Need Advice for Baby Shower Games

The last baby shower I was at the Mom-to-be got all the presents! If we won a game we were just told GOOD JOB.

also try this site for other ideas: http://www.babbee.com/

Good Luck and have fun!! ;)

I second the fact that people don't like to play a lot of games. If you do have games, NO more than two. It extends the shower toooooooo long. Coming from a gal who's thrown or been involved in about 20 showers in my day.
You've already gotten some good advice on prizes. In my experience, people DO NOT like to try unlabeled baby food. Taking the labels off and just guessing by visually looking is ok. The melted candy bar game in the diaper also grosses me out. People don't like games that they have to "pair up" or really get too active. They are there to relax and have fun.
A couple fun games my friends did at my baby shower were: One friend wrote a "Mad Lib" where guests had to fill in nouns, verbs, adjectives and the she read it off at the end. It was really funny and didn't require a prize at all. We also made up a list of 30 things that could have been things about either mommy or daddy like, "Who's favorite coffe drink is a Latte from Starbucks"? or "Who's first job was at Pizza Hut"? Then guests who maybe don't know at least have a 50/50 chance at getting it right. We were really creative with that one and it was a lot of fun.
Good luck! It will be fun. My mom had me when she was 18 and I wouldn't trade my "young mom" for anything now!
C.

Hi L.,

One of my favorite games to play at a shower is where you melt different chocalate bars( snickers, reese's,etc.) in diapers and the guests have to guess which ones are which by looking and smelling(or tasting if they dare). also another fun one is guests have to guess how many inches around the mommy-to-be's belly is. hope this helps!

Hi L. - Congratulations to you and your daughter.

Here are some resources I used when planning showers for my sister and friends....
www.babyshowergamesgiftsideas.com/
www.dfcreations.com/BabyShower.html
www.babyshowergamesgalore.com/
party-games-etc.com/
www.showerideas.com/
www.party411.com/gameguide.html
www.rosemarycompany.com/4811.html
www.baby-shower.com/
http://baby-shower-games-etc.com/
www.4showers.com/
www.kids-online-games.com/
www.babybingo.com/
http://allaboutshowers.com/baby/

This was a list I compiled a while back. I'm not sure if they are all still available, but hopefully you can find great ideas.

One thing we did for my own shower is instead of spending $2-3 on a shower card, we asked for people to give a book for the baby. They didn't need to be new. My son loves asking who gave him a book when he sees the writing in it.

Bring a Book ~~~~
As Jennifer’s due date is coming near,
We're inviting friends and family dear.
To choose a favorite story or fairy tale
That you would like Baby XXXX to hear.
Instead of a card, please let J. look,
At your special choice of a book,
and then to Baby XXXXX they will read
With all the love a newborn will need.
So with a personal touch, please choose a book
And in it then your name do put.
It need not cost more than a card
Just pick a favorite, it shouldn't be hard.
Old, new, just one will do!

Have fun!
J.

I've played the baby food one too, it was a lot of fun, and when your done the mom can keep the baby food. I've also played the dirty diaper one too, but we used melted candy bars. Then the mom can also keep the left over diapers from that game. I've thrown many showers and I have to budget as well. I skip the decorations, make it a pot luck, and get my gifts from the dollar store. The showers have always been a success!

don't do games. most people hate them. they'd rather just talk with mom and the guests. Its more fun if it's kept informal and not scheduled and planned. i would ask your daughter how she feels about it, but it is more fun for the guests, IMHO. Just make sure you have lots of good food and invite LOTS of people, and it is sure to be a great shower.

Hi there, I've been to a few showers and have planned a few myself and the games are always tricky! If you don't have alot to spend on gifts for guests and would like the gifts to be for mommy and baby...two games that came to mind are 1) you can buy a tray of jarred baby food, remove the labels and have the guests guess what kind each is. When the game is done, food goes to Mommy. 2) you can buy miscellaneous baby items and set them out on a covered tray. uncover the items for 30 seconds or so, cover them back up, and have each guest write down what was on the tray. Again, all the items go to mommy and baby.
An easy way out of spending a lot on gifts is going to the dollar store. A hit at every shower I've been at is tupperware, dish towels, and really any misc. kitchen gadget and even candles. These can all be found very cheap anywhere.

Hope this helps! Good luck, have fun, and Congratulations!!

How exciting, your first grandchild! I was thinking what about doing a cupcake shower. Serve cupcakes, I have a grat recipie for ones made with while cake mix and jello, with whip cream, they are easy, inexpensive and soooo yummy. Getting gifts for the games at the dollar store is good, but you could also make some, like putting potted flowers and plants, or make candies or even cookies that fit the theme of the shower. We did this really great game, called the poopir diaper game at my shower. Where you melted a piece of the candy bar in several diapers ( using different candy bars 1 in each ) and your guest had to guess which candy bars it is.... makes for great pics, also having people guess the size of your daughter is so fun you can use string or toliet paper, I love using the string because it becomes a momento for the mom to be to put in her childs baby book. Remeber your guests are there to welcome this child into the world, you do not have to do a bunch of games or serve a ton of food. I am sure it will be a wonderful event not matter what your budget is. another way to save some money is to make your own invites also, it really adds a special touch. There are several web sites out there with tons of ideas, try googling the word baby shower games and you will be amazed at what you find. My best wishes to you and your family with the wonderful event.

my mom came up with a cool idea fo me, she brought a dozen jars of baby food and wrote a number on the top of each jar then on each label, she removed the labels and passed each jar around and you had to guess (from a list) what was in each jar, apples, peas ect it was fun and i got to keep all the baby food for my baby, just make sure they all have good experations on them so your baby can eat them in a few months.

I would go to a dollar store to pick up prizes. Get things that everyone uses like sponges, soap, lotion, kitchen utensils, towels, tupper ware containers, etc.... Anything is game. We usually get about 30 prizes depending on how many people you are having. You want everyone to get a gift or two.

Congratulations and good luck!

L.

I've been to many showers and there are usually only 2-3 games and the prizes don't have to be big (if you even do prizes). You'd only need 2-3 prizes, here are some very budget-saving ideas:
-Dollar store gifts (candles, journals, picture frames, bath beads)...this is what my girlfriends and I do most often for parties.
-Homemade -- family recipes, baked goods, really good desserts like cheese cake yum!

Game ideas -- lots of ideas easy to print off for free online, just search baby shower games.

Cute activity (but not the cheapest) -- each guest decorates with fabric markers a onesie that is given to the mom.

I think since it is informal, just getting together with some snacks, a few games & present opening is fine...Most of the showers I've been too, not everyone gets a prize. But everyone does get fed :)

Good Luck!!
J.

I am all about the budget! And I have thrown quite a few baby showers in my day. One game that is super fun is the TV family game. You come up with Different TV Family's and have the guests name all of the children. For example, Cosby Show, Different Strokes, Home Improvement, Full House, Little House on the Prairie, Fresh Prince of Bel Aire. To find the answers, you can google the shows which will usually bring you to a website. Another great game is the diaper pin game. Give each guest a diaper pin which they have to put on their top. The rules are they cannot say, "Baby" or "Cute". The first person to catch you saying either word gets your pin and the one with the most pins wins! Also, if you are looking for cheap gifts, go to Target and look at the One Spot in the front of the store. Especially now since all of the Valentine's stuff is out. You can also make your own party favors by buying a yard of tulle at the fabric store, filling a little circle of tulle with mints or M&M's and then tieing them up with wrapping ribbon. Costco has the most wonderful cake and a sheet cake is like $15! It feeds about 40 people. Target also has Market Pantry Itialian Soda's in large bottles for about $1.50 each. Very classy and super cheap! I hope this helps a little! Let me know if you would like to pick my brain anymore!
V.

I HAVE BEEN TO MANY BABY SHOWERS AND A COUPLE INEXPENSIVE GAMES COME TO MIND.FIRST, THE "BABY NAME" GAME WHEN YOU GIVE EVERYONE A PENCIL AND PAPER TO SEE WHO CAN COME UP WITH THE MOST BABY NAMES STARTING WITH A CERTAIN LETTER{BUT THEY HAVE TO BE REASONABLE}.THIS GAME CAN ALSO BE PLAYED BY SEEING HOW MANY BABY ITEMS A PERSON CAN NAME IN 60 SECONDS.THE OTHER INTERESTING GAME I HAVE PLAYED AT A SHOWER IS ..THE"HOW BIG IS MY BELLY" GAME WHERE YOU TAKE A ROLL OF TOILET PAPER AND EVERYBODY TEARS OFF AN AMOUNT THEY THINK WOULD FIT AROUND THE SOON-TO-BE MOTHER'S BELLY...THE CLOSEST WINS! yOU CAN GIVE INEXPENSIVE GIFTS LIKE PICTURE FRAMES, SCENTED CANDLES AND SMALL NIC NACS {FIGURINES}.

Hello! First of all dont be worried.. I am an 18 year old mom and I am doing great! Age doesnt matter at all, its all on how the individual reacts! Shell do great! Now I had a fun baby shower, and the games were simple. First on I suggest is the "guess how big" game. You take ribon or toliet paper, whatever, and everyone has to cut it off at how big they guess it is around her belly. Then after its done you cut the actual amount and see how wrong everyone is! Prizes for all these games can be very simple (no one will care). Then I did the "dirty diaper" game, get a couple diapers and some candy bars. Melt the candy into the diaper in the microwave and have like 5 different types. It looks like poo in the diaper, now pass them around and people can taste, smell, look, touch or however they want to guess what kind of cany it is! Its fun! And the last very popular one was the "Price is Right" We bought 6 different items (wipes, diapers, bottles, butt cream, shampoo..etc) and set them up with little cards. They were all numbered and everyone had paper, and hold them up one at a time and everyone guesses a price. Do it for all, then reveal the real prices. Whomever is closer without going over wins!! Now these are fun games, we had a blast, and cheap! Then you give the momma the items you bought as presents! IT will probably end up costing 50 bucks and thats enough for a present! Tell her she will need these the most anyways, not clothes or blankets! Good Luck! Have fun!
Sam
Mom of 11 month old, Brayden

Here is some that I played at my Daughters shower.

Take to the shower, a teddy bear or baby doll. Have each of your guests hold the bear/doll and whisper a wish that they have for the new baby into the ear then give the bear/doll a kiss. encourage them to kiss it anywhere on the bear.
After all of your guests have done this, have the birth mom stand in the front and each guest now has to kiss mom in the same place on her body that they kissed the bear.

Another is when mom open her gifts, have each guest write on a piece of paper the first thing that mom says when she sees the gift. After all of the gifts are open each guest in turn reads what she said about their gift. BUT, they have to start the sentence with "The night the baby was conceived (insert mom's name here) said to dad ....(insert what was said about the gift).

Both of these are really fun and get a great response, also there are NO prizes to hand out.

And more....
Buy different kinds of candy bars. melt them each into a different diaper (in the area where a baby would poop), each guest has to guess the type of candy bar, by either sight, smell or taste. The guest with the most right wins. You can do the same with different types of baby food.

Here is one that creates a keepsake for mom and gives here something to take to the birth to help with the pain and stress of labor and delivery.

Have all of the guests stand in the circle, with mom in the middle. take string, yarn or ribbon, start with mom, wrap one end of the string around her wrist, and hand the ball to one of the guests, that guests then wraps the string around her wrist stating the following, I am (state first name, daughter of ..(state the first name or her mother.. Granddaughter of (state both Grandmother's first names) and I wish you.(insert wish for mom. Then the guest hands the ball to the person standing to her right, Each guest takes her turn and when the circle is complete the string is again wrapped around mom's wrist with this statement from you. First add your own wish as you are wrapping the end around mom's wrist then state to her "When you hold this string you take with you all of the wishes and support of all of the women in this room" and cut the string. This can then be braided or rolled into a ball for mom to take to the birth with her.

(again there are no prizes to hand out) and I should warn you that this can get VERY emotional so have tissue handy.

I have some others that you may be interested in. let me know if you would like more information. I would be happy to send them to you.

Blessings To you
S. Blevons - CD (DONA), CLD (CAPPA)
Fond Du Lac Co. WI.
www.lhdoula-service.com.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The beauty of my body is not measured by the size of the clothes it can fit into, but by the stories that it tells. I have a belly and hips that say, "We grew a child in here," and breasts that say, "We nourished life." My hands, with bitten nails and a writer's callus, say, "We create amazing things."
-Sarah, from I am Beautiful: A Celebration of Women in Their Own Words
~*~*~*~*~*~

A new idea!

Have each guest bring a baby photo of themselves and, if people don't know each other well, also a current photo. Arrange the baby photos together and then the adult photos together (label with letters and/or numbers) and have people vote on who is who. If the group is close knit, and knows each other's names, you can just have guests write the name of the person for each baby photo (on post-it notes near by the photos). You can have a prize for the person who gets the most incorrect votes and the person who gets the most correct votes.

I would go with the not being able to say "baby"...give everyone a pin to wear or something clipped to their shirt and when someone catches someone else saying "baby" they get to take their pin away...whoever has the most wins.
Also do the envelopes...this is the GREATEST idea ever. I was so very thankful for everyone doing this it saved me a lot of time. Have the mom to be draw enevelopes through out the event and give a prize.
Prize ideas: $5 gift cards to blockbuster, caribou coffee/starbucks, Brueggers Bagels, etc.
Other ideas: simple little note cards or stationary, lotions or soaps, muffin mix, hot cocoa. Don't go all out and buy a ton of prizes because you probably wont give them all away. Most people do really like to visit with each other.
One other game that is kind of fun...buy 5-7 candy bars and melt in a diaper, number the diaper and have people guess what is inside...whoever gets the most correct wins.
Good luck and have fun, don't stress out about.

hello,
these are a few games that were played at the baby shower that i last went to...

1.) clothes pin game--- everyone get's one clothes pin when they arrive.. through out the shower you are not aloud to say a word in relation to the baby (ie. baby, girl, boy, bottle) something of that nature. if you do say it and someone else notices and calls you on it, they get to take your clothes pin. if you have more than one pin and someone catches you, you loose all your pins.. at the end of the shower, whom ever has the most pins is the winner.

2.) the water broke.... this game is played with ice cubes with little plastic babies frozen inside... (you can find them in the craft aisle for a buck or two) each person is given an ice cube to put in there drinks and who's ever baby is freed from the ice first... is the winner... this game works better in summer when it's hot out...

3.) then there are games like word searches. or seeing who can make the most words from the baby's name... drawing babies on paper plates on top of your head....

4.) another game that you can play is for more of a door prize but it will help the mom out with diapers and wipes... you ask each guest to bring either a package of wipes or diapers to the shower (write this on the invites)... anyone who does gets there name in a drawing for a prize of some sort...

5.) another game you can do is to place a bowl with baby items in it as the center piece on the table... put like about 10 items in it.. (booties, hangers, bottle, bib, rattle, washcloth.. any small baby things) leave it out for a while for everyone to see it... then about half way though the games take it away and see how many people can remember everything that was in the bowl....

as for prizes, they don't have to be anything big... picture frames, picture frame magnets, any small cute knick knack type things that you can get at the local dollar store works... candles are always a good prize... none of the prizes need to be over 2-3 bucks each... most people don't care what they get at as a prize... they're just there to have fun...

Hi there, what we did was buy 5 gifts at the dollar store = $5 and those were the gifts for the games and the door prize.
I would not think it right to have the prizes go the new mom as the people attending probably spent good money on their gifts for her. You also don't need to go all out on decorations at all. And just serve deserts and coffee and juice instead of a lunch or sandwiches.

Hope this helps. We did this at mine and no one seemed to mind. Also my mom took plants out of her garden and planted them in small 3 in. pots and we gave these as gifts also in addition to the dollar store items.

The corsage can also be very inexpensive items for the new mom, like pacifiers and baby keys, etc. Although I would not get these things at the dollar store!!

P.

Hi L.,
Congrats on being a Grandma!

Here's a fun "door prize" idea. What you do is when people arrive, they take a diaper from a basket.....and whoever has the "poopy diaper" wins. So, what you do is buy or get some small diapers, you can give your daughter the remaining diapers and only one is going to be ruined. What you do is squirt some mustard in 1 diaper (symbolyzing a newborns poopy diaper) and whoever picks that one wins the door prize. It's very important that nobody opens up the diapers until you say! Or you can make it a game and not pass out the diapers until everyone is there, sitting down. You could stage it so that your daughter wins and she would win "the prize".

It's a funny one.
J. N

Hello!

My first time here -- I'm a mom with grown kids & 3 young grandkids...mothering has always been my favorite job!

So -- re: the shower......
Being an artist, I have to tell you that I have done this at a few showers and it's always gone over really well.

I purchase a blank canvas - pre-stretched. (ask at the hobby store, ie: Michaels etc) Then I choose about a dozen or so great colors, and purchase a paintbrush kit (again, michaels has these really neat one with clear handles, in a small packet - clear, clear lime green or clear orange handles) And then I also get a few half-inch and one inch foam brushes. Get a few styrofoam plastic plates (dessert plates are good)

So here's the fun part for you. After you have the supplies gathered...take one or two of the paint colors and squirt them out on the plate(s) - get a container of water, and use the foam brushes to give a light 'wash' of color to the whole canvas. The sponge frush should be just damp, not dripping with water. The idea is to give the whole canvas a nice light pastel background. If you've ever sponge painted your walls in the house with glaze.....it's kind of the same look.

Then, at the shower.....put the canvas in a corner somewhere -- somewhere where it might be a bit more private, spread out papers on the table or set it up on a hall table against the wall. Protect the surfaces around it with newspaper or just a plastic table cloth. Put out the bottles of paint, the brushes, a few containers of water, a roll of paper towels, and see what emerges. Invite everyone to just have fun placing some color on the canvas...shapes, letters, whatever they feel like. Even just squiggly lines. It will be kind of a 'progressive painting' - where someone might put something on the canvas, and then the next person may respond with something else next to it -- or over it, or might add something to it.

The acrylic paints in the squeeze bottles dries fast -- so during the course of the hour or two the guests are there -- everyone should be able to have a chance to paint. Welcome them to put their name or initials on it -- or to write special words on it with the paint.

At the end -- show it to everyone - and then give it to the new mom for a memorable piece of art to hang in the baby's room -

Suggested size -- No less than 16x20?? 18x24 is a really nice size. It can be finished by popping it into a frame, or just by gluing grossgrain ribbon around the outside of the frame, the same width of the edge. Start gluing from the bottom edge and go all the way around, overlapping the point where you began. Fold the edge under before the final gluing. A great glue to do this with is Aleens Craft Glue in the gold bottle.

You could also 'sew' items to the canvas -- photos etc -- or trinkets Use your imagination. It's a very fun project....and gets people moving - talking etc.

That's it for now. I have lots more up my creative sleeve!

Have a great day everyone!
M. C

Congrats Grandma! I understand your budget situation. Since everyone has email these days, there is a free website where you can send out invitations through email called www.evite.com. It's so easy, they walk you through each step and you can keep checking back on that site to see who's RSVPed. I think that's a great idea of having prizes of baby items to be given to the mom. I haven't seen that done in awhile but they used to do that all the time at wedding showers. You can get many things at the dollar store and some dollar stores are really nice. I'm not sure where you live but there is a nice one that was just built in Apple Valley next to Goodwill. It's huge and I've never seen such a wide variety of stuff. I think one of the best showers that I've attended was a diaper shower. Everyone brought the mom diapers, all different sizes and brands. Depending on what your daughter needs that would be a good idea too. I agree with one of the moms, depending on what time you host it you don't have to do a lot. Cake and punch is plenty. Most of the time people want to visit and talk baby. Good luck and have fun with it!

Congrats to all on the baby. An idea for the guest book is to find a plain baby blanket, get fabric markers and let the guest sign in on the blanket. Its a fun keepsake. For a game idea, make a list of lines from nursery rhymes and have the guests guess what rhyme it comes from. For gift ideas, scrapebooking is a big thing, so stickers or cut outs for scrapebooking might be a good idea.

Hi L.,

One of the best things I have seen done at a baby shower is a drawing. When I was younger they used to have a door prize at showers or they would have one of the plates marked for someone to get a small gift. The most resent shower I was at had a note in the invitation telling everyone who came and brought diapers or wipes for the baby would be entered in a drawing for a gift basket. The one I was at did a gift basket from harvestime breads and two small cups with candy in them. You could actually create a gift basket of your own or something too. Then as the guests arrived they just had a separate area away from the gift table to put the diapers and wipes and sign up for the drawing. The gift basket made a great table decoration until they did the drawing and the mother-to-be really made out on diapers - there was a huge mound. One of my friends said their friend had done that and had recieved enough diapers for a year. Hope your party is great! S.

I threw a baby shower for my sister in law about 2 years ago. We did a "dirty diaper game" that was a huge success. I put like 12 different "refrigerator ingredients" into diapers and had the guests smell each and try to figure out what it is. The room was full of laughter as everyone went thru the diapers. Another one I've heard is if you buy those little bitty "babies" and freeze them into ice cubes... give everyone a drink with one "baby cube" and whosever melts first wins a prize. I've also been to ones where you guess the baby food (take off the labels and number them)--then re-label and give to the mom to be. Good luck with the shower!!!

Lottery tickets are always a good prize. They are inexpensive and fun for the winner.

Hi L.!
I'm not one that likes to go to showers, not even my own! So I kept things simple. I think we had more fun just socializing with each other, than spending a lot of time in games. So I think we played 3 or 4. I remember playing one where there were things new moms use on a tray, or folding table and we had a couple minuts to study them and then they were taken away and from memory, you have to list the items. I think we did 15 items. Little things like a diaper, cream for diaper rash, lotion, q tips, alcohol, wipes, burp cloth, cotton balls, comb, brush, bib, dish, spoon, teething ring, rattle, baby powder,bottle brush, pacifier, bottle, stuffed toy,infants tylenol or motrin, nail clippers, baby wash,asperator,sippy cup and thermometer. Most of these things can be found at a dollar store and then I got them after the games were over. I happen to like that one because I remember things easily. I did not like going to one where they had people count out how many squares of toilet paper they thought it would take to go around me at the biggest part of my belly. Not fun for me but maybe your daughter wouldn't mind, some find it fun. I think word scrambles are fun. We put items in a paper bag like the cotton balls, nail clippers, pacifier, asperator, comb, spoon, and who ever could name the most with out looking got a prize. Our prizes were simple too. Candles, lotions, hand towels, oven mits. You and Ashley will know who is comming and what they like. They are there to help and support her and her child. Not to get a fancy gift for themselves :) So have fun with it and I hope every thing goes well!

I know at my baby shower and other showers I have been to people don't like to play too many games. The one thing we always do is when poeple get there have them fill out an envelope with their name and address. After everyone has filled them out we put them in a basket and through out the shower the mom to be draws names and they get to pick a prize that is already wrapped. Then after the party the mom to be already has evelopes filled out for thank you notes, and you know the address are right because the guests filled them out themselves! I have also been to showers where they set a timer and who ever brought the gift that the mom to be is opening when the timer goes off gets a prize. People seem to like both of these ideas. I agree that the prizes don't have to be anything big, I wouldn't spend more than $5 on one prize. Good luck and have fun!

D.

Um I had a baby shower with my first child. Go to google and type in baby shower ides and baby shower games. I dont remember much from it it was almost 4years ago. If you have email I can look up some game ideas at mine we also had cake and some muchies like sandwiches and little thing like that.

Some fun things to do at showers is for everyone to go around and give a piece of "motherly" advice for the new mom. Have someone write it down and who said it. It is a great keepsake for a baby book. Plus then you don't need a prize.

Another great "game" is for everyone to guess the baby's statistics. Date born, height, weight, etc. Girl/boy if it's not known. Have a chart for everyone to respond. Then once the baby's born, mail something like a congrats card and special picture to the person who guessed closest.

Good luck Gramma!

Good day L..
First I would like to say congrads on the soon to be grand child. Having been at many baby showers and had one myself. Dollar stores are good to pick some prizes, should as picture frames, cute nic-nacs, parties supplies. Or another idea if you do not want to do games, is get some votive holders and candles. (again you can get this at a dollar store or even Walgreens have these items at good price.) Place this saying on paper and tape to candle:
On this day an angel is born. Please light the candle and say a little prayer.
Hope this helps you and your daughter out.
Blessing to you and your family.
B. C

Hey L.-
I definitely think it is okay for you to get gifts for the mom. My family had no problem with the budget and they did that anyway. You could just make some cute baby cookies, baby cake, baby candies and cheap balloons (cute one's, not tacky). Also, you have to realize it is the thought and a chance for everyone to come and see the new mom to be. You can make a cheap punch for everyone and find cute games on the Internet. Do not worry about the money, she will just love that you threw her a baby shower. Good luck!

Here is a super fun game....Get a bowl of rice and small safety pins. Mix it all together. Blindfold the guests (one at a time) They need to find as many safety pins as they can in 1 min. Its sounds easy but it is really hard.
A good gift idea is that Bath and Body is having there semi annual sale right now and lotions are really cheap. Everybody loves lotions this time of year!
Have fun!!!!!

Everyone has already provided really good advice. Another game that I frequently play is where no one can say the word "baby." Everyone starts off with a clothespin. If they say the word "baby," whomever catches them saying it gets that persons clothespin(s) (however many that person has). The person with the most clothes pins at the end of the shower wins!

My husband and I just had our baby shower yesterday - thrown by my sister & family. We did a Jack/Jill shower so couples were invited (it was nice to have all of our families & friends around us - and just one shower so we didn't have to do it again!!). We did one game - Baby/Diaper Olympics. We split into teams of 5 people and the first person had to diaper a doll, next person put on a onesie, next shirt/pants, next socks/hat, last person swaddle & deliver 'the newborn' to the parents who were also the judges. I think the door prize was a a 6 pack of a nice microbrew beer, but it was more just funny to watch everyone. Otherwise we just ate, drank, opened gifts, talked, & laughed at pics of us (the parents) as infants - overall an enjoyable relaxing afternoon. Hope this helps, enjoy this exciting time!

other ideas:
-freeze plastic babies/pacifiers into ice cube trays/dixie cups and use in drinks... see who's is first to be "born"

-all guests get diaper pin, if you catch someone saying "baby", you have to take their pin... whoever has most pins at end of shower gets prize

I threw a baby shower for a friend last year, and one game I played was match the celebrity to the celebrity's baby. It was fun, and no one had done it before. I just did a google search and found a website that had a list of names.

For the games, just get 2-3 small gifts, like some pretty candles, notepads, etc. And only play 2-3 games for the prizes, and thats it. Cake and coffee, and you are all set. HAve it at a time when lunch isn't expected, like 3pm, and so you can just have cake, punch/soda, coffee, and maybe some mints and peanuts.

Good luck, and congratulations on the grandchild!