Hosting a baby shower is an important event for any expecting mother. It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate how happy you are with all your closest friends and family, while taking a snapshot in time together before a big milestone in your life. Baby showers also serve a purpose: to shower the mother-to-be with much-needed gifts for the new baby.
In recent times, virtual baby showers have been in high demand due to COVID-19 restrictions and measures. Thus, making it harder than ever to connect with those we love. So why not throw a virtual baby shower!
And what if you live in another state or country? How can you plan a shower when it’s impossible to schedule a virtual get-together with everyone? No worries, this guide will show how easy it can be to host a virtual baby shower and execute one on your own!
How to Host a Virtual Baby Shower
Hosting a virtual baby shower can be a big task. It’s a lot of time management, managing expectations, trial and error, and so on. However, if you follow these steps, it will be a breeze!
Step 1: Set the Date and Time
As soon as possible, pick a date for your virtual baby shower. Ensure there is adequate time for everyone to plan time to attend and make sure the date itself does not clash with any other events (holidays, birthdays, etc.).
Make sure to pick a time that will work for everyone — morning, mid-day, or the evening. If you have friends and family worldwide, consider hosting it at separate times so more people can attend!
Step 2: Choose Your Technology
Once you know how many guests are attending and when your virtual baby shower will be, you need to decide how it will all go down. There are several options for hosting a virtual baby shower that can accommodate any number of guests or time zone difficulties!
Even for the least tech-savvy visitors, there is a slew of free video conferencing tools that can connect everyone. Zoom, Google Meet, and Skype are popular free alternatives that aren’t difficult even for those without much technical knowledge.
Moreover, it’s a good idea to perform a trial run with a couple of close friends or family members using any bells and whistles you intend to use during the shower before the big day arrives. Lastly, make sure everyone invited has a strong internet connection. Before starting the party, close any unnecessary applications or windows on your computer/laptop.
Step 3: Plan the Party
Once you have chosen how to connect with your guests, it’s time to plan what will happen during the event.
Additionally, assign responsibilities ahead of time. For example, make sure someone oversees opening and closing the chat box to connect everyone. Have another person in charge of introducing guests as they join (you can even play a fun video or favorite song if you like!), and someone else who will handle taking notes throughout.
Read more: Cute, Crafty, and Clever Boy Baby Shower Themes
Step 4: Plan Your Games
Games are a fun way to keep your virtual baby shower exciting and engaging for guests. The more interactive, the better!
Here is a list of some games or activities that to play at any virtual baby shower:
- Good Luck, Mommy! – guests share a helpful tip, piece of advice, or story aboutthe mother-to-be.
- The Price Is Right – have guests guess the price of various baby items.
- Name That Baby Tune – play the music for a popular children’s song or nursery rhyme, and have guests guess what it is.
- Celebrity Baby Name trivia – match each baby name with the famous parent.
- Who’s That Baby? – ask your attendees to send in their baby picture to have a guessing game of who is who.
- Sketchful.io – This type of online Pictionary-style game is a lot of fun, whether you’re an artist or not. Make your avatar and a private room, send out invites (copy and paste the link into whatever chatting software you’re using or via text), and get drawing
- JackBox Games – JackBox offers a wide selection of fun multiplayer games for your computer, gaming system, or smartphone.
Step 5: Prepare for Opening Gifts
If invitations are sent at least 2-3 weeks in advance, gifts can be sent directly to the parent-to-be and will be ready to open during the shower — right on-screen so your guests can watch. Have a google sheet document open so you can capture all the gifts and send the list to the honoree for help when writing thank you notes.
Read more: Unique Books for Baby Shower Gifts
Step 6: Prepare Your Guests
Once you know how everyone will be connected, it’s time to let your friends and family know how they can join. You may want to consider sending out invitations (or save the date cards) ahead of time, so guests know that there is an event.
Be sure to include all pertinent information like what technology you’ll be using, how they can join (i.e., email address or phone number), how long it is for, and so on.
Step 7: Let the Party Begin!
Now that everything is set and ready to go, you can finally start your virtual baby shower. Let friends and family know how they can join (by sending an invitation or saving the date card ahead of time), how long it will last, what technology everyone should use, etc. Make sure guests also understand there may be a slight delay in communication if they are not online at the same time as everyone else.
Step 8: Keep it Going.
Once your virtual baby shower has begun, make sure you keep up with all your guests. You may find people disconnect from time to time, so it’s good to keep an eye on the chatbox and reconnect them when they return.
As things start wrapping up give everyone a chance to say goodbye before ending your virtual baby shower. Though you are the star of the show, others may want to catch up before logging off.
9 Tips for a Smooth Virtual Shower Experience
Now that you’ve got a good grasp on how to host a virtual baby shower, here are some tips to help you plan and prepare for your special day:
- Set up ahead of time. Setting up 20-30 minutes ahead of time ensures that as your guests join the chat, there’s no waiting period, and everyone can jump right into the activities.
- Share an agenda. It’s easier to go over the plan if everyone knows what they’re getting into. In addition, sharing the plan aids in preparation by letting everyone know what to expect and how much time they’ll need. If possible, try to keep the plan duration under an hour.
- Ensure easy communication. Make sure everyone knows how to connect with others at the shower (email address, phone number).
- Send out digital invitations to ensure it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. Digital invite apps like Evite and Paperless Post are great for this. Sending out e-invites enables everyone on the guest list to quickly find baby registries and RSVP by saving them in their inboxes.
- Expect some technology-related challenges along the way: delays, dropped connections, etc.
- Allow for some time at the end of the shower. Let guests connect and say goodbye without rushing them out of there.
- Include links to your baby registry. Including a link to this in the invitation, save-the-date card, or invitation will simplify the process of finding it.
- Share what gifts you need or want. Now is the time to share what baby boy blessing outfits and other various baby accessories you’ve had your eye on! Don’t be shy, let your friends and family know what you need to prepare.
- Have party favor and prizes! Virtual prizes can include gift cards, donations to baby-related charities, and more.
- Don’t forget to add a little bit of flair with your very own diaper cake! Be sure to show it off to your virtual guests.
More Ideas for a Memorable Shower
There are several ideas to help everyone enjoy the experience! Consider how you can make it memorable for your guests by including any of these ideas.
- Create photo booth strips to share on social media channels like Instagram or Pinterest.
- Give out surprise prizes throughout the event, whether virtual or physical items.
- Use custom-made backgrounds to make the event fun and exciting.
- Create live polls with questions related to pregnancy so everyone can chime in when convenient for them. This can go hand in hand with your game plans!
- Send doordash gift cards to everyone so that guests can enjoy a meal together during the shower.
- Delivering/sending favors, goodies, and game supplies to everyone to open during the shower.
- Create a digital photo book of your day with cute printable scrapbook stickers.
Any of these ideas are sure to make the virtual baby shower a memorable experience for everyone!
Baby Shower Resources
Now that you know how to host a successful virtual baby shower, we’ve compiled all the links for you! In addition, here are some helpful resources to help make planning easier:
Baby Registry Sites
Greetings / Invitations
Party Favors & Prizes
Custom Baby Shower Backgrounds
Overall, hosting a virtual baby shower is easy, fun, and affordable, whether you are hosting for yourself, a friend, family member, or coworker. We hope this how-to guide has given you the inspiration and encouragement to host one yourself! And, if you need an unforgettable baby shower gift for an upcoming shower, look no further than Bebe Couture’s cute selection of baby bow tie outfits. Discover some of our cutest outfits below.
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Navy Baby Tuxedo$77.00 -
Gray Baby Tuxedo$77.00 -
Baby Tuxedo – Black and White$77.00