Skip to content
Who’s That Baby? (Guest Photo Match) — baby shower game

✍️ Best Baby Shower Games Editorial Team · Updated May 2026

Who’s That Baby? (Guest Photo Match)

Every guest sends in a baby photo of themselves with the RSVP. You display them on a numbered board at the shower, and guests scribble down which baby they think matches which adult in the room. Most correct wins — and the board ends up being the keepsake of the day.

  • ✅ Crowd-pleaser
  • 🧊 Icebreaker
  • 🤝 Low-pressure
⏱ Prep
30 min+
👥 Best for
10–40 guests
🍷 Coed
Yes
📹 Virtual
Works on Zoom

What you'll need

  • One baby photo from each guest (collected with the shower invite RSVP)
  • A poster board, large picture frame, or TV slideshow to display the photos
  • Numbered labels (1 through however many guests) or a numbered print template
  • Printed answer sheets — one per guest, with numbered blank lines
  • A pen for every guest
  • A small prize for the highest score ($20 gift card, candle, or wine bottle)

Before the shower (setup)

  1. When you send out the shower invite, add a clear request right next to the RSVP line: "Reply with a baby photo of yourself — any photo, any age under three." Set a hard deadline two weeks before the shower. Expect about a quarter of your list to miss the request the first time — send one reminder text two days before the deadline. Don't chase any one guest more than twice; it gets uncomfortable and people will send something just to make you stop.
  2. Once you have the photos, build the display. A poster board from Target or Michaels works for in-person showers — arrange the photos in a grid, all the same size (around 3×3 inches), with a clear number written next to each. For TV setups, build a single PowerPoint slide or Google Photos album with numbered captions and set it to loop every 10 seconds. Save digital copies of every photo before printing in case the board gets damaged at the party.
  3. Print one answer sheet per guest — numbered lines from 1 down to your guest count, with a blank for each. Stack sheets and pens on a side table near the photo board. Place the board somewhere with good lighting where guests can stand close, point, and discuss without blocking the food line. Put your small prize next to it in a visible bag so guests know what they're playing for.
Front-door setup for Who’s That Baby? (Guest Photo Match) — 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, walk them to the photo board and explain the rules: "Match each numbered baby photo to a person you see in the room. Write the name next to each number on your sheet." Hand them an answer sheet and a pen. Give the room an open 30–45 minutes — they can fill it in slowly while they eat, mingle, and walk back to the board for second looks. No pressure to finish in one go.

After most sheets are submitted, gather everyone for the reveal. Read the answers out loud, one number at a time: "Number 1 — the chubby baby with the pink bow — is…" and the actual person stands up and waves. Pause for the reactions. The reveals are where the game lives — guests gasp when they realize the cousin they've known for ten years was the baby with the wild hair in photo seven.

After every number is read, guests circle their correct guesses. Highest count wins. If two people tie, the tiebreaker is naming the year the mom-to-be's baby photo was taken. Hand the prize over right there. Then carefully take the board down and pack it up — it goes home with the mom-to-be as one of the best keepsakes from the whole shower. Most hosts also snap a photo of it for the group chat before it leaves.

A hand lifting a clothespin off another guest's shirt — the steal moment in Who’s That Baby? (Guest Photo Match)
The moment of the steal — someone slipped, someone caught it, pin changes hands.

Variations to try

  • Mom and dad only. For smaller showers (under twelve guests), skip collecting photos from everyone. Use five baby photos of the mom-to-be and five of the dad-to-be, mixed and numbered. Guests guess which photo is which parent. Faster setup, still emotional, especially when the parents do the reveals themselves.
  • Famous baby photos mixed in. Add five celebrity baby photos to the board (Beyoncé, Tom Hanks, Oprah, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend — easy ones to find online). Guests identify both the celebrities and the room. Trivia round inside the matching game. Works great if you have a few guests who don't know the rest of the crowd well.
  • Virtual album (Zoom version). For online showers, build a single Google Photos or Apple Shared Album with all photos numbered. Drop the link in the Zoom chat at the start. Guests fill out a Google Form or DM guesses to the host. Reveals happen live on camera with everyone unmuting at once for the chaos. Saves print costs and works for guests in three time zones.
  • Bring two photos. Each guest brings a baby photo and a current photo. Display baby photos numbered (1, 2, 3…) and current photos lettered (A, B, C…). Guests match number-to-letter. Much harder than the standard version — feels like a real puzzle and ages-up well for older crowds.

Pro tips from hosts who've actually run this

  • Collect photos at least two weeks in advance and chase holdouts exactly twice — once over text, once over a phone call if you're brave. Some guests will only send a photo after a personal nudge.
  • Pick photos from age three or younger. Older photos look too much like the adult version and the game gets too easy — half the room will hit 100%.
  • Size every photo the same. A giant photo next to a tiny one ruins the visual flow of the board and signals to guests "this person matters more," which gets weird with extended family.
  • Use a poster board or framed grid, not a binder. Guests want to stand back, scan, and discuss — not flip pages one at a time.
  • Save digital copies of every photo before printing. You can rebuild the board overnight if a kid spills juice on it.
  • Frame the finished board for the mom-to-be afterward. A nice Michaels frame for $20 turns the board into a real wall-worthy keepsake.
  • Take a clean photo of the full board before the reveals start. That's the version that ends up in the group chat — the after-version always has tape and pen marks on it.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Asking for photos one week before the shower. A quarter of guests will miss the deadline; two weeks is the minimum.
  • Letting photo sizes vary. A 5×7 next to a wallet-size makes the board look chaotic and biases the eye toward whoever's photo is biggest.
  • Forgetting to label the prize. "Match the most photos to win" sounds vague; "…to win this Trader Joe's gift card" makes guests actually try.
  • Hanging the board where the food line forms. Guests block each other, the line jams, and nobody can stand back to look properly. Pick a wall away from food.
  • Forgetting to take a clean photo of the board before reveals. Once people start pointing and discussing, fingerprints and pen marks ruin the keepsake shot.

Best prize for this game

Lean nostalgic — a $20 Target or Trader Joe's gift card, a small framed print, a candle in a memory-evoking scent (think Yankee Candle's "Sun & Sand" or "Vanilla Cupcake"), or a small bottle of wine for over-21 crowds. Wrap the prize and place it visibly next to the photo board so guests see what they're competing for from the first walk-up.

→ More baby shower prize ideas, by budget

Our verdict

Highest-effort setup on the list, but every guest stops at the photo board for a full minute and ends up taking photos of it. The board is the keepsake everyone wants in their group chat — and it goes home with the mom-to-be afterward.

Who’s That Baby? (Guest Photo Match) — FAQ

How do I ask guests for baby photos without being awkward?

Put the request right in the shower invite next to the RSVP line, with a clear deadline. "Reply with a baby photo of yourself — any photo, age under three — two weeks before the shower." Frame it as part of the RSVP, not a separate ask. Most guests respond when it's on the invitation itself.

What if some guests never send a photo?

Send one reminder text two days before your deadline. If they still don't respond, leave their slot off the board entirely. Don't chase any one guest more than twice — it gets awkward for them and for you.

Should I include the dad-to-be's baby photo?

Yes — add his and the mom-to-be's as numbered photos like everyone else. The room already knows them, so it ends up being a fun guaranteed point for most players. Treat them like any other guest in the lineup.

Does this game work on Zoom?

Yes — see the Virtual Album variation. Use a shared Google Photos album or build a numbered grid on a PowerPoint slide and screen-share it. Guests submit guesses in the Zoom chat or to the host via DM. Reveals happen live on camera.

What size should each baby photo be on the display board?

Roughly 3×3 inches printed. Smaller and guests can't see facial features clearly. Larger and you can't fit 30 photos on one standard poster board. If you want bigger photos, use two boards side by side instead of one giant one.

Can the mom-to-be still play if she sees the photos beforehand?

Better if she doesn't see them in advance — but if she's been helping with planning and has seen most of them, give her her own private answer sheet anyway. Don't include her in the formal scoring, but let her play along for fun. Half the photos will surprise her even if she's seen the file names.

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.