(image credit: Pink Ducky)
A co-ed shower differs from an all-female shower not only because of the inclusion of men, but also in the general vibe and formality of the affair.
Co-ed showers tend to be more casual and less stereotypically “girly”. This qualifier of course affects the games portion of the shower as well. When it comes to a co-ed shower, games like ‘Guess Mommy’s Measurements’ fall to the wayside in favor of games like ‘Pin The Sperm on The Egg’. Intrigued? Read on now!
Pass The Pacifier
Split shower attendees into two rows. Row one representing Team A, with row two representing Team B. Direct each player to put a straw in between their mouths with the person at the starting point dangling a pacifier from their straw. The object of the game is to pass a pacifier down the line once and then back down the line again to the first player, all the while using only the straws (no hands!). The first team to complete the passing of the pacifier, wins!
Feed The Applesauce
Direct attendees to pair up into teams of two. Choose one member from each team to be blindfolded. At the start of “Go”, the blindfolded player will open a jar of applesauce and using a plastic spoon, will feed their teammate sitting across from them. The first duo to finish feeding all of the applesauce, wins.
Red Cup Chugging
This is essentially the ‘Drink Up, Baby!’ game from our ‘Top 20 Best Baby Shower Games’ article where one fills baby bottles with a beverage of choice (usually beer), with the objective being to suck the bottles dry as quickly as possible. But here’s the twist! Try using our red cup sippy cup instead of standard baby bottles for a funny spin on the game.
Never Have I Ever
Have attendees gather around in a circle with a stack of pre-written “Never have I ever” statement cards. Direct each player to take turns drawing a card and reading the card aloud. Once the player reads their card, for example “Never have I ever changed a diaper”, whoever in the group HAS done this action before, including the reader, has to take a drink – you can even do shots of milk to keep in theme.
Keep going around the circle until you’ve run out of cards. This game is a great way for everyone at the shower to get to know one another better. Good sample statement cards include: “Never have I ever held a baby”, “Never have I ever tasted breast milk”.
Pin The Sperm On The Egg
Essentially this game is ‘Pin The Tail On The Donkey’ but adult-style. This game is probably more suitable for a kid-less shower as the object of the game is to “pin” a sperm (made of construction paper) onto a vulva. Have blindfolded players spin around a few times and then try to pin the sperm as close to the middle of the vulva as possible to win.
Taste The Baby Food
Buy or make your own collection of baby food ahead of time. Include flavors like banana, peach, avocado, etc. Open the jars, label them by numbers, and invite guests to taste and guess each numbered jars’ flavor. Include scratch paper and pens for guests to write their answers down. Once all players have tasted, read the answers aloud from your answer key.
The player with the most correct guesses, wins!
Quiz The Parents
Similar to ‘The Newlywed Game’, quiz the parents on how well they know one another’s future parenting style. Invite guests to take turns reading from a deck of prewritten question cards. Questions like “Will your child have a curfew in high school and if so, what time?” will be asked to mommy and daddy. Have the parents separately write down their answers. Once written, have them reveal their answers for all to see at the same time. It will be funny and surprising to see how mom and dad answer these common parenting questions!
Sample questions to include: “When can they start dating?”, “At what age can they wear makeup?”, and “What sports/activities are you going to enroll them in?”.
Don’t Break The Water Balloon
This is a fun co-ed game best suited for an outdoor party. Fill up water balloons before the shower and store in a large bucket. When ready to play, direct guests to place a water balloon each in between their legs and to run from point A to point B (point B being the “hospital”). The object of the game is to clear the obstacles and to be the first to make it to the hospital without popping their balloon.
If players pop their balloon, they have to start over at the beginning with a new balloon.
Musical Bottles
Similar to ‘Hot Potato’, there’s music going on in the background and there’s a “hot potato” being passed around in a circle. But instead of a “hot potato”, hand out 3 baby bottles filled with juice randomly around the circle. When the music starts, have players start passing the bottles around the room. When the music stops, whomever is left holding a bottle has to drink the juice from the bottle. The person who finishes their juice first, wins!
Pee On A Stick
This game allows everyone, even the men to get a glimpse of what it may feel like to pee on a stick! In preparations for the game, prepare bottles of water with pinholes in the caps and an obstacle course. Direct players to waddle their way through the obstacle course with the water bottle in between their legs. At the end of the course should be the “pregnancy test” (you can use a coffee stirrer or tongue depressor). Once each player reaches the end, have them “pee” on the stick by squeezing the water out of the bottle using their legs and onto the stick. The first one to successfully “pee” on the stick, wins.
Pregnant Limbo
Before letting your players know what game they’re about to participate in, invite them to blow up individual balloons. Once they’ve tied their balloons off, advise them to stuff the balloons under their shirts and to prepare for a limbo contest! No balloon re-dos! The person that can go the lowest, wins the game.
These games and activities are a wonderful addition to a co-ed baby shower as they are inclusive and non-gender specific. For even more baby shower game ideas, visit our “Top 20 Best Baby Shower Games” article and our “Top 15 Baby Shower Games: Part II” post.