How To Host A Virtual Baby Shower

If you are trying to plan a baby shower, look no further. From zoom, skype, google hangouts, and your other cyber-connection options to digital invitations and baby shower games, check out everything you need to know about showering the guest of honor in a meaningful (and totally entertaining) way!

Why Host a Baby Shower Virtually? 

The pandemic seriously changed the way we did just about everything. Social distancing nixed close in-person events—and suddenly it seemed like everything from breakfast business meetings to the traditional baby shower went from group gatherings to zoom sessions. 

Even though the COVID-19 vaccination may have changed the virtual party landscape and brought some of us back together for parties, showers, and more, expectant parents may still prefer the safety of an online event. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pregnant women are at an increased risk for complications from COVID-19. This may make a virtual baby shower the best option for a cautious mama-to-be. 

While the pandemic is a top reason to host a party virtually, it isn’t the only one. If the new parents-to-be live in another state, the logistics of a traditional baby shower or an in person party may not come together. An in-person shower may require extensive travel, expensive hotel stays, and more. For an almost-to-her-due-date mother, a road trip or flight is often more than just uncomfortable. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) notes that while travel is mostly safe for many pregnant women, those who are at or over 36 weeks should not fly. This type of restriction could make anything other than a virtual baby shower a no-go. 

Beyond the pandemic and travel based issues, women who are on bedrest or have  pregnancy-related complications or physical issues may need to go the virtual route. This allows the guest of honor to stay home and join in the shower fun via a video chat from the comfort of her own home.

Apps and Sites to Consider For a Virtual Baby Shower 

Before you send out the virtual baby shower invitations, you need to decide how you will host this online event. In other words—what app will you use for the video call?

When social distancing was first introduced, zoom skyrocketed in popularity. Suddenly everyone from your colleague’s to your not so tech-savvy grandma was scheduling a zoom call and chatting about the best virtual backgrounds for their virtual parties. Even though zoom is a major player in the online group pathering world, you may want to consider other apps. Skype and google hangouts are two easy options for your virtual baby shower. WebBaybyShower is a one-stop shop that provides you with a customizable site, themes, games, a gift registry page, evite announcements, and even an online guest book for loved ones to ‘sign’. 

If you’re not sure which of the many apps to choose, ask yourself:

• What is the easiest option for other family members? Will the guest of honor’s great-grandma or other loved ones struggle to dial into a complicated video chat app? Make sure your virtual event hosting site or app is easy enough for everyone to use.
• How large is the guest list? The expecting parents might have a mile-long list of invitees. The app of choice should accommodate everyone and their own virtual window.
• What is the baby shower theme? Forget about streamers and balloon arches. Zoom backgrounds or other virtual backgrounds can help you to ‘decorate’ the event. 
• What activities will you plan? Baby shower games take on a whole new meaning with a virtual shower. The app you select should make it easy to play these games. 

Along with a hosting app, you will also need to choose a digital way to send out the invites. Paperless Post and other similar evite options make it easy to invite family members, friends, co-workers, and more to an online baby shower. Don’t forget to add a link to the guest of honor’s baby registry from Amazon or another fave e-tailer. 

Online Baby Shower Games 

A virtual event is so much more than a basic video chat. Yes, there is a video call element to your zoom shower. But this online option is still a party, and this means you need to plan plenty of baby shower games.

What virtual baby shower games can you play at this expectant mama baby-to-be bash? The sky's the limit! If you're not sure where to start, consider these popular picks:

• Baby bingo - Email guests a baby bingo board to download before the shower. Choose shower-themed words (think baby, mommy, onesie, diapers, or carseat). Each guest can check off the words they hear. The first to get one row across, down, or diagonally shouts, “Bingo!” to win.
• Baby photo guessing game. Turn this traditional baby shower game into virtual fun. The attendees will need to email you pics of themselves from their much earlier years before the shower. Flash a photo every now and then, asking everyone else to guess who it belongs to.
• Scavenger hunt. Assign points to different items and ask the guests to scavenge their homes for the top game picks. 
• Celeb baby guessing game. This ‘Jeopardy’ style game features some of the most famous faces—and their kiddos! Create questions and answers about Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Beyonce and Jay-Z, and other notable celebs who have children. 

Get visual and try games that play up the video aspect of the zoom or google hangouts session. Charades or other shower games that require the guests to act out baby-themed books, songs, movies and more can keep the party going.

Other Ways to Celebrate With a Virtual Baby Shower 

Games are a staple of the traditional baby shower—and the virtual party too! But you may need to plan more than just a few of these activities. Along with games, don’t forget about some of the other ultra-traditional shower activities. Just because the event is online it doesn’t mean you should skip opening gifts, handing out party favors, or serving up a sumptuous spread of tasty treats—sort of.

Make sure guests know where to send baby items from the mama’s registry. Set aside plenty of time for the guest of honor to open gifts. Keep a pen and paper handy to write down each present and the person who gifted her with it, and email her the list after the virtual baby shower ends. 

Sprinkle a few refreshments into the video chat party as you make your way through your list of baby shower games and the mama-to-be opens gifts from everyone on her guest list. Even though you can’t whip up your favorite party treats, you can email recipe ideas that match the baby shower theme. These could include cookies, cupcakes, small salads, salty snacks, or cocktails and mocktails. Create a special non-alcoholic drink to name after the guest of honor. Give a toast to the expecting parents as everyone holds their version of the mama-named mocktail up for a cyber ‘cheers!’

Are you looking for a way to up the healthy factor for your virtual baby shower menu? Check out some of our ideas here!