The Best Ever Baby Shower Game

The very best baby shower game ever is based upon the American crowd-pleaser -- candy. Candy is timeless and brings smiles to so many faces. Even those on a diet or who cannot enjoy it, can surely find someone in very close proximity who can. By playing the candy game at your next baby shower, you can please the crowd and the host, entertain everyone with a non-offensive and fun game, and even have a built-in party favor or gift for guests.

How do you play this "best-ever" candy game?

1. Simply browse your favorite candy aisles and buy brands of candy with names that can be used for puns or word plays. See below for more detail and explanation on this point.

2. Put the candy in a closed opaque bag or covered basket for use at the shower. You don't want the wrappers' shape, color, and size to give away clues to the shower guests and game players.

3. Then, based upon the candy you purchased, create clues and hints to describe the candy. Write down those clues or hints on a sheet of paper.

4. Read aloud the clues or hints at the shower during game time or get a volunteer to do so (however, the volunteer is ineligible to win the prize of candy, so it's best if a shower hostess fills this role).

5. The first person to correctly guess the name of the candy from the clue read aloud is the winner and that person receives as her prize, the candy.

Helpful tips and tricks to keep in mind when playing the candy game

Keep in mind that you may end up having to go to more than one grocery store or super big box store in order to find the candy brands you need. Or, you might want to use favorite candies of the guest of honor, the Mom-To-Be, and they may not all be available in one place. So, this is not the best game to do last minute if you are trying to pull all of the ends of the shower together quickly. Give yourself time to go to multiple stores, if needed.

Be sure to put the candy in a basket and cover it with a blanket or fabric and only pull out the individual candy piece after it is guessed, so that you can toss it to the winner. Otherwise, most guests can correctly guess the candy from the color and shape of the wrapper in your hands or on top of the basket. Plus, much of the candy is chocolate and likely to melt if held in your hands for a long period of time while guests guess what candy you are describing.

You will find that the first one or two clues may be hard for guests as they learn how to play the game. However, once they catch on to the game, they will have candy names floating around in their minds and are likely to blurt them all out -- even before you complete the reading of the clue or hint.

When creating the clues, there are some basics that apply to all new moms and parents and other clues that will likely be more specific to the particular mom-to-be at your party. You need only have about ten to twelve candies for a successful game with enough clues for a game of reasonable length at your shower.

Build a souvenir collage of candy wrappers for the Mom-To-Be for her photo album or baby book

Another cute souvenir involving the game is to have guests who win the candy eat the candy during the game or at some point during the shower and then leave the wrappers for the mom-to-be to place in her baby book or photo album as a reminder of the shower game. Alternatively, guests can mail the wrappers to the mom-to-be or the hostesses of the party if they are going to make a commemorative collage for the mom-to-be. This suggestion of a souvenir collage actually came out of one of the instances when this writer played the candy game.

Clues or Hints for popular candy names and brands for potential use or customization during your game

To get you started for the candy shower game, affectionately called, "Name That Candy", here are some clues to consider customizing for your party and guest of honor (or at least to help you use as a template for your own brainstorming).

1. If Mom-To-Be ________ (name) decides to breastfeed the Little One To Be, then she will become the ______ _____. Answer: Milky Way.

2. Mom-To-Be and Dad-To-Be are now a family of two. With the addition of Baby To Be, the family will now become the _______ _______ Answer: Three Muskateers.

3. Mom-To-Be and Dad-To-Be are bound to love their future little one senseless. They are surely going to shower the baby with ______. Answer: Hershey's Kisses.

4. Mom-To-Be will be spending a lot of money on diapers and baby products. She has no idea. It could easily amount to ________. Answer: $100 Grand Bar.

5. The first time Mom-To-Be went to the doctor and learned she was pregnant and saw the confirming sonogram, she was probably relieved she was not going to be the mother of ________. Answer: Twix.

6. Mom-To-Be will soon learn, if she has not already, that her chest is going to grow as she prepares for baby and its food source. Her chest is likely to become _________. Answer: Whoppers.

7. Mom-To-Be and Dad-To-Be probably at one time were passionate and enjoyed their alone couple time. They will soon miss their ______ ______ experiences. Answer: Red Hots.

8. Mom and Dad-To-Be will wish they had another ______ when they get the hospital bill and see how much money it costs to have a baby. Answer: Payday.

9. After having the baby, Mom-To-Be will look down at her stomach and think she has a ____ _____. Answer: Jelly Belly.

10. After the arrival of baby, Mom and Dad-To-Be will release that baby's care is constant and his/her need for mommy and daddy is both _______ and _______. Answer: Now and Later.

11. Little Baby is going to be the center of attention and often, when he/she does not get his/her way, Mom and Dad-To-Be will discover they have a ______ in their midst. Answer: Fireball.

12. After one baby, Mom and Dad-To-Be may decide to stop procreating and realize that their family is now _____ and _______. Answer: Good and Plenty.

You get the idea from these clues, that the hints need not be complicated or long, but just so they describe enough context to give guests sufficient bases for guessing the right candy name or brand. You may even find out (as this writer has), that several of the clues may apply to more than one candy name or brand. No matter the answer or its correctness, the party guests, guest of honor, and hostesses of the shower alike will surely have a fun time and enjoy the built-in party favors of candy. You may even find that the game can be readily and easily adapted to other types of showers, such as bridal, or to a birthday or other types of parties. Enjoy your baby shower and happy party planning!