It is especially good to play games if the guests do not know each other well. Typically, you play 2-4 games at a baby shower, depending on how much time it takes. The winner of the game is usually given a small gift from the hostess as a prize. If there is a tie, the prize goes to the guest that has not won a game yet or if neither guest has won a game, simply put their names in a bowl and have the mother pick the winner out of the bowl. Games should not take a lot of energy to prepare or plan and as a hostess you should never worry about your game materials being fancy or even matching.

Remember to have enough pens and paper for all the guests. It is also helpful if you have hard surfaces available for the guests to write on like a magazine. Pens that don't work are common and tend to slow down the party, so test out pens before they are needed. If you buy new pens, roll them around a bit until the ink begins to flow.

Prizes for games are not usually elaborate, but are instead fun or useful things. It is a nice touch to give the mother-to-be the same item so after each game the mother-to-be as well as a guest wins. Some suggested items that most guests would like are listed below with the reason the mother-to-be would appreciate the item:

• Picture Frames (every parent needs these)
• Bath Soaps (a bath becomes a luxury to all mothers)
• Measuring cups or spoons (these are a great baby toy and turn into a great stacking toy for toddlers)
• Dish towels (when my children were still babies, you could find a dish towel or burp cloth in every room of my house — you never know when a spill or spit up is going to occur)
• Disposable camera (these are great to have around to catch all the special moments)

Pin Drop - take turns having each guest stand over a baby bottle and drop diaper pins from their nose into the bottle. Bottles tend to tip over so you might want to hold the bottle or weigh it down with coins. The person who gets the most pins in the bottle wins. If you have a tie, you can have each person who tied alternate one then the other. First one to miss the bottle loses. The mother-to-be gets to take home the baby bottle and the diaper pins.

Rice & Seek - while blind folded each guest has 15 seconds to find as many diaper pins (or safety pins) as possible in a pan of uncooked rice. The small safety pins work the best for this game.

Musical Bottles - You need two small (5oz) baby bottles, filled, equally full, with any chilled beverage. Give one bottle to one person at one end of the room and the other to another person at the opposite end. Start some music, a lullabye is always appropriate, and have the bottles pass around the room. When the music stops the two people holding the bottles have to start drinking them, with the nipple on. Whomever drinks their bottle first wins. This game is great to take memorable pictures of your guests.

Do you know your babies? - match the correct baby name with the adult for example Joey with Kangaroo. Most likely more than one person will get these correct, just take their piece of paper with their name on it and throw it into a bowl for the mother-to-be to pick out the winner.

Baby Bingo - play this while opening presents. Give each person a sheet of paper with 5 rows of 5 squares on each row. Let them fill in what they think the new mother will receive when opening gifts. As she opens the gifts they check their paper to see if they can mark off one of their squares. First one to yell bingo wins or the person who has filled in the most squares wins. This works very well with a group of 20 of more, especially since gift opening will take a long time.

Word Scramble - Give each person a list of baby words that you have scrambled the letters. First person to unscramble the words wins. Have all the words be related to babies such as bottle, pacifier, blanket, sleep, crying, etc.

Here we go 'round the mother - pass around a roll of toilet paper or ball of yarn and have each guest pull off or cut the amount they think will just go around the mother. Then see who was the closest without going over. Most mothers will not be offended by this game because they are very proud of what is developing in their bodies but if you think she might be uncomfortable in the least bit, skip this one.

Poop Knows Best - buy 5-10 different kinds of chocolate candy bars and a package of baby diapers. Number the diapers with a black marker. Write the same number on an envelope and place the candy bar wrapper in the envelope. Melt about a third or half of that candy bar in the diaper. Try microwaving them for 30 seconds to begin with and increase the time, if needed. You might have to smash them up with a fork a bit to make them seem more real. Give each guest a piece of paper and have them write down the number on the diaper and what candy bar they think is melted in it. To help them out, let them sniff the mess in the diapers. The prize for this game could be one of each of the candy bars used and the mother-to-be gets the rest of the diapers. Be sure to have a camera on hand to catch some hilarious pictures of diaper-sniffing!

Food Fun - buy 6 kinds of baby food. Baby first foods work best. Try to purchase two kinds of each color for example green beans and peas, bananas and pears, and carrots and sweet potatoes. With a black permanent marker number each lid, remove the label and put the same number on the back of the label. If you do not open the food and save the labels the mother-to-be will be able to use the food when the baby is old enough. Stick the labels in an envelope and have tape ready to put them back on after the game. Give each guest a piece of paper and have them write down the numbers with what type of food they think is in each jar. No tasting or smelling…only by color, also do not give them suggestions. It is part of the fun to hear what some people think you would feed a baby. Don't even tell them it is a fruit or vegetable.

Touchy Feely - Buy 10 common baby products (pacifier, teething ring, rattle, bottle...) and place each of them in a separate paper bag and number each bag. Pass the bags around to the guests and give them about 10 seconds to feel the items. When they pass the bag on, they write down what they think they have identified. The person with the most items identified is the winner. As a bonus, the mommy-to-be gets to keep all the items!

Concentration - Buy 10 - 20 common baby products (pacifier, teething ring, rattle, bottle...) and place them on a cookie sheet with a towel over it. Do not let anyone see what is under the towel. Give each guest a piece of paper and pen. Uncover the items for 10 seconds and then cover them back up. The guests have 30 seconds to write down everything that was on the cookie sheet. The person who remembered the most wins. If you have a tie, have them write down what was in each corner and then the person who remembered where the items were located wins.