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Planning28 min readUpdated

30 Things to Do at a Baby Shower Besides Games

30 activities with no winner and no pressure, each with what to buy for 20 guests, what it costs and how to run it.

The best things to do at a baby shower besides games have no winner and need no audience: guests write to the family, listen, make something for the nursery or lend a hand, whenever they like.

Prices are what Hobby Lobby, Amazon, Gerber, Fujifilm’s instax site and Hy-Vee, a Midwest grocery chain, showed online on October 17, 2026, before tax and shipping, at the regular price when a sale was on. Hobby Lobby items it always sells at 40% off are at that price. Amazon prices change often, so yours may differ.

In this guide

How to choose non-game baby shower activities

Choose two or three for 20 guests, plus one at the welcome table, and make every one optional. The best baby shower activity ideas fit the guest of honor: ask first, because some would love a craft table and others want an afternoon of conversation.

Every activity should be

  • Optional: a guest who skips it misses nothing and owes no one an explanation.
  • Self-serve: it runs without an announcement or anyone calling people up.
  • Private: nothing is read aloud, and nobody has to explain their own family or history.

By crowd

Run a station for 20 guests

Give each table room for four to six guests at a time, and one helper who restocks and shows the first few people what to do. Open a craft table for the first hour rather than calling everyone over.

At every station

  • A plastic table cover, 54 by 108 inches: $0.99 at Hobby Lobby
  • A pack of 72 baby wipes for hands: $2.99 at Hy-Vee
  • A small sign with one instruction, like the onesie sign below
  • A trash bag, and a place to set finished work to dry

Running more than one? Buy shared supplies once: a 50-sheet card stock pack ($8.49) covers the alphabet book, the instant photos and the time capsule; 12 binder rings ($2.49), the alphabet book, the lullabies and the bucket list; 50 kraft cards ($7.49), the note station and the letters; 12 paint markers ($14.99), the blocks and the closet dividers.

Want one game after all? Keep it optional: our guide to baby shower games for couples has games for a mixed group. A diaper raffle has a winner too, so it’s not on this list; our diaper raffle invitation wording guide covers it.

Make arriving easy with a welcome table

A welcome table is the first thing guests see: a sign, drinks, a place for gifts, and three things to do on arrival that take a minute and need no explaining.

It matters most at an open-house shower, where guests come and go during a window, say 1 to 4 PM, instead of arriving together.

On or near the welcome table

  • A sign pointing to the drinks, the gifts and the restroom
  • Drinks within reach, so nobody waits for the food
  • A spot for gifts, and the note station’s cards
  • A chair close by, for anyone who needs to sit right away
Welcome sign
“Welcome! Grab a drink, leave gifts here, and write a note for [names] if you’d like.”

Ask one friendly person to take the door and introduce each arrival to someone, with one thing they share: “Sam, this is Dana. You both know Maya from college.”

1. A thumbprint tree guest book

Guests add a thumbprint leaf to a tree drawn on canvas, and write their initials beside it.

  • Who and time: everyone, as they arrive, a minute each.
  • You’ll need: one panel from a five-pack of 11-by-14 canvas panels ($7.99 at Hobby Lobby), a Hero Arts Just For Kids ink pad, labeled washable and non-toxic ($5.49), 72 baby wipes ($2.99 at Hy-Vee) and a fine black pen: $16.47. An 11-by-14 frame adds $8.39.
  • How: the night before, draw a trunk and bare branches in pencil, then in pen. On the day, lay the canvas flat beside the ink pad, the wipes and the sign below.
  • Variant: a ready-made thumbprint-tree canvas with colored ink pads, about $10 on Amazon. Skip the kits with pink and blue pads, sold for gender reveals.
  • What the family keeps: a framed print of everyone who came, for the nursery wall.
Tree sign
“Add a leaf: press your thumb on the ink pad, print it on a branch and write your initials beside it. Wipes are right here.”

2. An instant-photo guest book

A helper takes an instant photo of each guest or group, and each photo goes into an album with a line under it.

  • Who and time: everyone, with one helper on the camera; a minute or two a photo.
  • You’ll need: an instant camera (borrow one if you can: the instax mini 12 lists at $93.95 on Fujifilm’s instax site), two twin packs of instax mini film, 40 photos ($18.17 each on Amazon), a kraft 3-ring album with 10 sheet protectors ($10.99 at Hobby Lobby), a 50-sheet pack of white card stock ($8.49) and 250 photo corners ($1.79): $57.61 without the camera.
  • How: guests mount their photo on card stock, two to a sheet, four corners each, and write a line under it; the helper slides the sheets into the sheet protectors, two back to back in each.
  • Variant: no camera? A photo-booth corner: a phone on a stand with a timer ($5.99 for the stand at Hobby Lobby), in front of a plain backdrop, with the photos sent to the family afterward and nowhere else.
  • What the family keeps: an album of everyone who came.

3. A map of where everyone’s from

Guests put a dot on their hometown, and the room sees how far everyone came for the family.

  • Who and time: everyone, as they arrive, a minute each. It gets guests who haven’t met talking.
  • You’ll need: a laminated US and world map set, 18 by 29 inches ($12.97 on Amazon), 1,008 removable ¾-inch color dots ($4.60 on Amazon) and a fine marker: $17.57.
  • How: tape the US map by the door, with the world map beside it for anyone from abroad. Guests stick a dot on home and write their initials on it.
  • Variant: two colors of dots, one for where guests grew up and one for where they live now.
  • What the family keeps: a map of the people who showed up for them, for the nursery wall.

A note station and four more things to write

Guests can write five things for the family to read later, in private: notes, letters to open on big days, diaper notes, a time capsule and a signed picture book. Nobody reads anything to the room.

4. A note station with card prompts

A small table where guests write advice or a wish for the family whenever they like, then drop the card in a box.

  • Who and time: anyone, all party long, two to five minutes a card.
  • You’ll need: 50 kraft A2 cards with envelopes ($7.49 at Hobby Lobby), 10 black pens ($2.49 at Hy-Vee) and an acid-free kraft photo box ($3.99 at Hobby Lobby): $13.97.
  • How: set it up near the drinks before the first guest arrives. Write one prompt on each of three folded cards, so they stand up and nobody stares at a blank page.
  • Variant: a glass jar instead of the box, for folded notes.
  • What the family keeps: a box of notes, read later, in private.
Card prompt
“One thing I hope you discover”
Card prompt
“A message for a hard day”
Card prompt
“A wish for your little one”

Keep prompts about the family

A prompt like “Tell us about your first baby” assumes every guest is a parent who wants to talk about it. Ask about the family you’re celebrating, not the writer’s life.

5. Letters to open later

Sealed letters to open later: on the first birthday, the first day of school and the 18th birthday.

  • Who and time: guests who’d like to write something longer, at a quiet side table; 5 to 10 minutes each.
  • You’ll need: 50 kraft A2 cards with envelopes, like the note-station cards ($7.49 at Hobby Lobby), an acid-free kraft photo box with six dividers ($3.99) and pens: $11.48.
  • How: label three of the box’s dividers, one per occasion. Guests write, seal, and copy the line below on the front; lay the envelopes flat in the box, sorted by occasion, with a labeled divider card on top of each group.
  • Variant: one letter from the whole room, signed by everyone, for the 18th birthday.
  • What the family keeps: a box of sealed letters. Keep them flat in the box, each group under its divider card.
Envelope label
“Open on your first birthday. With love from ____”

6. Late-night diaper notes

Guests write short messages on diapers, for the family to find during night changes.

  • Who and time: anyone, a minute a note.
  • You’ll need: a 32-count pack of size 1 diapers ($9.97 at Hy-Vee) and eight fine permanent markers ($9.99 at Hy-Vee): $19.96.
  • How: write on the outside front, so the ink stays away from the baby: “You’ve got this,” “Coffee is coming.” Let the ink dry, then stack them back in the pack.
  • Variant: number them 1 to 32, one for each of the first 32 nights.
  • What the family keeps: 32 small surprises at 3 AM.

7. A time capsule

A box of notes about today and predictions for later, sealed until a birthday years from now.

  • Who and time: anyone, two or three minutes each.
  • You’ll need: an acid-free kraft photo box ($3.99 at Hobby Lobby), three archival ink pens ($7.49), a 50-sheet pack of acid- and lignin-free card stock ($8.49), cut into slips, eight to a sheet, and a printout of the day’s front page: $19.97.
  • How: guests write a line about today, or a prediction, like what a gallon of milk will cost when the box is opened. The family adds a list of what’s inside, closes the box and writes the opening date on the lid, such as the 18th birthday. Use paper only: digital files need a working machine, the Library of Congress notes; store it cool and dry, not the attic or basement.
  • Variant: open it sooner, on the 10th birthday, when the child can enjoy it too.
  • What the family keeps: a sealed box with a date on it.

8. A signed picture book

One hardcover picture book that every guest signs, in place of a guest book.

  • Who and time: everyone, at the door, a minute each.
  • You’ll need: a hardcover picture book, like Oh, the Places You’ll Go! ($8.64 on Amazon), and a fine pen: $8.64.
  • How: leave it open with a pen, and ask guests to sign a page they like, or the inside covers, with a short wish.
  • Variant: the guest of honor’s favorite book from their own childhood.
  • What the family keeps: a bedtime book with everyone’s names inside.

A shared playlist, lullabies and stories

Guests can give the family three things to hear for years: a playlist they chose, a book of family lullabies to sing, and bedtime stories recorded in a quiet room.

9. A shared baby shower playlist

Background music your guests chose: each willing guest names one song before the shower, and you put the list together.

  • Who and time: every guest who’d like to name a song, which takes a minute; nobody has to. At three to four minutes a song, about 25 fill 90 minutes.
  • You’ll need: the music service and the speaker you already have: free.
  • How: check that the guest of honor likes the idea, then ask in the invitation. Build the playlist the week before, listen through once, and play it low enough to talk over.
  • Variant: a lullaby playlist for the nursery.
  • What the family keeps: the playlist, shared to their account.
For your message
“Optional: name a song you love in your RSVP note, and we’ll add it to the shower playlist.”

Don’t announce who picked what: it’s background, not a guessing contest. A quick listen catches the song with lyrics nobody’s grandmother needs to hear.

10. A book of lullabies

Each guest writes out the words of a lullaby, a rhyme or a bedtime song they grew up with, in any language.

  • Who and time: anyone, and grandparents especially, about 5 minutes each.
  • You’ll need: 25 white 4-by-6 cards ($1.99 at Hobby Lobby), 12 binder rings ($2.49), a hole punch and pens: $4.48.
  • How: leave the cards by the note station with the prompt below. Punch each card and add it to the ring before the family goes home.
  • Variant: guests who’d rather sing it can record it with the bedtime stories.
  • What the family keeps: a ring of lullabies from every side of the family.
Lullaby card
“A lullaby, rhyme or bedtime song from my family: ____. Who sang it to me: ____.”

11. Bedtime stories, recorded

Guests read a picture book aloud, one at a time in a quiet room, and the family gets bedtime stories in voices the child will know.

  • Who and time: anyone who’d like to, one at a time, never in front of the room; three to six minutes a book.
  • You’ll need: a phone, a folding phone stand ($5.99 at Hobby Lobby) and six to eight picture books, from the library or the first library below: $5.99.
  • How: a helper starts each recording; the reader says the line below, reads, and stops. Send the files to the family after the party, and nowhere else.
  • Variant: far-away grandparents record one at home and send the file, or anyone films a one-minute video message for the child’s first birthday.
  • What the family keeps: a folder of bedtime stories.
Story intro
“Hi, it’s [your name]. This is [book title], read just for you.”

Collect recipes, books and first-year ideas

Each guest adds one card, one book or one tag to three collections: a box of recipes and memories, a first library and a first-year bucket list. Nobody performs, and nobody shares anything personal.

12. A recipe and memory box

Guests write down an easy recipe they’d make for a tired friend, or a favorite memory with the guest of honor, and the family gets a box full of them.

  • Who and time: anyone, about 5 minutes each. Ask in the invitation, so guests can write theirs at home.
  • You’ll need: a recipe box with eight dividers and 25 double-sided 4-by-6 cards ($9.99 at Hobby Lobby), and 25 more white cards ($1.99): $11.98.
  • How: keep spare cards and pens by the box for anyone who forgot. A recipe can be a family one or one printed on a package.
  • Variant: freezer-friendly recipes only, to go with the freezer meals below.
  • What the family keeps: a box of recipes and memories from everyone.
For your message
“If you’d like, write down an easy recipe you’d make for a tired friend, or a favorite memory with [names], and bring it along. There will be spare cards at the shower.”

13. A first library

Each guest brings a children’s book, with a note inside the cover, in place of a card.

  • Who and time: every guest who’d like to bring one; a minute to write the note.
  • You’ll need: 48 “Baby’s First Library” bookplate stickers ($14.50 on Amazon), or just a pen for the inside cover.
  • How: ask in the invitation, and set a basket by the door with the bookplates and pens. Duplicates are fine: the family can swap them.
  • Variant: board books only, for the first year, or books in the family’s languages.
  • What the family keeps: a shelf of signed books.
For your message
“Instead of a card, please bring your favorite children’s book, with a note inside the cover.”

14. A first-year bucket list

Guests write one thing to do with the baby in the first year on a tag, and the tags go on a ring.

  • Who and time: anyone, a minute each.
  • You’ll need: 25 punched kraft tags, 5¼ by 2⅝ inches ($0.99 at Hobby Lobby), and 12 binder rings ($2.49): $3.48.
  • How: leave the tags and a pen with the prompt below, and slide each finished tag onto the ring.
  • Variant: one idea per month, twelve in all, for the first year’s calendar.
  • What the family keeps: a ring of ideas to flip through all year.
Tag prompt
“Something to do together in your first year: ____”

Six crafts that end up in the nursery

Six crafts for a drop-in table: guests sit down for 10 or 15 minutes when they like, and the family takes home something for the nursery. Pick one or two, not all six.

15. Decorate a onesie

Plain white onesies and fabric markers; guests decorate the front, and the finished onesies hang on a line.

  • Who and time: anyone, at a drop-in table open for the first hour; 10 to 15 minutes a onesie.
  • You’ll need: Gerber’s 15-pack of white onesies in sizes 0–3, 3–6 and 6–9 months ($40 regular price on Gerber’s website) and 12 Tulip fine-tip fabric markers ($10.99 at Hobby Lobby), plus 24 wood clothespins ($3.99) and 40 yards of jute twine ($1.19) for the line: $56.17 for 15 guests.
  • How: prewash the onesies without fabric softener, as Tulip advises. Slide cardboard inside each one; guests decorate the front only and write their name on a tag, not on the onesie.
  • Variant: bibs, burp cloths, or fabric squares a friend sews into a quilt for the wall, never the crib.
  • What the family keeps: a first wardrobe in three sizes. Wait 24 hours, then wash on gentle and tumble dry low, as Tulip advises.
Station sign
“Grab a onesie and a marker. Decorate the front only, and put your name on a tag, not on the onesie.”

Markers only: skip buttons, beads and glued-on gems. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) treats small parts as a choking hazard for children under 3.

Skip pacifier clips and teething necklaces

The FDA has reports of deaths and serious injuries, including strangulation and choking, from teething jewelry, and Safe to Sleep says not to attach a pacifier to clothing, stuffed toys or blankets.

16. Wooden blocks for the shelf

Each guest paints one wooden block: a letter, a number, an animal or a word.

  • Who and time: anyone, a few at a time, about 10 minutes a block.
  • You’ll need: 20 wood cubes, 2 inches, five packs of 4 ($7.99 each at Hobby Lobby), and 12 dual-tip acrylic paint markers ($14.99): $54.94.
  • How: buy the 2-inch cubes: Hobby Lobby labels its smaller ones a choking hazard, not for children under 3. Let each block dry on a paper towel before anyone stacks it.
  • Variant: spell a word across the blocks, like HELLO or DREAM, one letter per guest.
  • What the family keeps: a stack of blocks for the nursery shelf, as decor, not toys to chew.

17. An alphabet book

Each guest illustrates one letter of the alphabet, and the pages become a book.

  • Who and time: anyone, about 10 minutes a page; kids can take the leftover letters.
  • You’ll need: a 50-sheet pack of acid- and lignin-free white card stock ($8.49 at Hobby Lobby), two 10-packs of broad-line markers ($3.99 each at Hy-Vee), 12 binder rings ($2.49 at Hobby Lobby) and a hole punch: $18.96.
  • How: the night before, write one big letter on each of 26 sheets. Guests draw something that starts with their letter, and some draw two. Punch two holes and add two rings.
  • Variant: a counting book, from 1 to 20, one number per guest.
  • What the family keeps: a homemade ABC book.

18. A wall of mini canvases

Each guest paints one small canvas in the nursery’s colors, and the canvases hang together as a grid.

  • Who and time: anyone, four to six at a time, 15 to 20 minutes each.
  • You’ll need: four five-packs of 5-by-7 canvas panels ($2.79 each at Hobby Lobby), 24 acrylic paints ($10.99), 12 brushes ($4.49) and a plastic table cover ($0.99), plus paper plates and cups of water: $27.63.
  • How: ask the family for three or four nursery colors, and put only those on the plates. Guests paint a shape, a stripe or a word, and the canvases dry flat until the party ends.
  • Variant: one big canvas, a brushstroke from each guest, on an 11-by-14 canvas panel ($7.99 for five at Hobby Lobby).
  • What the family keeps: 20 small paintings for one wall.

19. Closet dividers by size

Guests decorate the wooden dividers that sort baby clothes by size in the closet.

  • Who and time: seven guests, one size each, or fourteen for two sets; 5 to 10 minutes a divider.
  • You’ll need: 14 blank wooden closet dividers, about 7 by 3 inches, with a marker ($14.24 on Amazon), and 12 dual-tip acrylic paint markers ($14.99 at Hobby Lobby): $29.23.
  • How: letter one size on each divider: newborn, 0–3 months, 3–6, 6–9, 9–12, 12–18 and 18–24. Guests decorate around the size, on both sides.
  • Variant: the second set for a dresser, or for a grandparent’s house.
  • What the family keeps: a closet sorted by size from day one.

20. A fleece tie blanket

Two layers of fleece, fringed all around: each guest ties a few knots, and the blanket is done by the end of the party.

  • Who and time: everyone, seven or eight knots each, two or three minutes a guest, after 45 minutes or so of cutting the night before.
  • You’ll need: two pre-cut fleece pieces, 58 by 54 inches ($8.99 each at Hobby Lobby), and fabric scissors ($4.49): $22.47.
  • How: cut it the night before, as below, and lay it on a table where guests can reach the edges.
  • Variant: a second blanket for Project Linus, which gives new handmade blankets to seriously ill and traumatized children, ages 0 to 18, through chapters in all 50 states. Ask the local chapter first, since sizes depend on its needs. Project Linus asks for washable blankets, free of pins, from a smoke-free home.
  • What the family keeps: a blanket made by everyone, for floor time with an adult watching, and the toddler years.
  1. Trim both layers together
    Stack the two pieces, wrong sides together, and trim them to 40 by 50 inches.
  2. Cut out the corners
    Cut a 4-inch square from each corner, through both layers.
  3. Cut the fringe
    Cut strips 1 inch wide and 4 inches deep, all around: 42 on each long side and 32 on each short side, 148 in all.
  4. Tie at the party
    Each guest ties a top strip to the strip under it in a double knot. The finished blanket is about 32 by 42 inches, plus the fringe.

Not for the crib

Safe to Sleep, the National Institutes of Health’s campaign, says to keep comforters, quilts, pillows and blankets out of the baby’s sleep area. Give the blanket with a note: it’s for awake time, not the crib.

Flowers and cookies guests make together

Guests make two things together: a bouquet built one stem at a time for the family’s table, and sugar cookies they decorate and take home.

21. A bouquet built one stem at a time

Each guest adds one stem to a vase on the welcome table, and the bouquet fills out as the party does.

  • Who and time: everyone, on arrival, a minute each.
  • You’ll need: two 12-stem rose bouquets (from $16.99 each at Hy-Vee), a 9¾-inch glass cylinder vase ($5.99 at Hobby Lobby), 25 kraft tags for wishes ($0.99) and kitchen scissors: from $40.96.
  • How: the morning of, trim the stems at an angle and keep them in water beside the vase. Guests add a stem as they arrive, with a wish on a kraft tag if they like.
  • Variant: small jars to take home: twelve 4-ounce jars for $7.99 at Hobby Lobby, a stem or two each.
  • What the family keeps: a full bouquet for their table.

Pets at home? Check the flowers

The ASPCA lists lilies as toxic to cats, causing kidney failure, and tulips, daffodils, carnations and chrysanthemums as toxic to dogs and cats. Roses, alstroemeria, gerbera daisies and snapdragons are on its non-toxic list.

22. Decorate a cookie

Sugar cookies, frosting and sprinkles: guests decorate one each, with a few to spare, then bag their cookie to take home.

  • Who and time: anyone, kids included, about 10 minutes each.
  • You’ll need: two 12-count packs of bakery sugar cookies ($5.99 each at Hy-Vee), two 16-ounce tubs of vanilla frosting ($2.18 each), 6.25 ounces of rainbow sprinkles ($5.99), 24 plastic knives ($2.75) and 25 food-safe cello bags ($1.99 at Hobby Lobby): $27.07.
  • How: frosting in bowls, sprinkles in cups, cookies on a tray, and a card listing the allergens from each package.
  • Variant: cupcakes instead of cookies.

Label the allergens

Copy each package’s “Contains” line, or the allergens named in its ingredient list, onto the card. The FDA’s first tip for anyone with a food allergy is “Always read food labels.”

Ways to help the family, and other families

Guests who’d rather help than perform have six ways to do it: freezer meals, a help sign-up sheet, sorting the baby clothes, building the baby gear, a diaper cake, and a diaper drive for families who need one.

23. Freezer meals

A few guests assemble six pans of baked penne that go straight into the freezer.

  • Who and time: four to six guests who like to cook, about 20 minutes during dessert, with a fridge and a freezer nearby.
  • You’ll need: the baked penne from our menu guide, split into six 8-by-8 foil pans with lids, and masking tape for labels: $50.66 at Hy-Vee, listed below.
  • How: follow the plan below; three pans get the sausage, three stay meatless.
  • Variant: a freezer drop-off, where each guest brings one labeled frozen dish.
  • What the family keeps: six dinners ready to bake.

Six freezer pans: $50.66

  • Two 16-oz boxes of penne: $2.88
  • Four 23-oz jars of marinara: $7.96
  • Two 15-oz tubs of ricotta: $7.98
  • A 32-oz bag of shredded mozzarella: $8.99
  • An 8-oz shaker of grated parmesan: $3.99
  • 1 lb of Italian sausage: $4.88
  • Six 8-by-8 foil pans with lids: $9.99
  • A roll of masking tape: $3.99

Freezer meals, step by step

  • The day before: boil the pasta 2 minutes short of the box time, cool it and refrigerate it
  • The day before: brown the sausage to 160°F, the FDA’s number for ground meat, and refrigerate it
  • At the party: everyone washes their hands with soap for 20 seconds, as the FDA advises
  • Take the ingredients out of the fridge only when you start, and get the pans into a freezer within 2 hours, the FDA’s limit
  • In each of two big bowls, mix a box of pasta, two jars of marinara and a tub of ricotta; stir the sausage into one bowl
  • Fill three pans from each bowl, then share the mozzarella and parmesan among all six
  • Lid each pan and tape on the label below
  • On the way to the family’s freezer, keep the pans at 40°F or colder, in a cooler
Freezer label
“Baked penne, made [date]. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Bake at 375°F, covered with foil, then uncovered for the last 15 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.”

Food kept at 0°F stays safe, the FDA says, but its quality drops the longer it’s frozen: hence the date. And never thaw it on the counter: thaw it in the fridge, as the FDA advises.

24. A help sign-up sheet

With the family’s okay, guests sign up to bring a meal, run an errand or walk the dog in the first weeks.

  • Who and time: anyone who’d rather help than write, two minutes each.
  • You’ll need: a clipboard ($2.49 at Hobby Lobby), a printed calendar of the first six weeks and a pen: $2.49.
  • How: one row per day, with columns for what, name and phone. The family keeps the sheet and decides when to call.
  • Variant: an online meal sign-up page, shared later by text.
  • What the family keeps: a calendar of help for the first weeks.
Sheet header
“Want to help in the first six weeks? Pick a day, write what you’ll bring or do, and add your phone number.”

25. Sort the baby clothes by size

Guests who like folding sort the clothes from the gifts, or from hand-me-downs, into bags by size.

  • Who and time: two to four guests, 15 to 20 minutes, after any gift opening or at a shower in the family’s home.
  • You’ll need: ten 2-gallon zipper bags ($4.49 at Hy-Vee), a roll of masking tape ($3.99) and a marker: $8.48.
  • How: label seven bags: newborn, 0–3 months, 3–6, 6–9, 9–12, 12–18 and 18–24. Keep the cards and gift receipts in an eighth bag, for the thank-you notes.
  • Variant: in the family’s home, hang the clothes straight into the closet, behind the dividers.
  • What the family keeps: clothes sorted by size, and a record of who gave what.

26. Build the baby gear

At a shower in the family’s home, a few guests unbox and assemble the stroller, the high chair or the crib.

  • Who and time: two to four guests who like a manual, 30 to 60 minutes a piece.
  • You’ll need: the boxes, their manuals and a screwdriver set: nothing to buy.
  • How: one person reads the manual aloud, one sorts the hardware, one builds. Every manual goes in one folder.
  • Variant: build only the stroller and the high chair, and leave the crib to the family.
  • What the family keeps: gear ready to use, with its manuals in one place.

Cribs: no fixes

The CPSC says to check a crib for loose, missing or broken parts, and never to try to fix a broken one. Look up the crib, bassinet or play yard for recalls on cpsc.gov before it’s used.

27. A diaper cake

Three or four guests roll diapers into a three-tier cake: a centerpiece today, diapers next week.

  • Who and time: three or four guests, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • You’ll need: a 96-count box of size 1 diapers ($27.97 at Hy-Vee), a 2-ounce bag of rubber bands ($0.99 at Hobby Lobby), 5 yards of ⅜-inch satin ribbon ($2.99), a 12-inch cake board from a pack of four ($2.39) and a paper towel tube: $34.34.
  • How: roll each diaper tightly and band it. Stand the rolls in rings around the tube, three rings for the bottom tier, two for the middle and one on top, about 65 diapers, and tie a ribbon around each tier. No pins or glue, so every diaper can be used.
  • Variant: build it from the diapers guests bring, if the invitation asks for some.
  • What the family keeps: about 65 diapers to unroll, and about 30 more in the box.

28. A diaper drive for a diaper bank

Guests bring an extra pack of diapers for a local diaper bank, which passes them on to families who need them.

  • Who and time: every guest who’d like to bring a pack; a minute at the door, and one drop-off trip afterward.
  • You’ll need: two boxes labeled by size, and the nearest member of the National Diaper Bank Network, which counts more than 225 diaper banks: nothing to buy.
  • How: ask the diaper bank which sizes it needs most, and put that in the invitation. NDBN members take opened packs too, if the size is printed on the diapers or the packaging comes along.
  • Variant: wipes as well, if the diaper bank takes them.
For your message
“If you’d like, bring an extra pack of diapers, size [size], for the [name] Diaper Bank. We’ll drop them off the week after the shower.”

Activities for kids and far-away guests

Two activities for guests who are easy to leave out: children, and family who can’t travel.

29. A kids’ coloring table

A low table covered in kraft paper, with crayons, where children draw for as long as they like.

  • Who and time: children old enough to color, all party long, with a teen or an adult nearby.
  • You’ll need: a 4-by-25-foot roll of kraft paper ($5.99 at Hobby Lobby) and two 24-packs of crayons ($2.29 each at Hy-Vee): $10.57.
  • How: tape the paper over the table, and draw a few big outlines to start them off: a sun, a house, an animal.
  • Variant: kids take the alphabet book’s leftover letters, or a turn at the cookie table.
  • What the family keeps: the best drawings, for the fridge or the time capsule.

30. A video-call corner

A tablet on a stand in a quiet corner, where a helper calls far-away family at set times, to chat with the guest of honor and whoever’s nearby.

  • Who and time: family and friends who can’t travel, and one helper; 10-minute calls, at times set ahead.
  • You’ll need: a tablet, its charger and a folding stand for devices up to 10 inches ($5.99 at Hobby Lobby): $5.99.
  • How: text each far-away guest a time, in their own time zone. The helper calls on time, and nobody records a call without asking first.
  • Variant: far-away guests mail a card ahead for the note station, or send a recorded bedtime story.
Call reminder
“We’d love to have you at the shower! We’ll video-call you at [time], your time, for about ten minutes. Just pick up.”

A 90-minute no-games baby shower plan

A baby shower without games fits in 90 minutes: 15 for arrivals, 30 for food and conversation, 25 for dessert and the activity tables, and 20 for goodbyes.

90 minutes

90-minute baby shower plan without games

  1. 2:00–2:15 PMArrivals and drinks, with one welcome-table activity, like the thumbprint treeWho: The door
  2. 2:15–2:45 PMFood and conversation; the note station and one craft table openWho: The food, the craft table
  3. 2:45–3:10 PMDessert, and time for anyone who’d like to write, make or helpWho: The food, the activities
  4. 3:10–3:30 PMThank-yous and goodbyes, while helpers pack the keepsakesWho: You, the keepsakes

The playlist runs throughout, and the note station stays open from the first arrival. You keep the clock.

Gifts: ask first

Ask the guest of honor before you plan any gift opening, and never assume they want an audience. If they do, add 15 to 20 minutes after dessert, with a helper writing down who gave what.

Prep timeline

  • Before the invitations go out, four to six weeks ahead: ask the guest of honor which activities they’d like, and the diaper bank which sizes it needs
  • In the invitation: one line for each thing guests might bring, like a song, a recipe, a book or diapers
  • Two weeks before: order what comes from Amazon or Gerber
  • One week before: shop Hobby Lobby, build the playlist and prewash the onesies
  • Two days before: buy the cookies, frosting and freezer-meal food
  • The night before: cut the fleece fringe, draw the tree, letter the alphabet pages and label the letter dividers
  • The night before: boil the pasta and brown the sausage for the freezer pans
  • The morning of: pick up the roses and put them in water, cover the craft tables, tape down the kraft paper and set out each station

Longer party? Stretch the food and conversation, not the activities. For two or three hours, our baby shower agenda has longer schedules to copy.

What to tell guests on the invitation

The invitation’s job is practical: the time, the place, parking, the accessibility details you can offer and how to RSVP. There’s no need to explain the lack of games.

Describe the party instead, like “brunch and catching up” or “an afternoon open house,” and add one line for anything guests might bring: a song, a recipe, a book or a pack of diapers for the diaper bank.

Practical details
“Come anytime between 1 and 4 PM for snacks and catching up. Parking is free on [street], and the side entrance has no steps.”

Send it four to six weeks before the shower. Our baby shower checklist has the whole timeline, from the guest list to the thank-you notes.

Making it an InviteByLink baby shower website? In the builder’s “Finishing touches” step, a tap on “Bring a book” adds this line to your message: “Instead of a card, please bring your favorite children’s book.” Guests reply on the page, with no app and no account, and each RSVP has an optional note for the hosts, where a song request fits. Your dashboard shows every note with its reply.

Questions

What can guests do at a baby shower instead of games?
Write notes or letters for later, add a song to a shared playlist, decorate a onesie or a block, sign a picture book, or help fill the freezer.
Do you have to play games at a baby shower?
No. Food, conversation and two or three activities guests can join or skip make a complete shower. Ask the guest of honor what they’d enjoy.
How many activities do you need for a baby shower?
Two or three for 20 guests, plus one at the welcome table, like a thumbprint tree. Keep at least one open all party long, so guests join when they like.
How long should a baby shower without games be?
About 90 minutes: 15 for arrivals, 30 for food and conversation, 25 for dessert and the activity tables, and 20 for goodbyes.
How much do baby shower activities cost?
Most cost under $60 for 20 guests at October 2026 prices, and some cost nothing: a shared playlist, building the baby gear, a diaper drive.
What crafts can guests make at a baby shower?
Onesies with fabric markers, painted 2-inch wooden blocks, an alphabet book, small canvases for the nursery wall, closet dividers by size and a fleece tie blanket.
How do you make a baby shower playlist?
Ask each willing guest to name one song in their RSVP note, build the list the week before, listen through once, and play it low enough to talk over.
Should a baby shower invitation say there are no games?
No need. Describe the party instead, like “brunch and catching up,” and give the practical details: the time, the place, parking, access and how to RSVP.

Written by the InviteByLink team

We design baby shower websites — one link with the theme, the details, the RSVPs and the registry. These guides are the advice we would give a friend.

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