Baby Shower Bingo: How to Play, Plus a 48-Gift Call List
Baby shower bingo solves the quietest half-hour of any shower: gift opening. Instead of watching politely, every guest has a card in hand and a reason to pay attention to each box that gets unwrapped.
Here's how it works, the full gift list to build cards from, a sample card, and four variations for different crowds.
On this page
How to play
- Make the cards. A 5×5 grid with a FREE space in the middle needs 24 items. Pick them from the list below and shuffle the order on every card.
- Hand out cards and pens as guests arrive, or put one on every seat.
- Mark as gifts are opened. When the parents unwrap something on a guest's card, the guest marks it.
- Call bingo. The first guest with five in a row — across, down or diagonal — wins.
- Keep going if you like. Play on for second place, or for a full blackout card if there are many gifts.
Tip: ask a helper to call out each gift clearly as it's opened. Half the room can't see the box from where they're sitting.
48 gifts to fill your cards
Choose 24 per card. Lean on what's actually on the registry so squares get marked.
| Essentials | Clothing & bedding | Gear | Bath, feeding & play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diapers | Bodysuit | Car seat | Baby bathtub |
| Wipes | Sleeper | Stroller | Hooded towel |
| Diaper cream | Socks | Baby carrier | Washcloths |
| Pacifier | Hat | Baby monitor | Baby wash |
| Bottles | Swaddle | Bouncer | Bibs |
| Burp cloths | Blanket | Swing | Bottle brush |
| Nail clippers | Crib sheet | Playard | Nursing pillow |
| Thermometer | Sleep sack | High chair | Teether |
| Nasal aspirator | Mittens | Diaper bag | Rattle |
| Changing pad | Shoes | Diaper pail | Board book |
| Hand sanitizer | Matching outfit | Play mat | Stuffed animal |
| Gift card | Bandana bib | White noise machine | Bath toys |
Sample card
Every card should use the same pool of items in a different order. This one shows the layout.
For more ready-to-print games, see our free printable baby shower games.
Four variations
Blackout bingo
Works for: showers with lots of gifts
Play until someone marks every square. It lasts the whole gift opening, so it suits a big guest list.
Baby word bingo
Works for: showers without gift opening · virtual showers
Fill the cards with baby words — lullaby, bassinet, cradle, peekaboo — and draw them from a bowl like classic bingo. It works anywhere, with or without presents.
Guest-filled cards
Works for: hosts short on prep time
Print blank grids with the 48-gift list underneath. Guests fill in their own cards, so every card is different without you lifting a finger.
Find-the-guest bingo
Works for: guests who don't all know each other
Swap gifts for prompts like "has changed a diaper in the dark" or "met the mom-to-be at work." Guests collect a signature for each square. It doubles as an icebreaker.
Questions hosts ask
How does baby shower bingo work?
Each guest gets a 5×5 card filled with gifts they think the parents-to-be will receive. As gifts are opened, guests mark matching squares. The first to complete a row, column or diagonal calls bingo and wins.
How many different bingo cards do I need?
One per guest, each with the squares in a different order. If several cards share a layout, they will bingo at the same moment and you'll need a tiebreaker.
What if nobody gets bingo before the gifts run out?
Switch to 'most squares marked wins' for the last few gifts, or keep a short call list of baby words to read out until someone finishes a row.
Can guests fill in their own bingo cards?
Yes, and it's the easiest version. Hand out blank grids with the gift list printed underneath, and let guests write 24 of the items in any order while they mingle.
Want a game with zero printing?
Bingo needs a different card for every guest. If you'd rather skip the printer, run trivia, Price Is Right and a baby pool on guests' own phones — scored automatically, shown on the TV.
Free for one game and up to 10 guests. Bigger parties are a one-time $19.99 or $39.99 — never a subscription.
Keep planning: baby shower trivia · Price Is Right game · free printable games · bridal shower games