. This game is easy for anyone to play and helps ward off boredom when there are a lot of gifts to open. Multiple guests can win and choose a gift from a basket. Even women who don’t like shower games still like to play bingo.
What’s the best game you’ve ever played at a baby shower? The worst?