So, you've sent out your invitations, planned the food and now you are now wondering what to do on the day. Games are often the right answer, but they need to be carefully thought of - will your baby shower have older guests or other babies and children? If so, you'll have to carefully think about what games are suitable and entertaining for everyone. This page will hopefully give you a few ideas to think about!

You will find that all of these games can easily be adapted into children's party games for when they are over 4 years old - you may even remember some of them yourself!

Baby Taste Buds

This is perfectly suitable for all ages, although slightly older children may be a little too "cool" for this one! Buy yourself several pots of baby food, all different flavors and either find a convenient scarf or large sock to act as a blindfold, or remove the labels. Some people and children won't like being blindfolded while some will think it is great fun, so you'll have to judge this yourself. The idea of the game is to taste each food and see how many each person can correctly identify.

Baby Memory

This game is more suitable for children over 8yrs old and adults as it uses a little 'brain power'! Based on the classic memory game with a tray of items to memorize, this game simply replaces the standard items with themed baby items, so dummies, diapers, food, toys and anything that you have already bought for your baby. Produce the tray of goodies and put it in front of everyone from anywhere between 30 seconds and a minute, then cover up the tray with a tea-towel or just take it into another room. The guests then have to try to correctly remember and write down as many of the items as possible. The winner is the one who remembers the most.

Baby Bumps

Whether or not the parents have decided on the name of their child, this game is always a laugh - it combines the classical "musical bumps" party game with the theme of baby showers. Instead of using chairs, find enough large sheets of paper so that all but one person has a piece, and ask everyone to write down a potential name for the baby. These can be placed on cushions in a line for added comfort! Then, when the music plays, in true musical bumps fashion, you should all run round the papers, and when it stops, you quickly find a piece of paper to sit on. The mother (or mother to be) then announces the name of the baby on her paper and discards it before the music starts again. The person who didn't manage to sit on a piece of paper is "out" of the game. This carries on until there's just one person sitting on one piece of paper, which could be the name of the new-born baby - or it could be ridiculous, in which case it is even more amusing!

As long as you can keep the afternoon light-hearted and enjoyable, nobody will really mind what you do. It is a good idea to have a few games ready, especially if you have invited other children just to break the ice. Hopefully with these three games up your sleeve, you will be able to make a fun baby-shower for your new-born.

Edward Jellard

Edward Jellard has been performing professional magic for many years. His repertoire includes stage magic, children's entertaining and close-up table hopping.