Turns out all you really need to host a baby shower is an internet connection! A baby shower is a very special celebration of the mom-to-be, so despite everything going on it’s still important to make it happen. Luckily, we live in the digital age. With things like Zoom and online games, you can easily have an amazing celebration with friends and family. Below is your guide on how to throw a virtual baby shower with tips on everything from the platforms to make it happen, the invites, decor, party games, and more!
How to Throw a Virtual Baby Shower
1. How to Gather
The first choice you need to make is how you are going to gather everyone together. Just because you can’t physically be together doesn’t mean you can’t connect. I think we’ve all learned that recently. Video chatting is likely going to be the best route for throwing a virtual baby shower, but don’t forget there are many platforms to choose from!
Video Chat
If you’ve been working from home, or even just staying in touch with friends and family during this quarantine, you’re likely acquainted with tools like Facetime group video calls, Skype, Google Hangouts, and Zoom. These are all great options for including people in your virtual shower!
Zoom and Skype are both free and you can invite many guests for free, 100 on Zoom & 50 on Skype, making them the most popular options.
The All-in-One Virtual Baby Shower Option
There is also a service called WebBabyShower made exclusively for helping you gather friends near and far to celebrate the arrival of your little bundle of joy. They offer everything you need, including email invitations, a gift registry, online games, and guest books, and even video and photo albums. You do pay a fee for the service, but they’re offering special deals right now!
2. Invitations
Once you’ve chosen a platform, it’s time to let everyone know how and when you’ll be gathering for this virtual baby shower. Don’t worry too much about people not understanding the concept, it’s fairly normal and completely makes sense with everything going on!
A More Traditional Option
A couple of good options to create a more traditional looking invitation are Evite and Paperless Post, check out some of our favorite cards from them!
The Facebook Route
You can also create an Event on Facebook, then invite everyone to the page. We like this option because it is an easy way to drop the video chat link for everyone to join in for the baby shower. You can add photos to create a theme and share updates and reminders in your Facebook Event.
You can also use the event page after your shower to share photos, and even updates once the baby arrives.
3. Decor
Figuring out the technology behind gathering together virtually is one thing, but how you’ll create the ambiance for your online baby shower is another project altogether. Some platforms, like Zoom, offer virtual backgrounds to choose from. However, we love the idea of buying a few items to decorate your space just as you would have for an in-person baby shower. It will make it feel more “real” and we know there is at least one piece of decor you’ve been eyeing!
By hanging a baby shower banner and pink or blue streamers behind you in view of your camera, your guests will really feel like they’re there with you. Even though you aren’t getting the opportunity to decorate a full space the way you probably envisioned, you can still let your creativity and personality shine through on camera.
4. Your Registries
Baby shower registries have been online for quite some time now, and the majority of people expect to look at them virtually. So, this part of your virtual baby shower won’t necessarily be much different for your guests. Many stores offer fantastic perks when you create a registry, like free gift boxes and discounts on your own purchases!
You can choose to create a baby registry at your favorite stores like Buy Buy Baby, Pottery Barn, or Target. You can also go completely virtual with a registry on Amazon. Now just to decide what you need! Check out our essentials checklist for newborns here.
Rookie Mom Pro Tips:
- Since some items are in short supply right now or subject to lengthy delivery times, you can also use the Amazon Group Gifting option to allow people to contribute money to your registry. Then, you’ll receive a gift card that enables you to purchase the items you still need. This is convenient for you, and it also ensures your guests won’t feel stuck purchasing something that may or may not make it to you on time.
- If you decide you don’t want to do a virtual baby shower, but you’d still like to receive gifts (who wouldn’t?) it can feel like a tricky situation. If you feel awkward asking for gifts yourself, have a friend send out your registry list for you!
5. The Entertainment
Opening Gifts
If you’ve been looking forward to your friends and family members oohing and awing over tiny baby shoes and butter-soft blankies as you open your gifts, you can still it happen! Your registries will usually offer a way for guests to ship the items directly to you, including gift wrap and a card or personal note enclosed. If you send your invitations with enough time for guests to select gifts and ship them to you before the virtual shower, you’ll be able to open them for all to enjoy. People will love watching the expecting parents open up the adorable items they picked out!
If you hate opening gifts in front of people, you can totally skip this part! That’s one perk of having a virtual baby shower.
Baby Shower Games
Fun- and sometimes cheesy- baby shower games are a hallmark of this kind of celebration! You’ll find these readily available at WebBabyShower, discussed above, but there are other options, too. JackBox Games offers party packs for use on multiple platforms if you’re looking for ready-made games.
However, you could also use good old-fashioned email to share Baby Shower Bingo boards or trivia games ahead of time, simply asking your guests to print them out or have them pulled up on the computer during the shower. It’s remarkable just how fun games can be even when you’re not in the same room as the other players! Here’s a shortlist of ideas, but the possibilities are endless:
- Baby Shower Bingo
- A Comment Chain of GIFs where you have to post a related picture to the one before it (baby-related is a bonus!)
- Over or Under
- The Oldest Picture Game
- Guess Baby’s Birthdate and Weight
- Match the Baby Picture to the Celebrity
Don’t Forget the Thank Yous!
Just because your shower is virtual doesn’t mean you should eschew traditional thank yous, like hand-written cards. However, personal email or Facebook Messenger thank you messages also work and will be well-received by your guests.
Although you probably never imagined a scenario that would force you to forego a traditional baby shower, it’s still possible to create a celebration worthy of your little one! Use the guide above to plan a fun and festive virtual baby shower to mark this exciting and memorable time in your life for yourself and for your loved ones.
Do you have more fun ideas for how to throw a virtual baby shower? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!
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A Complete Guide for Hosting a Baby Shower on a Budget
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