13+ Cool Baby Shower Activities That Are Not Games [Your Guests Will Love]

Baby showers don’t need competitive games to be memorable. Thoughtful, creative, and low-pressure activities can make guests feel involved, produce keepsakes for the parents-to-be, and create lasting memories. If you want a broader roundup of non-game baby shower activities, see this carefully curated list of baby shower activities that aren’t games for more inspiration.

Below are 14 crowd-pleasing options that focus on connection, creativity, and keepsakes rather than winners and losers.

1. Onesie or Outfit Decorating Station

• Set up plain onesies, fabric markers, iron-on patches, and stencils. Guests can personalize an outfit with messages, drawings, or baby-themed motifs. The result is a one-of-a-kind wardrobe and a tangible memory for the new parents.

2. Book Signing Instead of a Card Table

• Ask guests to bring a favorite children’s book and write a personal note or a wish on the inside cover. This builds a meaningful library for baby and replaces the traditional card stack with something that will be used for years.

3. Advice & Wishes Cards

• Provide notecards where guests can write hopes, tips, or short messages for the baby or parents. Collect them in a pretty box or album so the family can revisit the sentiments later.

4. Memory Jar

• Have guests jot down a favorite memory of the parents-to-be or a wish for the child, then fold and drop the notes into a decorated jar. It’s an intimate keepsake for quiet reading afterward.

5. Baby Predictions & Letters to Future Self

• Invite guests to predict birth details (date, weight, height) or write letters to the child to be opened on a milestone birthday. These are sentimental time capsules rather than competitive guesses.

6. Keepsake Craft: Hand- or Footprint Art

• Provide non-toxic ink pads or safe paint for guests to make handprints or footprints on a keepsake canvas or onesie. Everyone can add a small message or signature nearby.

7. DIY Milestone Cards or Scrapbook Pages

• Offer craft supplies so guests can create milestone cards or decorate scrapbook pages the parents can use as they document baby’s firsts.

8. Nursery Planting Station

• Set up small pots, soil, and easy-care plants (like succulents or herbs). Guests pot a plant and write care tips; the family can use them to decorate the nursery or remember the day.

9. Recipe Exchange Wall

• Ask each guest to bring a copy of a go-to recipe (especially easy freezer or quick-dinner ideas). Pin them to a board or compile into a small recipe book for the new parents.

10. Baby Photo Guess Wall (Not a Game)

• Invite guests in advance to bring a baby photo of themselves and pin them to a board. Instead of scoring guesses, use name tags so people can mingle, reminisce, and talk about how babies have changed. This fosters conversation rather than competition.

11. Collaborative Quilt or Fabric Panel

• Provide fabric squares and fabric-safe pens or paints. Each guest decorates a square; the squares are sewn together later into a quilt or keepsake wall hanging.

12. Care Calendar Sign-Up Station

• Create a simple, respectful sign-up for practical help: meals, babysitting, errands, or other assistance after the baby arrives. It’s a meaningful, non-game activity that supports the family.

13. Storytelling Circle

• Host a short, guided storytelling session where guests share parenting wisdom, family traditions, or funny baby-related anecdotes. Keep it optional and relaxed; it’s an intimate way to bond.

14. Coed or Dad-Friendly Activity Corner

• Set up a station that appeals to guests of all genders—such as a beard-oil labeling bar, a craft beer tasting flight (if appropriate), or a practical gadget-exploration table—to make sure everyone feels included. If you’re designing ideas with dads in mind, check these baby shower ideas tailored for men to adapt activities into a non-competitive, welcoming format.

Planning tips to make these activities sing

• Keep stations simple: two or three well-supplied stations beat a dozen half-stocked ones.
• Offer clear instructions and examples so guests feel comfortable participating.
• Balance active and quiet activities so minglers and more reserved guests both have options.
• Provide a dedicated helper or two to keep supplies replenished and answer questions.
• Consider a keepsake box for collected items so nothing gets misplaced at the end of the party.

Conclusion

For fresh decorating inspiration to match any of these activity stations, explore these curated shower decoration ideas that can elevate the look and feel of your event. If you want pre-printed advice cards to collect guest wishes and notes, consider these ocean theme guest wishes notepaper that make gathering messages effortless and cute.