✍️ Best Baby Shower Games Editorial Team · Updated May 2026

Don't Cross Your Legs

Hand every guest a mini clothespin at the door with one rule: don't cross your legs all party. Get spotted, lose your pin. The sneaky cousin of [[dont-say-baby]] — half the room loses pins before they remember the rule was active.

✅ Crowd-pleaser
🤝 Low-pressure
🧊 Icebreaker
🍷 Coed-friendly

⏱ Prep: 5 min
👥 Best for: 8–30 guests
🍷 Coed: Yes
📹 Virtual: In person

What you'll need

Mini wooden clothespins — one per guest plus four or five spares for late arrivals. A pack of 50 runs about $4 at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or Target's craft aisle
A small wicker basket or ceramic bowl to hold the pins by the front door
An index card or small chalkboard for the rule sign — Michaels has chalkboards from $5
A backup pile of consolation candies (Hershey's Kisses) for guests who lose all their pins
A named prize like a $20 Trader Joe's gift card or a Yankee Candle classic — visible from the basket
Optional: a small camera or phone for photo proof in the variation

Before the shower (setup)

Pick up a pack of mini wooden clothespins three or four days before the shower. Target, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby all carry them in the craft aisle — a bag of fifty runs about four dollars. Wooden mini-clothespins are the right pick because they grip fabric without leaving holes; colored plastic ones snap when guests yank them off too fast and safety pins poke holes in nice clothing, which grandma will not forget. Buy double what you need — late arrivals always show up, and you'll want spares.
The morning of the shower, set up the pin station right inside the front door. A wicker basket or a pretty ceramic bowl from HomeGoods holds the pins. Prop an index card or a small chalkboard from Michaels next to it with the rule written in big letters: "Take a pin. Don't cross your legs all party. If someone catches you, they take your pin. Most pins at cake-cutting wins." Tape works fine — no need to overthink the display. Place the named prize visibly on the same table so guests see what they're playing for from the moment they walk in.
Pull the mom-to-be aside before guests arrive and tell her she's exempt. She gets to sit however she wants all day with no penalty. Same goes for anyone with hip pain, knee issues, or a recent surgery — exempt them quietly and let them know. This game is the kind of background play that ends in two grandparents bickering about whether grandpa crossed his ankles or his legs; defining "crossed" up front saves arguments. Crossed at the knee counts. Crossed at the ankle counts. Leg propped up casually does not. Set the bar and move on.

Front-door setup for Don't Cross Your Legs — 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

As each guest walks in, hand them a clothespin yourself rather than pointing at the basket. Clip it to their collar, sleeve, or a shoulder strap so it's visible. Say the rule out loud while you do it — "Don't cross your legs all day, if you do, someone takes your pin" — because half your guests will skip the sign at the door. The rule kicks in the second the pin is on. Late arrivals join when they walk in. From that point, every guest is half-watching every other guest, and the Don't Cross Your Legs baby shower game runs itself.

Re-announce the rule loudly once when most guests are seated for appetizers, even if you said it at the door. Half the room misses the door speech because they're catching up with someone. The rule is sneaky — most guests will accidentally cross their legs within ten minutes while they're chatting, and a nearby cousin will spot it and reach for the pin. When somebody catches a slip, they walk over, pop the pin off the offender's shirt, and clip it to their own. A guest with zero pins can still steal — they just need to watch sharper than the room.

Call the end of the game at one clear moment — cake-cutting is the cleanest stop. Everyone counts their pins. Most pins wins. If two guests tie, use a single tiebreaker question about the mom-to-be ("what year did she and the dad-to-be start dating?") and the closer guess takes it. Hand the prize over on the spot so nobody has to chase you down. Hand out Hershey's Kisses to anyone who lost all their pins so they don't walk out grumpy. The whole game lasted three hours and you spent five minutes setting it up.

A hand lifting a clothespin off another guest's shirt — the steal moment in Don't Cross Your Legs — The moment of the steal — someone slipped, someone caught it, pin changes hands.

Variations to try

Combine with Don't Say "Baby". Run both [[dont-say-baby]] and Don't Cross Your Legs at the same time. Pin counts climb fast and the room watches each other constantly — it's the ultimate background-game combo and the photos at cake-cutting (when guests are counting up handfuls of pins) are the photo every shower group shares afterward.
Photo proof required. A steal only counts if the catcher takes a quick phone photo of the crossed legs before pulling the pin. Cuts arguments before they start and gives the parents a bonus stack of photos for the baby book. Adds a small extra layer of fun for the photo-loving crowd.
Add "no phones out" rule. Add a second forbidden behavior — pulling a phone out during the shower (except for photos of the mom-to-be). Modern, ruthless version. Best for friend-group showers without grandparents who need their phones for hearing aid apps.
Group penalty (no stealing). Each cross-leg slip means the offender does a silly action — sings a lullaby line, gives a piece of parenting advice, does a baby impression — instead of losing a pin. Softer version that lands better at tea-party showers with older relatives.
Zoom version (sit-style only). For a Zoom shower, declare a no-crossed-arms rule instead (arms work on camera; legs don't). Same mechanic, same sneaky-catching dynamic — just adjusted for the camera frame. Works for any video shower with under fifteen guests.

Pro tips from hosts who've actually run this

Announce the rule loudly once when most guests are seated. Without the announcement, the rule is too sneaky to be fair to late arrivals and people miss the door speech.
Wooden mini-clothespins only. Plastic snaps when yanked off fast; safety pins poke holes in clothing.
The mom-to-be is exempt. Don't make her watch her own legs at her own party.
Keep a small basket of spare pins for guests who lose all of theirs early. Don't let anyone walk out totally empty.
Pick a named, tangible prize. "Win a prize" makes nobody try; "win this $20 Trader Joe's gift card" makes the grandmas play hard.
End the game at cake or gifts. Without a clear end, the round drags and arguments happen about late steals.
Pair with [[dont-say-baby]] for the ultimate background-game combo — same mechanic, different rule, double the pin chaos.

Common mistakes to avoid

Forgetting to brief the mom-to-be. She'll spend her own party watching her legs all day if you skip this step.
Skipping the door sign and verbal rule. Without a clear announcement, the rule is too sneaky and guests feel ambushed.
Using safety pins or plastic clothespins. Safety pins tear fabric; plastic snaps under pressure. Wooden mini-clothespins only.
Picking a vague prize. "A small surprise" generates zero competitive energy. Name the prize when you set up the basket.
Letting the game drag past dessert. Momentum dies the second cake comes out. Call the winner before the first slice.

Best prize for this game

Match the prize to the casual, background-game energy of Don't Cross Your Legs. A $20 Trader Joe's gift card hits perfectly. A Yankee Candle classic (Vanilla Cupcake or Clean Cotton) is a safe coed pick. A $15 Target gift card and a small Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer set together. For an over-21 shower, a small bottle of wine from Trader Joe's. Wrap the prize in clear cellophane so guests see what they're competing for from the pin basket. Mention the prize by name during your rule announcement — "$20 Trader Joe's card to whoever has the most pins at cake."

→ More baby shower prize ideas, by budget

Our verdict

The Don't Cross Your Legs baby shower game runs in the background of the entire party with almost no host effort — and half the room loses pins to cousins they didn't even know were watching them. Crowd-pleaser, low-prep, every age plays.

Don't Cross Your Legs — FAQ

Is the Don't Cross Your Legs baby shower game coed-friendly?

Yes — neither men nor women routinely cross their legs more than the other in casual sitting. The rule applies equally to everyone. The dad-side of the family usually gets pulled into it within twenty minutes of the rule starting, which is the small running laugh of the round.

When should we end the Don't Cross Your Legs game?

At cake-cutting or gift-opening — pick one clear moment and stop there. Past that point, guests lose track of who has what pins and a couple of last-minute steals can ruin the count. Cake is the cleanest end.

How long does the Don't Cross Your Legs game run?

The whole party — two to three hours typically. It's a background game that runs alongside everything else on your shower timeline. No time block needed; it just ends when you call cake.

What if a guest legitimately can't uncross their legs because of back or knee pain?

Exempt them quietly and let them keep a starting pin as a souvenir. The whole point is fun, not enforcement. Same rule as for the mom-to-be — physical comfort beats the game every time.

How is Don't Cross Your Legs different from Don't Say Baby?

Same format — every guest gets a pin, lose pins for breaking a rule. Different trigger: legs vs. saying the word "baby." Many hosts run both at the same time for the ultimate background-game combo. Pin counts climb fast when guests are watching for two different things.

Can the Don't Cross Your Legs game run on Zoom?

Not cleanly — legs are below the camera frame on most video calls. Switch to a no-crossed-arms rule instead for a Zoom shower, or run [[whats-in-your-phone]] which works natively on video calls. Don't Cross Your Legs is an in-person game by design.

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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.