How to throw a virtual baby shower

Whether social distancing restrictions don’t allow for baby showers, your loved ones live far away, or you’re just not comfortable being pregnant amongst a group of people right now, it doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate your impending arrival with your nearest and dearest.

With some planning and creativity, there are still plenty of fun things you can do to enjoy a successful baby shower from behind a computer or smartphone screen.

How to throw a virtual baby shower

Typically, someone close to you would arrange the baby shower. So, if someone offers, let them, but if you’d like to throw one yourself, that’s totally fine too. There are no hard and fast rules. Here are 8 simple steps to plan your baby shower:

1. Select a date and time

If any of your guests are in different time zones, find a time that works for everyone and put a time limit on it (say, one or two hours). Pick a date that allows plenty of time to organise, for everyone to RSVP, to send out any party favours, and for them to send you gifts (factoring in any shipping delays).

2. Choose a theme

You could decorate your virtual party backdrop, or ask your guests to wear a certain colour or to dress to a particular theme. It could be fun to send them a little party favour, such as matching coffee cups, special keepsakes, or accessories that you’d like them to have on the day. 

3. Send out virtual or paper invitations

You might like to make your own, or have personalised invitations made, and mailed out to everyone. Alternatively, you could send e-vites or set up a Facebook group or event.

4. Decide on a platform to host your shower

Choose which one you feel most comfortable with, whether it’s Skype, Zoom, or Google Hangouts. If you aren’t familiar with these video platforms, do a couple of test runs with a friend first. Schedule the event and share the link in advance so that your guests can also ensure they have access and know how to use the platform. 

5. Set up a virtual baby shower registry

Create a gift registry with your favourite baby products store, or you might prefer everyone to add money to a gift voucher so that you choose exactly what you would like. If you would rather that your friends didn’t send gifts since you’re not throwing an in-person party, you could ask them instead to send a small gift such as a copy of their favourite children’s book, or perhaps to send you their favourite parenting quote or poem (a lovely idea could be to have these put together into a framed poster for the nursery).

6. Decide on food and drinks

One idea is to send your guests a small hamper of champagne and nibbles, or ask them all to bring a glass of their favourite drink to toast your shower. You might like to make it a brunch that you all share at the same time, or give them a recipe to make a mocktail to enjoy together. 

7. Plan some virtual games

Of course baby shower games are more fun in person, but there are still a few that work well from afar that add some laughter and memories:

  • Name that tune: Play a few bars from a nursery rhyme, and have everyone guess what it is.
  • Who is it?: A good icebreaker where you list a series of prompts and everyone has to guess which guest it refers to. For example, ‘this guest has had a baby in the last year’, ‘this guest is related to the baby’s father’.
  • Don’t say baby: Set this up from the start of the baby shower, and everytime someone says ‘baby’, they get a point. The winner gets a silly title or prize.
  • Guess the baby photo: Ask your guests to email you a baby photo of themselves ahead of time, and then display them on your screen on the day for everyone to guess who they are.
  • Playdough babies: Send everyone some playdough, and challenge them on the day to create a baby. Whoever’s made the cutest or the funniest wins.

8. Decide on some game prizes

Prizes for the baby shower games might include gift vouchers, a charity donation, an ebook, or send them a personalised cupcake or cookie from their local bakery.

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