Monday, March 22, 2010

Let's Have a Brainstorming Party

Okay, all you usually silent readers out there. I need some help.

You see, my sweet friend Katie is having a baby in May. And I'm throwing her a baby shower this weekend.

I'm new to throwing baby showers. I haven't been in the baby shower life stage for very long, so I haven't been to a ton. But, I am SUPER excited about the shower. In case she reads this I can't give out too many details, but I can give a few hints. They aren't finding out if it's a boy or a girl, but they are doing a lamb theme in their nursery, so the shower is going to be a lamb themed. And OMG, if I do say so myself, it's going to be super cute. So I have the decor and the food covered.

Here's where I need your help: entertainment. I need some creative baby shower games/ideas/whatever for the entertainment portion of the shower. So all of you baby shower gurus out there, let me know.

And if you've been thrown a shower and someone did something you particularly liked or didn't like as a mommy-to-be, feel free to share that as well. Even if it's not a game, but it's something unique and cool, please share.

All you guys out there, sorry to have a total estrogen fest on the blog. For a more gender neutral topic, I have officially finished all 6 pints of my ice cream. Forget the small portions promise I made. I was a big (fat) liar.

~Kathryn

18 comments:

  1. i wish i could help, but i have never had a baby, been to a baby shower, or been close to someone who is having a baby. :(

    the only baby shower game i know is the one where you melt candy bars in diapers and people have to guess what kind of candy it is. but that's NASTY.

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  2. I went to one where they had different candy bars melted into diapers and people had to guess what the candy bar was by looking at it, tasting it, smelling it, etc.

    It was fun and kind of gross because it actually does look like poop in the diapers (especially the ones with caramel and nuts)

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  3. Believe it or not, I am a big fan of the showers without the games. Lately most of the ones I've been to and helped throw were done game-less. Seems like more and more people drop by and don't stay for the whole thing, so it would have been more difficult (at least at the showers I've been to lately) to get participants, etc. Instead we've focused the most on the cute decor and made some fun favors. (Sorry if that makes me sound like a dud!) You'll have to let us know what you come up with.

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  4. You can always do the standard bingo game... print out bingo cards with BABY X, X being the initial of the baby's name or just B or G if they don't want to share the name, at the top and let guests fill out what they think she'll get.

    You can also do a contest to see who can drink milk/beer out of a baby bottle the fastest... get 3 people to do it

    Guess how big the belly is and then Measure the belly and see who is closest... only do this if she is not upset about her size.

    you could set up an enlarged calendar on poster board and have people guess when she'll have the baby and the weight, hours in labor, and length... that is fun!

    yeah I love showers! Email me if you need any other ideas! :-)

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  5. I like when I go to a baby shower and we decorate onesies. You can buy plain onesies cheap and then decorative paint at the craft store. Super fun because it is something they can use and will always remember!

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  6. Something I used at Danielle's shower (and stole from another one) is a game. Here's how it goes.

    Take a piece of paper that's folder over (doesn't matter which way, it's not oragami). Everyone takes the paper and you say: "Write down a question you would ask as a new mother, anything at all". Okay now everyone folds their paper (so it's blank now) and passes it to their right. Okay now everyone, with out looking "Write down the answer to your own question" (on someone else's paper). Then the mom reads the Q/A combo and whatever turns out to be the funniest gets the prize. You can decide if it's the person who asked the question or the person who answered it who wins.
    It's cheap, it's easy, it's entertaining.

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  7. One of my favorite games at my baby shower is my mom and my husband's mom wrote down questions about us as babies, example: How much did Mindy weigh? What was her first word? Was she a natural birth or C-section? and had people answer them.

    Another good game is the clothespin game. When someone walks in the door hand them a clothespin, tell them they cannot say the word baby and if they say baby someone can take their clothes pin. THe person with the most clothespins at the end of the game, win a prize.

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  8. The one I hosted, we did the melted candy bars in the diaper game and it was super fun!!

    I went to one recently, where they took old magazines and cut out features (like eyes, lips, etc) and put together a collage of what they thought the baby would look like.

    Also, on the table were little bags with letters on them, spelling out the word BABY SHOWER. And in each bag was an item that began with that letter... like B was a bottle, A was an aspirator (booger sucker), etc. You had to guess what was in the bag, and after everyone guessed the items were revealed and given to the mom to be.

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  9. I have only been to baby showers. But I always paid attention because I have always enjoyed anything to do with babies :)

    I have done the clothespin game before and it was fun and a lot harder than I thought it would.

    One of my favorite ideas that I have seen is asking the guests to not buy a card for mom to be. But rather, buy a cheap book (you can usually find book for the same price as a card). In the book they can write the same message they would in the card. I really liked that idea because you probably won't ever look at the cards again, but the books will be enjoyed for a long time. Not to mention, that every child should start out with a large library :)

    I have done the candy bar diaper game and it really does look real and a little gross. So, make sure your audience can handle that kind of game.

    Another game I've played is the toilet paper game. You pass a roll of toilet paper around and the guests have to tear off the amount they think it would take to wrap around mom's belly. Then they all take turns wrapping it around her belly. The closest strip of paper wins! Of course, this might not be a good game if the mom-to-be isn't too happy about her belly size.

    Good luck!

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  10. I had my baby shower this past weekend, and the hostess only had one game... which was fine for the 30 something ladies that attended! It has been mentioned above using toilet paper. The hostess had a ball of yarn and each guest cut the yarn as big around as she thought my belly was. Then, everyone wrapped their yearn around me to see who was closest to actual size. Again, not good if Momma isn't happy about her belly, but I could care less :)

    I have also been to showers where they have little plastic babies frozen into ice cubes... each guest gets an ice cube in a cup. They aren't allowed to physically touch it, but they can blow on it, swirl it around... whatever... and the first to melt all the way (leaving the baby) wins.

    A third game I enjoy (I am artsy)... each guests gets a cube or 2 of bubble gum and has to make a baby... play dough style! Different prizes can be awarded for different categories... cutest, scariest, etc.

    Have fun with your shower and post pictures!

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  11. No ideas but loving the suggestions here!! Good luck with the shower!!

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  12. Wow, I had five games in mind and four of them have already been mentioned...speedy posters! :)

    I've been to a baby shower where you have about 10 bottles of baby food with the labels removed. Everybody passes them around and guesses what food it is based on its color (ex. peaches, green beans, etc.) But you aren't allowed to smell or taste. The person with the most correct guesses wins (and the mom-to-be keeps the baby food).

    I've played the diaper game, the clothes pin game, the measure the stomach game, and the guess what baby object is in the bag game...all were fun!

    Kelsey

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  13. I LOVE baby showers!!!

    1) Put little babies in the ice cube tray, fill with water...make ice cube-y babies =)
    Everyone gets one. They all put in their mouth and suck on the ice cube. The first one to get to the baby has to scream 'My water broke!' Then they get a prize =) There is a choking hazard in this one though! lol

    2) Put 10 different baby items into ten different bags. All Starting with the letters that spell out 'B-A-B-Y S-H-O-W-E-R'. Tape the bags closed. Put the letter on the outside of the bag. Then let everyone pass the 10 bags around and they can write their guesses. The most right, wins a prize.

    3) Get some cute ribbon and let everyone cut off the length they think will wrap around mommy's tummy. The closest wins.

    4) Put a bunch of baby items on a platter. Walk through the party, letting everyone look, then leave the room. Everyone writes down as many items as they remember. The person with the most wins a prize.

    5) Different candy bars melted into the diaper. lol. Everyone has said that one =)

    6) Baby Bingo. Before she opens her gifts. Everyone gets a blank bingo card. Each guest fills in each square with gifts they think she will recieve.

    As she is opening her gifts they mark off their square if that gift is written. The first 5 to get bingo wins a prize.

    I hope that makes sense =)

    I hope these help! Good luck!

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  14. The only one i've been to, there were 3 games.

    First, when everyone arrived at the party, they were given a baby-related nickname (Bottle, Pacifier, etc) along with a nametag. If you used someone's real name instead of their nickname, you had to drink a shot.

    There was also a contest to see who could diaper and dress a baby doll the fastest... blindfolded.

    The most fun was when a roll of toilet paper was passed around to everyone. Everyone had to break off a piece of TP that they thought would be the circumference of the mama's belly. The mom later went around and was measured with everyone's strip of TP, and whoever is closest, wins!

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  15. Okay, I'm one of those people who don't like the games either. My baby shower was just very elegant and for me it was perfect. What would your friend want/

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  16. I like Pamibelle's decorating onesies. I think that would be fun for the guests and for the mom.

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  17. get a small (square?) jar with a lid and fill it with cotton balls. i'm picturing a clear jar with a silver metal lid. put it on its side and try to make a lamb face on the metal lid. have all the guests guess how many cotton balls are in the jar to get a prize! maybe you could also think of a way to have guests "earn" a guess.... like answering questions about the mom-to-be correctly!

    (you could also add cotton balls to the outside of the jar to have it really look more like a lamb... as long as your guests know they are guessing how many cotton balls are on the inside!)

    hope this helps! i want to see pictures if you do this idea!

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  18. I'm sure you have had this one suggestion already . . .but if your friend has a cute sense of humor, The chocolate "poopie" game is fun and hilarious! You get different types of chocolate (peanut butter cup, snicker, Mounds .. .) and melt them. The pour each melted chocolate on to a baby diaper and let it harden. At the party, you pass the "poopy" diapers around and guests have to guess what chocolate bar it is. A little gross, but cute at the same time. :)

    Toilet paper game - Give guests a roll of toilet paper and have them rip off how many squares they think will fit around the preggo's belly.

    Hope these have been helpful!!

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