Baby shower game prizes are the detail most hosts leave until the morning of the shower, usually with a rushed lap around the supermarket before the guests arrive. They don't need to be last-minute, and they really don't need to be expensive. Plan them a week or two ahead and you'll spend less and give better things.
The one rule that matters most: a prize should be something an adult will actually use at home. Novelty items with a baby theme tend to go straight into a drawer, and the guest who won it isn't the one having the baby.
In this guide: how many prizes to buy, a realistic budget, prize ideas that get used, the prizes to skip, smarter ways to stretch a small budget, how to run games without prizes at all, and how to wrap everything so it looks planned. At the end you'll find answers to the most common questions about baby shower prizes.
In this guide
- How many baby shower game prizes you need
- How much to spend on baby shower prizes
- Baby shower prize ideas guests actually use
- Baby shower prizes by guest crowd
- Prizes to skip
- Cheaper approaches that work better
- Running baby shower games without prizes
- Wrapping and presenting the prizes
- Frequently asked questions
How many baby shower game prizes you need
Start with the games, not the prizes. Three or four games fill a two-hour shower comfortably and still leave time for food, opening gifts and the conversation guests actually came for. Add more than that and the afternoon starts to feel like a schedule you're running people through.
Tip 1: Buy one prize per game, plus a spare
Plan one prize for every game you'll play and add one extra for a tie. For four games, that means five prizes. Ties happen more often than you'd expect, especially with bingo, where two people can call out on the same square within seconds of each other. A fifth prize waiting in a cupboard saves you an awkward pause while the whole room looks at the host.
If the spare isn't needed, give it to whoever helped you set up, or tuck it into the parent-to-be's gift pile. Nothing goes to waste.
Tip 2: Match the prize count to the shower format
A shower brunch or afternoon tea usually runs about two hours, and two or three games is plenty around a meal. People are eating, refilling drinks and passing plates, so long games get lost. A longer open-house shower can handle four games spread across the afternoon, with a quiet one such as guessing the baby's birth date or weight running in the background the whole time.
Decide the format first, then count prizes. It also helps with the invitation, because guests like to know whether they're coming for a meal or a drop-in. Our guide on when to send baby shower invitations covers the timing and the details every invitation needs.
To be clear about what these are: they're tea party and brunch invitations, not baby shower designs. Every template is editable in Canva with a free account, so you can change the heading to "Baby Shower Brunch" or "A Tea for Baby" and add the parent-to-be's name in a few minutes. The floral tea party design also includes a phone version you can text to guests. If you've never edited a template before, our Canva editing guide walks through it.
How much to spend on baby shower prizes
Five to fifteen dollars per prize is the usual range. Go much higher and guests start to feel a little strange about winning, and the shower slides from a party into a competition. Remember that every guest has already bought a gift for the baby. Prizes are a small thank you for joining in, not a reward anyone is chasing.
If you're co-hosting, agree on a total prize budget with your co-hosts before anyone shops. Prizes are one of the easiest things to overspend on, because each small item feels cheap on its own and nobody adds them up until the receipts come out.
| Approach | What you buy for 4 games | Rough total | Works best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Different prizes | 5 separate items at $5 to $15 each | $25 to $75 | You enjoy choosing something for each game |
| Identical prizes | 5 of the same item | $25 to $50 | You want one shopping trip and no decisions |
| Grand prize plus treats | 1 nicer prize and 4 good chocolate bars | $20 to $35 | The budget is tight |
| No prizes | Nothing, or small honors instead | $0 | The group is small, close and relaxed |
Good to know: The guest of honor's comfort comes first. Pregnancy can make strong smells hard to handle, so if you're buying candles or scented hand cream, pick light, clean scents and keep them wrapped until they leave.
Baby shower prize ideas guests actually use
The best prizes are small, useful and easy to carry home next to a handbag. These are the ones that tend to get used rather than regifted.
Idea 3: A good candle
The most reliable prize on this list. Almost everyone burns candles, a nice one feels like a treat, and it fits in a gift bag. Pick a small size from a shop you'd buy from yourself rather than a giant jar from the bargain bin.
Idea 4: Hand cream or a small self-care bundle
Hand cream from a brand people recognize always gets used. For a slightly bigger prize, bundle a lip balm and a sheet face mask together and tie them with a ribbon. It looks generous and costs very little.
Idea 5: A coffee shop gift card
Ten dollars at a local café or a chain everyone knows gets spent within the week. Gift cards are also the easiest prize for a virtual shower, because you can send them by email the moment someone wins.
Idea 6: Proper chocolate
A good bar of chocolate, not a fun-size bag. One nice bar per winner is cheap, universally welcome and needs no thought about taste. Add a second flavor as a backup for the tie-breaker.
Idea 7: A small plant or succulent
A small potted plant brightens a desk or kitchen windowsill and lasts far longer than flowers. Succulents are a good pick because they survive a car ride and a week of being forgotten.
Idea 8: Wine or prosecco, if the crowd drinks
A bottle of wine or a mini bottle of prosecco is a popular prize with the right group. Only offer it if you know the guests well, and keep a non-alcoholic option ready for anyone who doesn't drink, is driving or is also expecting.
Idea 9: Nice tea or coffee
A bag of good coffee beans or a tin of loose-leaf tea is the kind of thing people rarely buy for themselves. It also fits naturally if you're hosting the shower as a tea party.
Idea 10: A scratch card
A lottery scratch card costs a couple of dollars and creates more excitement in the room than almost anything else, because everyone wants to watch it get scratched. Only for adult guests, and check it's allowed where you live.
Handy: Buy one or two neutral backups, like an extra bar of chocolate or a coffee gift card. They cover ties, a game you added on the day, or a guest who brought along a teenager who ends up winning bingo.
Baby shower prizes by guest crowd
The right prize depends a lot on who's in the room. A few quick pointers by type of shower:
Coworkers or an office shower: Keep prizes neutral and desk-friendly. Coffee gift cards, chocolate and small plants work well. Skip alcohol and anything personal like bath products.
Mostly family, mixed ages: Think of the grandmothers and great-aunts as much as the friends. Good chocolate, tea, hand cream and candles go down well with every age.
Close friends: You can be a bit more personal here. A favorite snack, a bottle of something nice or a gift card to the café everyone already goes to all feel thoughtful.
Guests bringing kids: If children are joining the games, keep a small stash of kid-friendly prizes like stickers or a little bag of candy, so a winning eight-year-old doesn't go home with a scented candle.
Virtual or long-distance shower: Digital gift cards are the simplest, since you can send them during the call. If you'd rather mail something, choose small flat items that fit in an envelope.
Couples or co-ed shower: Go for prizes everyone can enjoy, like coffee, chocolate, a scratch card or a craft beer if the crowd drinks. Self-care bundles are less of a fit here.
Prizes to skip
Some prizes look cute in the shop and then follow the guest home to a drawer. These are the ones to leave on the shelf:
- Anything baby themed. Baby-shaped soaps, bottle-shaped candy and pacifier keyrings are fun for one photo. The winner isn't the one having the baby.
- Mugs. Everyone already owns more mugs than cupboard space.
- Novelty items with the date printed on them. They feel special on the day and end up in the trash a few months later.
- Anything perishable, if guests are traveling home by train or plane, or if the shower is outdoors in summer.
- Large or heavy items. A prize has to be carried home alongside a bag and maybe a plate of leftover cake.
- Joke gifts. They land well with one or two people and leave everyone else unsure where to look, especially with older relatives in the room.
Cheaper approaches that work better
If the budget is tight, or you simply don't want to spend an hour choosing five different things, these approaches save money and make the day easier.
Idea 11: Buy one type of prize and repeat it
Give the same prize for every game: five identical candles, five bars of good chocolate or five coffee gift cards. You usually pay less when you buy multiples, there's no decision to make, and you avoid the situation where the person who wins the first game ends up with visibly the best prize while the last winner gets the leftovers.
Idea 12: One grand prize plus small treats
Keep a score across all the games and give one slightly better prize to the overall winner at the end. Each individual game winner gets a small chocolate. It costs less than five separate prizes and gives the afternoon a nice finale.
Idea 13: Set up a prize table and let winners choose
Put all the prizes on a small table, wrapped or unwrapped, and let each winner pick one. The first winner gets the widest choice, which feels fair, and you don't have to guess who would like what. It also doubles as decoration if you wrap them in matching bags.
Running baby shower games without prizes
Plenty of showers run games with no prizes at all, and nobody minds. The games work because they're fun and get people talking, not because of what's waiting at the end. If prizes don't fit your budget or your style, simply say so with a smile when you start the first game.
Idea 14: Swap prizes for small honors
Instead of buying anything, give winners a little privilege. "Winner gets first slice of cake" is the classic. Others that work: taking home the table flowers, first pick from the favors, or choosing the next game. They cost nothing and still give the game a point.
Games that leave the parent-to-be with something to keep, like advice cards or wishes for baby, don't need a prize at all, because the result is the keepsake. If you're stuck on wording for those cards, our list of baby shower card messages gives guests plenty of starting points.
Wrapping and presenting the prizes
A plain paper bag with a printed tag is enough. It takes a prize from "something handed over" to "something that looks planned", and the tag costs almost nothing. Tissue paper in one color, a ribbon and a tag on every bag look tidy on a table, even if the prizes inside are all different.
Write the game name on the tag, like "Bingo winner" or "Closest guess", or keep it general with "Thank you for playing". If you're hosting with a theme, matching tags and table cards tie the prize table into the rest of the room.
Plain facts about these two: they belong to our Little Dumpling suite, which was designed for a first birthday. The look is a soft illustrated dumpling theme, and all the text is editable in Canva, so "Thank you for playing" or the parent-to-be's name replaces the birthday wording easily. The table card works well on a prize or gift table. You'll find the rest of the designs in the Little Dumpling collection if the theme suits your shower.
After the shower, the parent-to-be writes thank you notes for the gifts, and hosts often send a short note to co-hosts and helpers too. Plain cardstock or a simple card with a heartfelt message inside does the job. The baby shower card guide has message ideas for both.
Check: Print one test sheet before you print the whole batch. Tags look best on cardstock, and it's worth checking the size and colors first. Our printing guide covers paper weight and printer settings, and you can try the process with a free sample template first.
Frequently asked questions
What are good prizes for baby shower games?
Small, useful things an adult will actually use: a good candle, hand cream, a coffee shop gift card, a proper bar of chocolate, a small plant, nice tea or coffee, or a scratch card. Skip anything baby themed, because the winner isn't the one having the baby.
How many prizes do you need for a baby shower?
One per game plus one spare for a tie. Most two-hour showers have three or four games, so four or five prizes is enough. Bingo is the game most likely to need the spare.
How much should you spend on baby shower game prizes?
Five to fifteen dollars per prize is the usual range. If money is tight, buy one nicer prize for an overall winner and give small chocolates for each game, which costs less than buying a separate prize every time.
Do you have to give prizes at a baby shower?
No. Many showers run games without prizes and nobody minds. Small honors like "first slice of cake" or taking home the table flowers keep the games fun without any cost.
Who pays for baby shower game prizes?
The host or hosts usually cover prizes as part of the shower budget, along with food and decorations. If several people are hosting, agree on a prize total early and split it with the rest of the costs.
Should the mom-to-be play baby shower games?
She can join in, and many enjoy it. If she wins, she usually passes the prize to the runner-up, since the gifts are already coming her way. Some games, like guessing her belly size, work better with her as the judge.
Good prizes don't take much: a plan for how many games you'll play, a sensible budget and things people genuinely like to use. Sort them a week ahead, wrap them simply, and you'll have one less job on the morning of the shower. If you're still choosing how to invite everyone, have a look at our party invitation templates, including brunch and tea party designs you can reword for a baby shower in Canva.