When my friend offered to host my baby shower, she asked, “Do you really want games?” The disdain in her voice was palpable. I’d never considered a shower without games. Games are a staple, or so I thought. After all, you have a room full of women who probably don’t know one another and will simply sit in folding chairs eating cake and watching the guest of honor (me) open presents. I said, “I think we need to have at least a couple games to break the ice.”

I’m glad I did. I get that some shower games are a little silly and that some showers are full of guests who mingle easily and know one another. But my guests struggled to mingle and I worried throughout the shower that I needed to do a better job of getting the various groups of women to interact. The games encouraged that interaction and, in my opinion, were pretty fun.

My favorite baby shower game (and yes, I’ve played it at other women’s showers also) asks guests to bring a baby picture of themselves; guests are then asked to match each guest with a baby picture. This works for two reasons: movement and mingling. If you leave the pictures displayed on a wall, it forces guests to get out of their chairs and move around, and the very nature of the game encourages women to mingle—to pay attention to eye colors and nose shapes, to giggle over fun baby faces.

Now, as I plan a shower for my friend, I’m amazed at the variety of game options available. Everything from classic baby-themed Bingo to bizarre “baby bottle” drinking games have been done. Though I was originally intimidated by the choices, it’s now a relief to know that absolutely anything and everything goes when it comes to shower games. The key is to know your guest of honor’s personality and go from there.

Posted by Stacey, a Dot-arilla Blogger