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Baby Mad Libs — baby shower game

✍️ Best Baby Shower Games Editorial Team · Updated May 2026

Baby Mad Libs

A short printed story about the parents-to-be with twelve to eighteen key words blanked out. Guests shout out random nouns and verbs without seeing the story first, then the host reads the finished mess aloud. The line "the doctor handed her a screaming stapler" is the kind of laugh this baby shower game lives for.

  • ✅ Crowd-pleaser
  • 🤝 Low-pressure
  • 🍷 Coed-friendly
  • 📹 Works on Zoom
  • ⚡ Quick
⏱ Prep
30 min+
👥 Best for
6–30 guests
🍷 Coed
Yes
📹 Virtual
Works on Zoom

What you'll need

  • One printed Mad Libs story per guest — 150 to 200 words with 12 to 18 labeled blanks (free printables on Etsy or madlibs.com, or write your own in Google Docs)
  • A pack of black or blue ballpoint pens — 12-count from Target or Walmart, around $3
  • One clipboard or sturdy hardcover book per guest so they can write on their lap (Hobby Lobby clipboards run $1.50 each)
  • A backup blank sheet for late arrivals or anyone who scribbles over a blank
  • A printed master copy for the host to read out at the end — bigger font, easier to perform

Before the shower (setup)

  1. Write or buy the Baby Mad Libs story about a week before the shower. Pick a parenting moment with built-in comic potential — labor day at the hospital, the drive home from the hospital, baby's first night, or a typical Tuesday with a newborn. Aim for 150 to 200 words. Replace 12 to 18 key words with labeled blanks: NOUN, VERB ending in -ING, ADJECTIVE, COLOR, BODY PART, CELEBRITY, PLURAL NOUN. If writing from scratch feels heavy, search "baby shower mad libs printable" on Etsy — most templates run $3 to $5 and arrive as instant PDF downloads.
  2. Print one copy per guest, plus three or four spares. Use a clean serif font at 12 to 14 point so older relatives don't squint. Put the blanks in a numbered list at the top of the page — that's the only part each guest sees first. The full story with placeholder blanks goes below, ideally on the back of the sheet so curious guests can't peek and tailor their answers. Print one extra-large copy in 18 point for yourself; you'll perform the finished story and the bigger font makes the reading smoother.
  3. Set up a small writing station near the seating area — a side table or ottoman with a stack of clipboards and a cup of pens. Tell the mom-to-be ahead of time she's a player, not the punchline. If the story names her or the dad-to-be by first name, double-check the spelling before you print fifteen copies. Run a single trial round with one friend the night before — fill in the blanks with random words and read it out loud. If you don't laugh at least twice, rewrite a few blanks until you do.
Front-door setup for Baby Mad Libs — basket of clothespins and a chalkboard rule sign by the entryway
Set up at the front door so the game starts the second guests walk in.

How to play

Hand each guest a clipboard, a pen, and a Mad Libs sheet face-down once everyone is seated for the baby shower games portion. Tell them not to flip the sheet over yet — that's the rule that makes the game work. Walk them through the top: "You'll see a numbered list of blanks. Don't read ahead to the story. Just write whatever word pops in your head for each prompt." Confidence in the host voice matters here. If you sound unsure, half the room peeks.

Read each prompt out loud one at a time, slowly enough for the slowest writer in the room — usually grandma. "Number one, a noun. Number two, a verb ending in I-N-G. Number three, a color. Number four, a body part." Give each prompt about ten seconds of silence. Don't accept second guesses — first instinct is funnier than considered choice. If a guest blanks, the person next to them can whisper a suggestion, but keep the pace moving.

Once every blank is filled, ask one brave guest to read their completed story aloud first — or read your own copy as a warm-up if the room is quiet. Then go around the circle. Two to three guests reading is usually plenty before the laughs taper; you don't need all fifteen. Take a quick show-of-hands vote on the funniest story and hand the prize over before momentum fades. The mom-to-be keeps the funniest sheet as a keepsake — she'll text photos of it in the group chat a week later.

A hand lifting a clothespin off another guest's shirt — the steal moment in Baby Mad Libs
The moment of the steal — someone slipped, someone caught it, pin changes hands.

Variations to try

  • Group call-and-response. One shared sheet. The host reads each blank, guests shout out suggestions, and the host picks the funniest one (or the first one yelled). Faster — wraps in eight minutes total — and gets the loudest one shared laugh. Works best for a 6 to 10 guest baby shower where everyone can hear each other.
  • Couple's roast version. Write the story specifically about the mom-to-be and dad-to-be: how they met, their first apartment, the night she told him she was pregnant. Real names baked in. Sweeter, lands hard, but takes 30 to 45 minutes to write. Worth it if you've known the couple a long time.
  • Zoom version. Share a Google Doc with view-only access showing only the numbered prompts. Guests type their answers into the Zoom chat. Host copies the funniest answers into the master story and screen-shares the result for the big read. The virtual reveal hits as hard as the in-person one — sometimes harder, because shy guests type braver things than they'd say out loud.
  • Pair with [[advice-cards-for-parents]]. Run Baby Mad Libs first as the loud, silly opener, then transition straight into advice cards for the quiet, heartfelt round. The energy shift from belly laughs to misty eyes is one of the better one-two punches in baby shower games.
  • Kid-friendly version. Trim the story to 80 words and 8 blanks. Skip body parts. Use "silly word" instead of "adjective" because most kids don't know that one yet. Great for showers where the mom-to-be already has older kids running around.

Pro tips from hosts who've actually run this

  • Twelve to eighteen blanks is the sweet spot. Eight feels thin and the story doesn't get weird enough; over twenty and grandma's wrist cramps before you hit the punchline.
  • Vary the parts of speech. Don't stack twelve nouns in a row — mix in colors, body parts, plural nouns, celebrities, and verbs with a specific tense. The wider the mix, the weirder the final read.
  • Write the story so it's already funny with normal words. The random-word chaos should be the bonus layer, not the only joke. If the sober version is flat, the silly version won't save it.
  • Print the prompts list on the front and the full story on the back. Curious guests will absolutely peek at the front, but the back stays hidden until you flip it for the reveal.
  • Read your master copy with a straight face. The funniest delivery is the doctor-faced reading of "and then the baby crawled into a giant pile of mayonnaise." Smirking gives the joke away early.
  • Skip "adverb." Half the room won't remember what that is, and they'll either freeze or guess wrong. Stick to nouns, verbs, adjectives, colors, body parts, and plural nouns.
  • Pre-fill one blank with a known-funny word as a safety net. If a guest panics on number 7, you can drop in your back-pocket answer to keep things moving.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Letting guests read the full story before they fill in the blanks. Once they see the context, they pick words that almost fit — which kills the comedy. Sheets stay face-down until every prompt is done.
  • Writing the story too long. A 400-word saga loses the room halfway through. Aim for two short paragraphs, max 200 words, so the final read takes under a minute.
  • Using only nouns. A noun-heavy story reads flat. The big laughs come from mixed parts of speech — a color where you expected a feeling, a body part where you expected a verb.
  • Forgetting to vote on a winner. Without a prize moment, the round trails off into murmured laughter. Take a show-of-hands vote within thirty seconds of the last reading and hand the prize over on the spot.
  • Not running a trial read. If you write the story Friday and skip the dry run, you won't know which prompts are flat until the shower itself. A five-minute test with one friend the night before catches every weak spot.

Best prize for this game

Pick a prize the winner can use the same week. A $20 Target gift card is the safe everyone-likes-it pick. A Yankee Candle in something seasonal (Sun & Sand or Balsam & Cedar) lands well with older relatives. For coed showers, a six-pack of fancy beer from Trader Joe's or a $25 Starbucks card hits the dad-leaning crowd. Wrap whatever you pick in a small kraft gift bag with the prize peeking out — guests compete harder when they can see what they're playing for.

→ More baby shower prize ideas, by budget

Our verdict

Cheap to run, easy on shy guests, and the moment the host reads "the baby was born holding a stapler" makes the whole room lose it. Strong pick for any coed baby shower or virtual Zoom round.

Baby Mad Libs — FAQ

How do I write a Baby Mad Libs story from scratch?

Pick a parenting moment with comic potential — labor day, the drive home, baby's first night, a normal Tuesday. Write two short paragraphs of around 150 to 200 words. Read it back and pick 12 to 18 key words to blank out — focus on the nouns, verbs, and adjectives that carry the meaning. Label each blank by part of speech and number them. Print it on the front; full story on the back. Whole process takes 20 to 30 minutes.

What are the rules of Baby Mad Libs at a baby shower?

Each guest gets a sheet face-down. They flip to the blanks side only, never the story side. The host reads each prompt aloud — "a noun, a color, a body part" — and guests write their first-instinct answer in the matching blank. Once all blanks are filled, guests flip the sheet and read the completed story aloud. Funniest story wins a small prize voted by the room.

Is Baby Mad Libs good for a coed baby shower?

Yes, and it's one of the few games where the dads actually lean in. It's low-pressure, no athletic component, and the absurd word choices give shy guys a way to be funny without performing. Coed showers in the 8 to 15 guest range are the sweet spot.

Can you play Baby Mad Libs on Zoom?

Easily. Share a Google Doc with only the numbered prompts visible. Guests type their answers into the Zoom chat. The host copies the funniest answers into the master story and screen-shares the result for the big read. Most virtual hosts say it lands harder than in person — shy guests type braver things in chat than they'd say out loud.

How long does Baby Mad Libs take?

About 12 to 15 minutes start to finish for a group of 10 to 15 guests. Five minutes to explain and fill in blanks. Seven to ten minutes for two or three readings and the vote. Don't stretch it — once you've heard two completed stories the format runs out of new laughs.

What's the best prize for Baby Mad Libs?

Something specific the winner can actually use that week. A $20 Target or Trader Joe's gift card works for any crowd. A nice candle or a Bath & Body Works gift set lands with traditional shower guests. For coed groups, fancy beer or a Starbucks gift card pulls in the dad-leaning side. Avoid generic "mystery prize" wording — guests check out the second they hear it.

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About the author

Best Baby Shower Games Editorial Team — Party planners, parents & writers. We’re a small team of party planners and parents who’ve hosted — and been guests at — dozens of baby showers. Every game here is sorted by what actually lands in a real room, not by what just looks cute on a Pinterest board.