Baby Shower Candy Game

I threw a baby shower today for a friend of mine at church and there's a game I play at every shower I do: the Candy Game.  It gets rave reviews every time and it's a game where everyone can win something so it's better than games where only one person gets a prize.  It's also way easy to prepare, which gets two thumbs up from me.

By the way, another thing I do at every baby shower I throw is to put an insert into the invitations saying that any guest who brings a package of any size diapers for the mom-to-be will be entered into a raffle for a prize (today I gave out a $10 gift certificate for Target).  That way it helps the mommy to build up a little stock of diapers.

Anyway, back to the game thing:  Get 2 posterboards or foam-core boards and construction paper in 2 different colors.  The candy list that I have is really long so I just pick 20-25 candies from the list.  This is essentially like playing Memory.  One board has lift-up flaps with numbers and the other board has letters.  Each person gets to pick a letter and a number on her turn and see if the phrase underneath matches.  If so, the person wins a candy that corresponds to that phrase.  This game always gets lots of laughs and everyone has fun trying to guess what the candy will be to match the different phrases.

For example, Mary picks D & 18.  Lift up the flap for D and it says "Girl's Name", and 18 says "Girl's Name".  Yay, she got a match!  So Mary would win a Baby Ruth candy bar.  If she hadn't gotten a match, you would move on to the next person.  If a match is made, then remove those flaps from both boards, so that eventually they're all gone by the end of the game.  Please forgive me for explaining how to play Memory as if you're only 6, but I'm just trying to be thorough.

Here are my 2 foam-core boards.  Normally I just use posterboards if I know I'll have a wall to tack them on, but I knew that today I wouldn't have enough wall space at the venue for the shower, so I used foam-core so they'd sit up on their own without support.

So you can see I've cut up my construction paper into flaps that are taped at the top so I can lift them up.  Therefore, I wrote the phrases upside down so that when I lift the flap up, they will be right side up (get it?).

OK, now for the part you've all been waiting for:  the list of phrases and candies. Some have multiple phrases or candies that go with them so you have lots of choices depending on what you're able to find at the store.  I strongly recommend hitting the dollar store for as many as you can.  They usually have an uncanny selection and you can get the large theatre box sizes, which make your guests feel like they totally scored a major prize.

1.         Medical Team - Three Musketeers

2.         Girl’s name - Baby Ruth

3.         Boy’s name - Clark/ Jolly Joes/ Oh Henry!/ Heath

4.         Twins - Mike n’ Ike/ Twix/ Doublemint or Dubble Bubble gum

5.         Ultrasound picture - Whatchamacallit

6.         Umbilical cord - Red Rope/ Red Vines

7.         Condition you hope the baby is in - Mint (York peppermint pattie or choc-mint bar)

8.         Epidural - Lifesavers

9.         Your stomach between contractions - Jelly Belly jellybeans

            OR Your stomach after delivery            

10.       Newborn baby - SweeTarts

11.       Pregnant woman/ Mama - Hot Tamales

12        Mother 9 months after delivery - Slim Jim (beef jerky stick)

13.       What nursing helps a new mom do - SlimFast (protein bar)

14.       What a new mom has to learn to do - Balance (energy bar)

15.       Lactating breasts - Milky Way/ Gushers/  Mounds/ Whoppers

16.       Baby who can’t nurse - Milk Duds

17.       What Baby does inside Mommy - Tootsie Roll/ Kickerz/ Mamba/ Rolo

18.       A husband who wants another baby right away - Dum Dums (lollipops)/ nuts/ Goobers

19.       Hospital bill - $100,000 Grand

20.       Mom’s biggest helper - Grandma ("Grandma's" brand cookies)

21.       Babies of  diabetic mothers - Sugar Babies

22.       Labor pains - Whoppers/ Jawbreakers (Gobstoppers)/ Tearjerkers

23.       Bonding with Baby - Almond Joy/ Hershey’s Kisses or Hugs

24.       Baby’s first words - Abba Zaba/ Zagnut

25.       Side effect of pregnancy - Airheads

26.       Newborn baby’s misshapen head - Lemonheads

27.       Parents who pre-register at the hospital - Smarties

28.       Mommy cooing at Baby - Dove chocolates

29.       When a new mom needs a break - Take 5

30.       What you hope dr. doesn’t have - Butterfingers

31.       Baby’s first laugh - Snickers, Chuckles

32.      Preemies - Runts

33.      Son named after father - Junior Mints

34.      Sound a nursing baby makes - M&M’s

35.      Family advice - Good n’ Plenty

36.      Pregnant woman’s nerves - Brittle (peanut brittle)

37.      Location of hospital - 5^th Avenue

38.      Nursing baby - A sucker/ Nips

39.       Morning sickness - Now & Later

40.       Some pregnancies/ 1^st trimester - Rocky Road

41        2nd Trimester - Spree/ Carefree gum

42.       When your water breaks - Starburst/ Gushers/ Xploder/ Splashers gum

43.       Day you deliver - Payday

44.       What you give Baby lots of - (Hershey's) Kisses

45.       Sound of a baby to a mom’s ears - Symphony

46.       Multiples - Sixlets

47.       Baby fat - Chunky/ Rolo/ Big Hunk

48.       Fussy baby - Cry Babies

49.       Quiet baby sounds - Peeps (at Easter time)

50.       Baby’s eyes - Look!

51.       An only child - U-No

52.       Daddy - Mr. Goodbar, Big Hunk, Oh Henry!, Heath, Clark

53.       Baby’s cheek - Kissables (Hershey’s candy-coated kisses)