Mum or Dad Baby Shower Game: Questions and Rules

The Mum or Dad baby shower game asks guests to predict which parent is more likely to do, choose or enjoy a series of everyday family activities. It works because the answers come from the parents themselves—not from stereotypes about who “should” change nappies, get up at night or make decisions.

This page focuses on that one parent-pair quiz. For broader mixed-group activities, see our co-ed baby shower games.

What you need

• A list of 10 to 20 questions
• One answer sheet per guest or team
• Two answer cards for the parents, labelled with their preferred names
• Pens and one small prize
• About 12 minutes to play and score

How to play Mum or Dad

1. Ask the parents to answer every question separately before the shower. Remove any question either person dislikes.
2. Give guests a sheet with the same questions and the two approved answer labels.
3. Read each question aloud. Guests mark the parent they think gave that answer. Add a “both” option where it makes sense.
4. Reveal the parents’ answers after each question or score all answers at the end.
5. Award one point for each match. If the parents gave different answers, accept either matching prediction.

If “Mum or Dad” does not describe the family, rename the game using first names, “Parent A or Parent B”, or the terms the family chooses. The mechanics stay exactly the same.

A worked scoring example

Suppose the approved answer labels are Alex and Sam, and the question is “Who is more likely to sing during a car journey?” If both parents choose Alex, a guest answering Alex scores one point and a guest answering Sam scores zero.

If Alex chooses Alex but Sam chooses Sam, accept either Alex or Sam for one point, as explained in the rules. Decide before play whether “both” is an available answer: if it is, accept it when the parents' agreed answer is “both”, not as an automatic extra way to score. Award at most one point per question. Seven matches in a ten-question round gives a score of 7/10.

30 Mum or Dad game questions

Light everyday questions

1. Who is more likely to sing during a car journey?
2. Who takes longer to choose a film?
3. Who remembers birthdays without a reminder?
4. Who is more likely to start a new hobby?
5. Who plans a day out in the most detail?
6. Who is more likely to tell a terrible joke?
7. Who packs more than they need for a weekend away?
8. Who is first to suggest ordering a takeaway?
9. Who is most likely to fall asleep during a film?
10. Who keeps the tidier bedside table?

Future family-life questions

11. Who is more likely to choose the bedtime story?
12. Who will know the words to the most nursery rhymes?
13. Who is more likely to plan a themed birthday cake?
14. Who will take the most family photographs?
15. Who is more likely to organise a rainy-day craft?
16. Who will choose the first family day trip?
17. Who is more likely to keep a spare snack in the bag?
18. Who will build the most complicated toy?
19. Who is more likely to invent a silly song?
20. Who will start a new family tradition?

Preference questions

21. Who chose the nursery colour first?
22. Who has the longest list of favourite baby names?
23. Who would pick a classic children’s book?
24. Who would choose a woodland nursery theme?
25. Who prefers a quiet morning to a late night?
26. Who is more likely to choose a practical gift?
27. Who would plan a picnic rather than a restaurant meal?
28. Who is more likely to keep a handwritten memory book?
29. Who would choose the first song on a family playlist?
30. Who is more likely to bring games to a family gathering?

A simple answer sheet to copy

Copy the lines below into a document or write them on paper. Choose ten of the questions above, number them 1–10 in your chosen order, and read them aloud or place a copy beside each answer sheet. Replace the answer labels with the parents' preferred names. For a longer round, add more numbered lines.

Mum or Dad — guest answer sheet
Guest or team name: ____________________
Answer labels: ____________________ / ____________________
“Both” allowed? Yes / No — host to confirm before play

1. Answer: __________   Score: ___
2. Answer: __________   Score: ___
3. Answer: __________   Score: ___
4. Answer: __________   Score: ___
5. Answer: __________   Score: ___
6. Answer: __________   Score: ___
7. Answer: __________   Score: ___
8. Answer: __________   Score: ___
9. Answer: __________   Score: ___
10. Answer: __________   Score: ___

Total: ___ / 10
Tie-break answer, if needed: ____________________

This is a DIY answer-sheet layout, not a downloadable file or a product included in a boxed pack.

Questions to avoid

Leave out anything about fertility, pregnancy symptoms, birth plans, adoption history, finances, arguments, appearance or which parent will be “better”. Avoid questions that assign care, cleaning or earning to one gender. The funniest answers come from real preferences and harmless habits.

Three ways to adapt the game

Parents play live

Give each parent two cards and ask them to raise their answer at the same time. Guests earn a point for predicting the result. This creates a lively reveal without putting anyone on the spot for a long explanation.

Guest teams

Seat mixed friendship groups together and give one sheet per table. Teams discuss each answer before marking it. This is useful when many guests have not met.

Quick five-question round

Use five light questions between food and gifts. It takes under five minutes and suits a relaxed restaurant or afternoon-tea shower.

How to score a tie

Keep one extra, parent-approved question out of the main round—for example, “Who chose the latest item added to the baby list?” Ask only the tied guests or teams to write an answer before the parents reveal theirs. Apply the same one-point matching rule. If that produces one highest score, that guest or team wins; if the scores are still tied, declare joint winners and share the prize or offer an equal small prize to each.

This Mum or Dad quiz is a DIY activity; it is not included in our six-game ready-printed baby shower bundle. If you would like different printed games alongside it, explore our baby shower games collection. You can also combine this quiz with the pair challenges in our games for couples guide.