16 First Birthday Party Games Ideas For Adults

A baby’s first birthday is a monumental milestone, not just for the little one, but for the parents and loved ones who’ve journeyed through that incredible first year! While the star of the show might be too young to fully appreciate the festivities, the adults certainly aren’t. This guide is packed with fun, creative, and celebratory game ideas designed to engage your grown-up guests, ensuring everyone has a fantastic time celebrating this special occasion. Get ready to laugh, connect, and make unforgettable memories as you honor your baby’s big day!

Baby Photo Guessing Game

Ask guests to bring a baby photo of themselves prior to the party. Display all the photos anonymously on a board or wall, numbering each one. Provide guests with a sheet of paper and a pen, challenging them to match each baby photo to the correct adult guest. This game is a wonderful icebreaker and sparks plenty of laughter and nostalgic conversations as everyone tries to recognize their friends’ adorable baby faces.

Diaper Raffle

A practical and fun way to help new parents stock up on essentials! Include a small note with your invitation asking guests to bring a pack of diapers of any size for a chance to win a prize. Upon arrival, guests who brought diapers receive a raffle ticket. Near the end of the party, draw a ticket to award a prize to the lucky winner. It’s a win-win for everyone!

Who Knows the Baby Best? Quiz

Create a fun quiz about the birthday baby! Include questions like ‘What was the baby’s birth weight?’, ‘What is their favorite toy?’, ‘When did they take their first step?’, or ‘What is their favorite food?’. Provide multiple-choice answers or leave them open-ended. Hand out quiz sheets and pens, and the guest with the most correct answers wins a small prize. It’s a delightful way to share fun facts about the baby.

Baby Food Taste Test Challenge

Blindfold guests or have them close their eyes as they taste different pureed baby foods (e.g., peas, carrots, sweet potato, apple, banana). Challenge them to guess the flavor of each. Label the jars with numbers for easy tracking. This game always leads to hilarious reactions and plenty of laughs as adults try to identify surprisingly tricky flavors. Have water or crackers on hand to cleanse palates.

Parenting Advice Station

Set up a charming station where guests can write down their best parenting advice or hopes for the baby’s future. Provide pretty cards or small pieces of paper and pens. You can have a decorated jar or a small guestbook for them to place their messages into. This creates a wonderful keepsake for the parents and provides a thoughtful, personal touch to the celebration, offering wisdom and love.

Time Capsule Message

Provide guests with small cards to write messages, predictions, or wishes for the birthday baby to read on a future milestone birthday (e.g., 18th or 21st). Collect all the messages and seal them in a decorative box or jar, creating a ‘time capsule’. This is a heartfelt activity that offers a unique connection between the baby’s first birthday and their future self, a true treasure to look back on.

Pin the Pacifier on the Baby

A classic party game with a baby twist! Print a large poster of your baby’s face or a generic baby image. Create several cut-out pacifiers with a sticky backing. Blindfold guests, spin them around a few times, and challenge them to pin the pacifier as close to the baby’s mouth as possible. It’s a simple, silly game that guarantees laughter and some hilarious attempts.

Diaper Decorating Contest

Provide plain diapers (cloth or disposable), fabric markers, glitter, and other craft supplies. Challenge guests to decorate a diaper with funny messages, drawings, or designs. Have everyone vote for their favorite creation, with a prize for the winner. This game is surprisingly creative and offers parents a collection of uniquely decorated diapers for those midnight changes, adding a touch of humor to mundane tasks.

Baby Bingo

Create bingo cards with squares containing baby-related items or common actions the birthday baby might do or receive during the party. Examples include ‘baby takes a nap’, ‘baby opens a gift’, ‘someone says ‘adorable”, ‘baby cries’, ‘sees a pacifier’. As these events happen, guests mark them off their cards. The first to get bingo wins a prize, keeping everyone engaged and observant.

Guess the Number of Candies in the Baby Bottle

Fill a large, clear baby bottle with small candies (e.g., jelly beans, M&Ms). Place it on a display table with pens and small slips of paper for guests to write down their guesses. The guest who guesses closest to the actual number without going over wins the bottle of candy or a separate prize. This classic game is simple, requires no active participation during the party, and is always a hit.

DIY Baby Headband/Bow Tie Station

Provide a variety of plain headbands and bow ties, along with an assortment of craft supplies like fabric scraps, beads, ribbons, artificial flowers, and glue guns. Guests can design and create their own unique accessories for the baby or even for themselves to wear during the party. This activity sparks creativity and leaves guests with a lovely, personalized party favor or gift for the baby.

Baby Item Scavenger Hunt

Hide various baby-related items around the party area (e.g., a pacifier, a tiny sock, a rattle, a baby spoon, a small book). Provide guests with a list of items to find. The first guest or team to collect all the items on the list wins a prize. This interactive game gets everyone moving and exploring, adding an element of playful competition to the celebration.

Name That Baby Tune

Create a playlist of popular nursery rhymes and songs that mention ‘baby’ in their title or lyrics (e.g., ‘Baby Shark’, ‘Baby Love’, ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’, ‘Rock-a-bye Baby’). Play short snippets of each song and have guests guess the title. You can divide into teams for extra fun. This game tests musical knowledge and brings out everyone’s inner child, making it a lively and engaging activity.

My First Year Memory Match

Print out pairs of photos from the baby’s first year. For instance, a photo of the baby at 1 month and another at 6 months, or a photo of a milestone (first crawl) and its corresponding outcome (first steps). Shuffle the cards and lay them face down. Guests take turns flipping over two cards to find a match. This game is a sweet way to reminisce about the baby’s growth and development.

Guess the Baby Weight/Height

Before the party, write down the baby’s birth weight and height, along with their current weight and height (at one year). Guests write down their guesses for both categories for both dates. The guest who comes closest to the actual numbers for all four wins. This game highlights the incredible growth of the baby over their first year and encourages a bit of friendly competition.

Baby’s First Masterpiece (Collaborative Art)

Lay out a large canvas or piece of paper and provide non-toxic paints and brushes. Invite each guest to add a stroke, a fingerprint, or a small drawing to create a collaborative piece of art for the baby’s nursery. You can even dip the baby’s foot in paint for a central print! This activity results in a truly unique and meaningful keepsake, capturing the love and creativity of everyone present.

There you have it—16 fantastic ideas to elevate your baby’s first birthday celebration into an unforgettable event for all the adults involved! From nostalgic photo challenges to hilarious taste tests and heartfelt memory-making, these games are designed to spark joy, laughter, and connection. Remember, the goal is to celebrate the incredible journey of parenthood and the precious first year of your little one’s life. So pick your favorites, prepare for fun, and get ready to create cherished memories that will last a lifetime!