By Harrison Jones

It can be tricky to curate a baby shower guest list, especially if the mom-to-be has friends from different walks of life. The boy who used to be her soulmate in the sandbox, the girl she skipped classes with, her favorite barista, the colleague she made friends with at her second job-they aren't likely to know each other, and they also might have absolutely nothing in common.

That's why you need a few icebreakers to make this event worthy of making it onto the baby photo album. Preparing some of these games might bite into your baby shower budget. Fortunately, a lack of money doesn't always mean you have to compromise the quality of your party.

Instead, consider using lending platforms like MoneyAsap, where borrowers can take out a loan by filling out a secure online loan application. They then get matched with vetted lenders who are willing to lend even to those who don't have the best credit history.

Now, let's learn about some baby shower icebreakers to help prevent your party from being a snoozefest.

What's in the Bag?

You play this game by putting multiple baby items in a bag and passing it around. Then, each guest needs to stick a hand inside with their eyes closed and try to identify these objects. The answers can be written down and read aloud when all the participants have made their guesses. The person with the highest number of correct guesses wins.

To make the game challenging and funny, include some weird or uncommon baby products like a toddler urinal, a snozzie (for wiping drool), a butt fan, wipe warmers, ankle bells, a hair hat, or a baby bum brush. Your guests will surely come up with some wild guesses for these baby items.

Instead of buying all these products yourself, ask each guest to bring an extra baby-related present within a specific price range with a purpose that would be hard to guess.

How Much?

For this game, you can use baby items from the previous game. Ask your guests to guess the price of the items, playing it like a real TV show. You can make up a scoring system and award the winner after calculating the final game score.

Baby Betting

This icebreaker is way more thrilling than it sounds. Add some competitive spirit to the party and set up a pool where guests can cast their guesses on the baby's arrival date. They can do it based on the size of the baby bump, or the mom-to-be can reveal the anticipated due date. It's not set in stone, though. Statistically, only 5% of natural-born babies are born on their due date. If no one guesses the correct date, give the promised prize to the bettor whose guess is as close to the actual due date as possible.

Dirty Diapers

This one will probably make your guests burst out with uncontrollable laughter, but it might be too much for some people. You can already guess the game's mechanics by its name. Each participant is given a diaper with melted chocolate inside and asked to guess the brand. Try to use brands with various types of chocolates and consistencies, so it won't be too easy to identify.

Guessing Baby Food

We're not talking about breastmilk or formula; that would be too weird. Simply let your guests guess different flavors of baby food. Believe it or not, it doesn't look or taste the way you imagine.

Choose unique flavors that you think would be harder to identify, such as broccoli or carrot, and put a number on each container. Then, before covering or removing the labels, make sure you have a list of the flavors with their corresponding numbers for when your guests guess the flavor right.

You can add mixed flavors for a more challenging game and allow your guests' unique talent to shine through.

What a Sucker!

Give each player a baby bottle of the same size (150 mL or 250 mL) and fill it with their preferred drink. On the count of 3, tell them to suck the bottles dry. The game is simple; whoever finishes first wins. As simple as it is, this game can be pretty amusing for both the participants and the spectators. Don't tell anyone about this competition ahead of time or-who knows?-they might spend hours training for it.

Hand-Painted Onesies

This creative activity will be a great way to wind down after spending some time playing guessing games and drinking from baby bottles. Even guests who don't consider themselves crafty or creative will find it immensely satisfying. Besides, the baby will need a lot of onesies anyway.

However, this icebreaker takes some time to prepare. As the hostess, you will need to:

●     Buy high-quality onesies of a solid color and different sizes. Calculate how many you need based on the number of guests, adding a few extra if some participants want a second try.

●     Wash the onesies before the event using a natural anti-allergen laundry detergent without any softener.

●     Use a Sharpie pen or other textile marker to put the participants' initials on the tags so that the honoree knows who hand-painted each onesie.

●     Prepare brushes and soft fabric paint (5-6 colors would probably be enough) and a variety of art and craft supplies.

●     Make sure wipes and water are easily accessible so guests can easily wash off the paint and glue from their hands.

The decorated onesies should be left to dry for about 24 hours before the honoree can take them home. Once they're ready, you can fold them, wrap them like a pro, and present them to the mom-to-be.

Although the prizes aren't the only motivation for guests to participate in the games, pay special attention to them. Keep in mind that they must be affordable but cute and practical to encourage everyone to participate. This can be anything from delicious treats and mini drink kits to spa products and similar items that will be useful to the mom-to-be.

Planning an event is tedious, but with suitable icebreakers, you can be sure to set the mood and get the guests laughing and talking even if they just met.

Author's Bio:

Harrison has been a freelance financial reporter for the past 6 years. He knows the major trends in the financial world. Jones' experience and useful tips help people manage their budgets wisely.

(Harrison Jones)