10 Fun Baby Shower Activities That Aren’t Games
If you’re looking everywhere for ideas for fun activities for you or a friend’s baby shower but don’t want to go with a ton of games, look no further!
Games are great and all, but they can also be a lot. Confusing rules, costly setup, or just an overall disinterest in the whole thing. We all want to have fun at our baby showers. That’s the whole thing! It should be a celebration of a joyous occasion and a huge milestone, so let’s think of something unique to do!
The following ideas are some fresh options that have been growing in popularity lately. These are more unique than some of the more traditional games but are just as fun for the whole family. Hopefully, they will help inspire you and allow you to come up with either ways to put your own spin on things or come up with new ideas of your own! Get creative with it!
Headband Making Station
This trendy activity is sure to excite all your guests! And it’s super easy! Your guests will be able to all pitch in together to make cute little headbands for the baby..(or themselves :D) by mixing and matching an array of decorations and materials. This is sure to get everybody’s creativity flowing!
The wackier the better! (or just plain adorable if that’s your thing). Just have fun with it! And encourage everyone to get involved.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Pack of headbands (you can get them plain like this or already with a small design; personally I think doing a mixture is cute).
- Variety Pack of Fabric Flowers
- 1-2 Bottles of Fabric Glue
- If you have an outlet close by, you can also use a hot glue gun
- Ribbons to tie or glue onto the headband(s)
HOW TO SET UP
Setting up for this activity should be a breeze. All you have to do is position a table wherever you like it and then lay out all of your supplies on top. Organize the supplies from what needs to be grabbed first on the left and then continue from there. For example, have your headbands as the first thing to pick up, then the hot glue, and then some decorations. Once your station is set up and organized you’ll be ready to rock and roll!
Sign Baby’s Book
Something that has been becoming increasingly popular is to have everyone sign a baby’s book instead of a traditional card. This is a really sweet idea! Something about this just seems even more personal and unique. I’m sure upon growing up and looking at that book again, the child would feel a special sense of appreciation.
WHAT YOU NEED
- To make this activity easy and organized, you can grab little inserts like these to include in your baby shower invites. Or you can alternatively just write a little note in the invitations, or create your own insert!
HOW TO SET UP
Really the only thing you need to set up is how you would like to inform your guests of your preference for book vs. card. Once they know you should be good to go!
If you have any guests arriving that may be forgetful or at times or if you just want to be on the safe side, set up a small little station with a pen or marker so that anyone who brings a book but has forgotten to sign it can do so at the party!
Diaper Raffle
This super popular diaper raffle activity is a fun way to stock up on diapers before the baby arrives. By stocking up ahead of time, you can also save money on diapers in those early days. Plus it’ll be super fun for all of your guests. It’s a win-win!
To enter the raffle, simply ask your baby shower guests to contribute a pack of diapers and/or baby wipes. Parents may sometimes offer one raffle entry for every pack of diapers. If you find yourself overloaded with diapers before too long, don’t worry. Even if you end up buying too many of one size, most retailers will let you return them if the diaper pack isn’t open.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Diaper raffle card inserts that double as a raffle ticket (to send with your invitation)
- Raffle tickets (you’ll need these if your card insert doesn’t have a place for your guest to put their name)
- Some kind of prize for the winner!
HOW TO SET UP
When you give/send out invitations, you include information about how to participate in the diaper raffle. You may either add a separate card with full instructions that also serves as the ticket, or simply put it down at the bottom of your invitation and use lottery tickets.
If your guests bring a pack of diapers or wipes to your shower, they will be entered into a lottery for a Grand PRIZE (make it something special!). Designate someone to distribute raffle tickets and collect diapers/wipes. You might either collect the diapers and then put them together with the rest of the gifts or you could have a cute setup designated for the diaper raffle.
Once all the diapers have been collected, you can pick out a winner for the prize.
Decorating a Diaper
Having a baby means a lot of diaper changes, especially in the beginning. A little enthusiasm is often appreciated when paired with those all-nighters where you’re up every hour or so changing a diaper. That is why we love this diaper-decorating pastime!
Guests can write or draw whatever they like on a blank canvas diaper! Those who have done this say they’ve woken up in the middle of the night in order to change diapers only to end up laughing hysterically at the message written on them!
WHAT YOU NEED
- A few packs of baby diapers (size newborn or 1 is best)
- Assortment of markers
- Any other decoration you think is fuh (while still being safe and practical)
HOW TO SET UP
Once you’ve gathered all of your supplies, set up a little decoration station with your diapers housed in a charming little basket, like this one, where guests may grab a diaper, decorate or write a lovely note on it, and then drop it in an empty diaper box for you to take home and use!
Drop Box Guest Photo
The dropbox guest photo is a fantastic alternative to the traditional guest book. Guests can write their names on the miniature shape cut-outs of their choice and then place them in the shadow box so that one day, your little one will be able to read all of the names of the guests that attended the baby shower!
WHAT YOU NEED
- A Guest Book drop box like this one. Or you can make your own!
- A fine-tip sharpie or even a metallic marker
HOW TO SET UP
Just set up the drop box that you have either made or ordered online, place the markers nearby and let your guests do their magic!
Design a Onesie
This is a fun new idea that is very much in line with some of the earlier ideas. Decorating a diaper or crafting a headband is just as much fun as designing a onesie. Guests can use this opportunity to write amusing jokes or inspirational messages for the new parents or baby.
WHAT YOU NEED
- A few packs of newborn or 0-3 month-sized onesies (white ones work best)
- Some fabric paints like these.
- Assorted color markers
- Imagination!
HOW TO SET UP
Set up for this activity can pretty much mimic the setup for some of the previous decorating ideas. Simply set up a table in a convenient location and assemble the materials in the order they are to be used in.
Bowtie Bid Decorating
Because many expectant parents of little girls have a headband decorating station, expecting boy parents invented their own activity: a bow tie bib decorating station. But of course, either activity can be used on any gender baby!
WHAT YOU NEED
- At least one pack of baby bowties
- Fabric Paint
- Space to set up (i.e. a table or countertop)
HOW TO SET UP
As before, clean and organize a bit of space on a table or countertop. Assemble your materials and then await for your eager guests to allow their creativity to flourish!
Wishes For Baby Cards
This is one of the most adorable baby shower activities. It’s a lovely way for guests to send their best wishes to the new baby on the way. Not only will the baby be able to read these wonderful comments one day, but the expecting parents will be overcome with emotion as they do so as well.
WHAT YOU NEED
- A table (or any similar surface)
- Some cards or paper to create their own
- Some pens or markers
HOW TO SET UP
Once you set up the physical space, let your guests be free to write whatever well wishes or quotes they feel they want to on the cards. The more personal, the more powerful. This will be a lovely time to allow your guests to really speak from the heart!
Advice For New Parent Cards
As every parent knows, there are loads of advice they wish they’d been told when they had their first child. No parent will ever be short of a need for kind words or helpful hints. So this is a really nice option to allow your guests to shed some light on their knowledge or beliefs that may help out moving forward.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Advice for mom cards like this one here.
Or
- A Parenting tip jar like this
HOW TO SET UP
The setup will pretty much be the same as before. Set up a table with whatever advice option you decide upon, and then lay out some writing utensils. You could also let your guests take a card early on and then deposit it whenever they like so that they may have time to think about their answers.
Wall Art For Baby
This very creative, heartfelt concept is an excellent way to include individual artwork into a baby’s nursery! A wonderful way to remember each guest who showered you and your baby by placing a fingerprint and their name on an adorable tiny tree or some similar shape.
WHAT YOU NEED
- A durable paper, such as sketching paper or some kind of canvas
- A safe paint or ink
- Newspaper/ tablecloth
- A cup or something to store the paint/ink in
HOW TO SET UP
Set up a table or clean, stable surface with newspapers or tablecloths in order to keep the paint or ink from spilling onto anything of value. Place down the canvas or thick paper on the table and then place the paint/ink into a cup or some kind of bowl to stay in (preferably with an airtight lid to close when not in use.
Then have your guests come up one by one, dip their thumb or finger in the paint/ink, and add a bit to the picture!
Conclusion
Time to get creative expecting parents! This is such an exciting time to be alive, and baby showers are literally a celebration of life. So to commemorate new life coming into the world, do something fun, unique, interesting, and heartfelt for you, your friends/family, and your new baby!
Baby showers are the perfect way to do this. And though the traditional games that we have all come to expect are definitely fun for the whole family, they may not necessarily feel special or unique to you.
So I hope some of these options will have sparked that creativity inside of you and will help you set up some interesting activities that are NOT games at your baby shower.
