Virtual Baby Shower Games in Australia: 15 That Work on a Video Call

Short answer: pick three to five short games, keep each to about five minutes, and choose ones that need only a phone or a pen and paper. Good picks for a video call are guess the baby photo, emoji baby story, who said it, a baby-name word scramble and a live guess-the-gender round. Send the video link and the games link in the same invite so nobody is hunting for it.

A virtual baby shower is common in Australia because family is spread out: nan in the UK, cousins in Perth or Brisbane, mates in New Zealand. This list is written for a video call (Zoom, Teams, FaceTime or Google Meet) and keeps everything light. For how a shower usually runs here, see baby showers in Australia.

Pick the time first

Time zones decide who can join. Australia has several (Perth, Adelaide and Darwin, and the eastern states, with daylight saving in some states only), so check the local time for each place on the guest list. A Saturday arvo in Sydney is the middle of the night in the UK, so an early start suits UK family better. Pick a time that works for the people you most want there, and send a recording or the results to everyone else.

15 games, by how much effort they take

Games 1 to 5: no setup at all

• 1. Guess the baby photo. Guests send a baby photo of themselves beforehand. Show them one by one and everyone guesses who is who.
• 2. Emoji baby story. Describe a baby milestone in emojis in the chat and let guests guess.
• 3. Who said it? Read out funny quotes or habits from the parents-to-be and vote on whose they are.
• 4. Nappy change speed round. Anyone with a doll or teddy changes a nappy on camera against the clock. Pure silliness.
• 5. Name that nursery rhyme. Hum the first line; guests type the answer in the chat.

Games 6 to 10: a few minutes of prep

• 6. Baby name word scramble. Scramble a list of names (or family names) and race to unscramble them.
• 7. Parents-to-be trivia. Ten questions about the parents. Guests answer in the chat; the first to ten wins.
• 8. Guess the due date and weight. Everyone types a guess. Closest wins a small prize after the birth.
• 9. What's in the nappy bag? Show the contents for 30 seconds, then guests list what they remember.
• 10. Baby shower bingo. Everyone gets a bingo card and ticks off gifts and moments as they happen.

Games 11 to 15: one main moment

• 11. Live guess the gender. Everyone picks boy or girl on their own phone, then the answer lands for everyone at once. Best as the finale. See online gender reveal; hosting and playing is free.
• 12. Advice and wishes for bub. Guests type or record a short message to read out or keep.
• 13. Virtual pass the parcel. Share a screen with a list of silly forfeits; each guest picks a number and does what is behind it.
• 14. Predictions list. Everyone guesses birth date, hair colour and first word. Check it after the birth.
• 15. Zoom-in puzzle. Zoom in on a baby item and guests guess what it is. Good for relatives who enjoy a puzzle.

Run it smoothly

• Name a co-host to watch the chat and mute background noise.
• Send everything in one message: video link, start time in each time zone and the games link.
• Test the screen share with a friend before the day.
• Keep prizes digital or local: bragging rights, a title like "Chief Bub Expert", or a coffee voucher the winner can use where they live.
• Put the gift list in the invite. Guests who cannot attend often still want to send something. Our Australian registry checklist covers what to put on it.

Not sure when to send the gift list, or whether to ask for cash? Read baby registry etiquette in Australia.