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Daddy Olympics — baby shower game

✍️ Best Baby Shower Games Editorial Team · Updated May 2026

Daddy Olympics

Six dad-themed parenting events. One-handed diaper change, IKEA-style mini-crib assembly, soothing a fake-crying doll while pretending to watch the game on a phone. Highest score wins gold, and the IKEA assembly station alone is worth the price of admission.

  • 🏃 Active
  • ✅ Crowd-pleaser
  • 🍷 Coed-friendly
⏱ Prep
30 min+
👥 Best for
6–15 guests
🍷 Coed
Yes
📹 Virtual
In person

What you'll need

  • 1 baby doll for the diapering and soothing stations — Target carries a $12 starter doll
  • 1 mini wooden crib kit from Amazon (search craft mini crib, around $20)
  • Printed IKEA-style assembly instructions (make these in Canva or just sketch them by hand)
  • 1 newborn-size Pampers per dad for the one-handed change
  • 1 can of formula and a baby bottle from Target for the bottle-prep station
  • A pack of 12 plastic Olympic medals from Amazon — $10
  • A printed scorecard per competitor and a poster-board leaderboard

Before the shower (setup)

  1. A week before the shower, lock down your six Daddy Olympics baby shower events. The proven six are: One-Handed Diaper Change (60 seconds, doll lying on a pad), IKEA Crib Assembly (assemble a mini wooden crib kit using printed assembly instructions, fastest time wins), Sports-and-Soothe (rock the doll while a baby cry plays on a Bluetooth speaker — and a basketball game plays on a phone propped next to you), Bottle Prep (measure the right amount of formula into a bottle in 30 seconds, scored on accuracy), Stroller Slalom (push a doll-loaded stroller through a folding-chair course), and Father-of-the-Year Speech (60-second improv acceptance speech to the crowd). Six events is the magic number.
  2. The night before the shower, build each station on its own tray. Number them 1 through 6 with index cards taped to the front. Stage them around the living room or backyard in a horseshoe so the audience watches from the middle. Print one scorecard per competitor and one big poster-board leaderboard. The IKEA station is the visual centerpiece — set it on its own little table where everyone can see the slow-motion struggle. Stack the printed instructions next to the crib kit. Add an allen key from a real IKEA bag for theater.
  3. Brief one helper before guests arrive — usually a co-host or the brother of the dad-to-be. They run the timer and update the scoreboard. The host runs the room with a fake microphone and ideally a sash that says HOST in marker. Cue up the Olympic theme song on a Bluetooth speaker so it plays softly between events. Set the medals out in front of the podium so the dads can see what they're competing for. Visible gold-silver-bronze on the table is what flips dads from polite to actually trying.
Front-door setup for Daddy Olympics — 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

Open the Daddy Olympics baby shower segment with a 30-second sportscaster intro. Introduce the six events fast, point at the leaderboard, and announce that gold takes the grand prize. Call up the first dad — start with the dad-to-be if he's playing because his round sets the energy. The scorekeeper hits the timer, the host narrates like a real Olympic broadcast, the room cheers and heckles. Run every dad through the same six events in the same order. Mixing the order between competitors makes scoring impossible.

Score each event right after the round ends. One-Handed Diaper is binary — finished cleanly in 60 seconds or didn't. IKEA Assembly is fastest time wins (start the clock when they pick up the first piece, stop it when the crib stands up by itself). Sports-and-Soothe is judged on whether the doll stops crying first or the dad starts watching the game first — the audience votes. Bottle Prep is one point per ounce within range of the target. Stroller Slalom is fastest clean run. Father-of-the-Year Speech is judged by audience cheer volume — let the crowd score it. Update the leaderboard between competitors so the room can see who's leading.

After every dad has competed, run a real medal ceremony. Hum the Olympic theme. Call gold, silver, and bronze up one at a time. Hang the medal around their neck and shake their hand on camera. Hand the gold medalist the grand prize on the spot. The Father-of-the-Year speech moment is usually the photo every shower group ends up sharing in the group chat after — make sure someone other than the host is filming when it happens.

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

Variations to try

  • Couples Olympics. Each event played as a tag-team with the partner. Diaper change starts with one partner, finishes with the other. The IKEA crib done as a couple is the funniest version — somebody always loses the screws.
  • Pair with Mommy Olympics. Run [[mommy-olympics]] right before or right after for a 90-minute coed Olympics block. Same scoreboard, separate medal ceremonies, one overall champion at the end.
  • Cinematic version. Add a national anthem moment before the medal ceremony, sportscaster commentary throughout, and a slow-motion replay video of the IKEA assembly. Sells the whole event.
  • Solo IKEA round. Cut to just the IKEA crib assembly station as a 15-minute mini-game. Always lands. Pair with a beer for the dads while they wait their turn.
  • Zoom version. Cut down to three events that work over video — bottle prep with stuff each guest already owns, lullaby singing into the camera, and a 60-second improv speech. The speeches over Zoom are screenshot gold.

Pro tips from hosts who've actually run this

  • The IKEA assembly station is the universal dad-shower laugh. Build the rest of the events around it, not the other way around.
  • Make the dad-to-be compete. Mom-and-dad-to-be as the headline competitors lets guests cheer for both, and the dad-to-be winning his own party is the photo.
  • Sound effects sell it. The Olympic theme on a Bluetooth speaker between events costs nothing and turns the room into an audience.
  • A sash that says HOST in sharpie is enough costume to commit to the role. The host has to lean in or the format falls flat.
  • Pre-mix the formula water for the Bottle Prep station so guests aren't fighting with a sink. Fill water bottles to the right level the night before.
  • Recruit a scorekeeper before the shower. The host can't time, score, narrate, and hand out medals at the same time.
  • Keep the events under 90 seconds each. Anything longer and the audience drifts.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Hosting Daddy Olympics without a real host. The format is a show — without a narrator with a fake mic and some attitude, the dads stand around awkwardly.
  • Skipping the visible leaderboard. The crowd disengages between rounds without a chart they can track.
  • Skipping the medals. The medal ceremony is the entire payoff. A printed certificate is not a substitute.
  • Not letting the dad-to-be compete. He's the guest of honor — make him the headline competitor and the room rallies around him.
  • Trying to run six events with no scorekeeper. The host gets overwhelmed by event three. Recruit one helper before the shower.

Best prize for this game

Pick a prize that fits a dad. A six-pack of local craft beer in a clear cellophane bag, a $30 gift card to Home Depot or Lowe's, or a small bottle of bourbon for the over-21 crowd all land. For a sentimental touch, a Best Dad in Training mug from Etsy with a $20 Starbucks gift card inside works for any age. Display the prize on a small podium next to the medals so the dads can see what they're chugging formula water for.

→ More baby shower prize ideas, by budget

Our verdict

The mirror image of [[mommy-olympics]] for dad-heavy or coed showers. Run both back-to-back and you've got the centerpiece of the whole party.

Daddy Olympics — FAQ

Will the dad-to-be participate in Daddy Olympics?

Best if he competes too. The mom-to-be and dad-to-be as the headline competitors lets guests cheer for both. He'll lose at IKEA assembly, win at the speech, and the photos are the keepers.

Where do I get a mini crib for the Daddy Olympics assembly station?

Amazon sells craft-size wooden cribs for $15 to $25 — search craft mini crib or doll furniture crib kit. Hobby Lobby and Michaels carry them seasonally. Any flat-pack mini furniture works as a substitute.

How long does Daddy Olympics take at a baby shower?

About 45 to 60 minutes for six events and six to ten dads. Trim to four events if you have under five dads or a tight schedule. The medal ceremony adds 5 more minutes — don't cut it.

Can grandfathers play Daddy Olympics?

Yes, and they often win. Decades of parenting muscle memory carries them. The IKEA station is where granddad usually outpaces the millennial dads. Don't put them on the Stroller Slalom if mobility is an issue.

Is Daddy Olympics good for a coed baby shower?

Yes — it's one of the strongest coed baby shower games out there. Pair it with [[mommy-olympics]] for a moms-versus-dads showdown, share one scoreboard, and the trash talk is worth the extra setup.

Where do I get cheap Olympic medals for the baby shower game?

Amazon sells a 12-pack of plastic medals for around $10. Dollar Tree carries them seasonally. Get a gold-silver-bronze set instead of all-gold — the podium photo looks twice as legit for the same money.

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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.