✍️ Best Baby Shower Games Editorial Team · Updated May 2026

Guess How Many (Candies in the Bottle)

A clean baby bottle filled to the rim with M&Ms or Skittles, parked next to the gift table. Guests jot a number on a slip on their way past. Closest guess at the end walks away with the whole bottle.

🤝 Low-pressure
⚡ Quick
🧊 Icebreaker
🍷 Coed-friendly
🧒 Kid-friendly

⏱ Prep: 15 min
👥 Best for: Any size
🍷 Coed: Yes
📹 Virtual: In person

What you'll need

One unused 8-ounce baby bottle (Dr. Brown's or Tommee Tippee from Target run around $6) — pick a clear bottle so the candy shows through
A 24-ounce bag of small candy — M&Ms, Skittles, Reese's Pieces, or Jelly Belly jelly beans (Costco bulk bag or Trader Joe's, around $5)
A pad of plain 3x3 sticky notes or a stack of 50 small slips of paper
A small mason jar or kraft gift bag labeled "guesses" for collecting slips
Three to five black ballpoint pens (Walmart 12-pack, $3) and a folded index card with the prompt

Before the shower (setup)

Pick up an unused clear baby bottle and a bag of small same-sized candy the day before the shower. M&Ms, Skittles, Reese's Pieces, and Jelly Belly jelly beans all work — anything where one piece is roughly the same size as the next. Skip mixed-size bags like Hershey's miniatures; uneven sizes wreck the math and make the game feel rigged. Avoid anything sticky (gummies clump) or anything that melts (chocolate kisses go gummy in a warm room).
Count the candy as you pour it into the bottle. Use a kitchen funnel or a folded index card to keep the counting honest. Write the exact final count on a master sticky note and stash it where only you can see it — taped under the table or in your phone notes. The number matters; one miscounted handful means the wrong winner. Most 8-ounce bottles hold 150 to 250 M&Ms or 200 to 300 Skittles depending on how tightly you pack them.
Set up the bottle on a side table near the entry or the gift table. Add the jar of slips, a small cup of pens, and a folded card with the prompt: "How many candies are in this bottle? Write your guess and your name, drop it in the jar. Closest guess wins the bottle." Cap the bottle tight so curious guests can't lift the lid for a count. Tell the mom-to-be the bottle is part of a baby shower game, not a gift, so she doesn't try to wash it.

Front-door setup for Guess How Many (Candies in the Bottle) — 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 guests arrive, point at the bottle and tell them the rule once: write a guess and your name on a slip, drop it in the jar. That's the whole baby shower game from the guest's side. Most people guess in the first ten minutes; some quiet types circle back after seeing other guests submit, which is half the fun. Don't let anyone pick up the bottle and shake — shaking changes how the candy settles, and a settled bottle reads differently than a fresh one.

Let the game run in the background through gifts and food. You don't need to announce anything mid-party. If guests forget, give one nudge during the lull between dinner and dessert: "If you haven't dropped a guess in the jar yet, last call." The slips pile up quietly while the louder games take the center stage.

Right before cake or gift-opening, pull every slip out of the jar and sort them. Find the guess closest to the real number on your hidden master note. Announce the actual count first — guests love hearing how off they were — then call out the winner. Hand them the whole bottle on the spot. If two guests tie (one over, one under), the over-guesser wins, Price Is Right style. Announce the tiebreaker rule upfront so nobody argues at the end.

A hand lifting a clothespin off another guest's shirt — the steal moment in Guess How Many (Candies in the Bottle) — The moment of the steal — someone slipped, someone caught it, pin changes hands.

Variations to try

Three-jar lineup. Set out three different containers — the baby bottle, a mason jar, and a small toy bin — each with a different candy. Each guest guesses all three. Best combined accuracy wins. Adds variety to what's normally a one-shot game and works well at larger baby showers with 25+ guests.
Decoy candy. Most of the bottle is M&Ms, but you pour in 15 to 20 Reese's Pieces partway down. Guests guess the M&M count only. The decoy makes counting through the glass much harder. Best for guests who love a real puzzle.
Estimate the weight. Print the bottle's empty weight and the full weight on a card. Guests guess the candy count using simple division. Math-leaning crowds (engineer cousins, accountant aunts) get a kick out of this version. Hand a calculator over so it doesn't feel like a school exam.
Pair with [[diaper-raffle]]. Both run themselves in the background of the same baby shower. Set the bottle next to the diaper raffle bin so guests handle both as they walk by. Two passive games stacked = zero extra work for the host.
Zoom version. Take a clear photo of the bottle next to a ruler for scale. Post the photo in the shower group chat or a Zoom screen-share. Guests submit guesses in chat. Easiest virtual baby shower game in the lineup — the host doesn't even need to be on camera while guests think.

Pro tips from hosts who've actually run this

Buy a brand-new bottle. The winner walks home with it, and a used bottle (even one you washed) feels off. A $6 Dr. Brown's or Tommee Tippee bottle from Target is the right call.
Pick uniform candy. M&Ms, Skittles, and Jelly Bellies are perfect. Snickers minis fill the bottle in twelve pieces and the game is over before anyone guesses.
Count slowly and double-count if you can. Wrong count = wrong winner = grandma calling you out. Use a funnel or a folded index card to pour in tens.
Lock the cap tight. Curious guests will absolutely try to open the bottle. A loose nipple top is an invitation; the screw cap is your friend.
Make guests write their name on the slip. Anonymous guesses mean you can't find the winner. Add "and your name" right on the prompt card.
Pick a tiebreaker rule upfront. Closest wins; if two guesses tie one over and one under, over wins. Announce it at the start of the round.
Hand the prize over within five minutes of announcing. Drag it out and the moment evaporates — the winner wants the candy now, not after the gift-opening reel.

Common mistakes to avoid

Miscounting while filling the bottle. One distracted handful and the answer's off by 20. Pour candy in pre-counted groups of 10, and write tally marks on the master note as you go.
Picking mixed-size candy. Hershey's miniatures, Werther's, and trail-mix-style bags wreck the bottle visually — guests can't even start to count. Stick to one shape and one size.
Leaving the cap loose. A guest will twist it open mid-party to dump candy in their palm for an actual count. Screw the lid down tight or use a strip of clear tape across the seam.
Forgetting to label the prize. Without seeing the bottle of candy is the prize, guests check out. Stick a small "WIN THIS" tag on the bottle's neck so it's obvious.
Letting guesses go anonymous. Slips without names = no way to call the winner. Twenty guests already left and you're stuck eating a bottle of M&Ms at the cleanup table.

Best prize for this game

The candy in the bottle is already a great prize on its own — let the winner walk away with the full container. Bump the value with a $15 Target gift card taped to the bottle, or a small Trader Joe's chocolate bar gift bag. For a kid-friendly shower, swap in a Bath & Body Works pocket lotion alongside the candy so the prize works for the over-21 crowd too. Keep the bottle visible all party so guests can see what they're playing for.

→ More baby shower prize ideas, by budget

Our verdict

Costs about ten bucks, runs itself in the background of any baby shower, and the candy-filled bottle is a prize guests can see from across the room. Strong filler — pair it with a louder main event.

Guess How Many (Candies in the Bottle) — FAQ

What kind of candy works best for a baby shower guess-how-many game?

Small, uniform, individually-shaped candy: M&Ms, Skittles, Reese's Pieces, Jelly Belly jelly beans, or mini chocolate chips. Skip anything sticky, mixed-size, or melt-prone. The more uniform the candy, the fairer the game feels.

How many candies fit in a baby bottle?

A standard 8-ounce baby bottle holds roughly 150 to 250 M&Ms or 200 to 300 Skittles depending on how tightly you pack. Always count as you pour — don't rely on a number you saw on Pinterest.

What are the rules of the Guess How Many baby shower game?

Each guest writes one guess and their name on a slip and drops it in the jar. Closest guess to the real count wins the bottle of candy. If two guesses tie, the over-guesser wins, Price Is Right style. Announce the tiebreaker upfront so nobody argues.

Is Guess How Many Candies good for a large baby shower?

It's one of the best options for groups over 25. The game runs in the background while you handle the louder activities. Bigger groups mean a wider spread of guesses, which makes the closest-guess winner feel more impressive.

Can you play Guess How Many on Zoom?

Yes. Take a clear photo of the bottle next to a ruler or a hand for scale, post it in the Zoom chat or shower group, and have guests reply with their guess. Reveal the real count at the end of the call. Easiest virtual baby shower game on the list.

How long does this game take to run?

Zero time during the actual party — the bottle sits on a side table and guests guess on their own pace. Setup is 15 minutes the night before; scoring is two minutes at the end. The whole game's overhead is under 20 minutes for the host.

Similar baby shower games

Browse by category

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.