A virtual baby shower is a great way to celebrate the special occasion without leaving the comfort of your home. With the right approach, you can organize a memorable event for the mom-to-be and the attendees.
This ultimate guide has all the details you need to host a memorable virtual party for the expectant mom. From online platforms to game ideas to decorations, you’ll find everything you need to throw a virtual baby shower to remember.
Before Planning the Virtual Baby Shower
Virtual baby showers require a lot of thought. You’re about to organize an online baby shower with limited space. It’s important to use the tools, tech, and creativity in the best possible way to make the event engaging and fun.
Two things are crucial before you get to your baby shower plans.
Talk to the Mom-to-Be
Before you take matters into your own hands, start by asking the honoree about her ideas. Ask the expectant mother about her preferences and expectations for the party. This part is crucial for the event to be a success.
The parents-to-be can help choose a shower date and time or suggest a shower theme. Ideally, you should have at least a month to plan and organize the baby shower.
Send virtual baby shower invitations at least three weeks before the event.
Here are some details you can ask the mom-to-be to help you plan the event:
- How many guests she expects to have
- Guest list with first names and email addresses
- Nursery colors
- Baby’s gender (if you’re looking for a way to predict your baby’s gender, read here)
- Baby registry link
Find a Suitable Online Platform for the Virtual Baby Shower
The venue plays an important role both at an in person and online baby shower. Below is an overview of the two most popular platforms:
Zoom
In Zoom, you can host a virtual event for up to 40 minutes for free. You can have up to 100 guests. The benefits include easy access (on a mobile device or computer) and the fact that most people are already familiar with the platform.
You can use Zoom’s virtual backgrounds for decorations, baby shower games, or hold multiple calls for different groups of people.
Skype
Skype, which is similar to Zoom in terms of functionality, allows you to throw a virtual event with up to 50 people.
Other
Other digital platforms you can use include Google Meet, Facebook, or online virtual baby shower platforms.
Once you find a suitable platform and have the details from the parents-to-be all in place, you can proceed to plan the actual event. You can do a trial run of the platform with close friends to make sure the venue is convenient and will meet your needs for the event.
Planning the Virtual Baby Shower
Now that you have enough ingredients for the perfect virtual baby shower party recipe, you can start cooking.
Design and Send Out Virtual Baby Shower Invitations
The best way to send invitations for a virtual baby shower is electronically. Many people use digital invitation apps like Paperless Post, Minted, or Evite. You can also create a social media event or send out email invitations.
You can look for invitation design ideas on Pinterest, Etsy, and similar websites.
In the invitation, include the date, time, and timeline of the event. Also, let the attendees know if they should send the gifts directly to the mama-to-be before the online shower. This way, the parents can open the gifts during the event.
Don’t forget to include the baby registry link in your digital invitation. Most parents-to-be have online registries where they add items they want for their new baby. These links work wonders because the attendee can decide which gift works best for their budget.
Explain the Tech to Everyone
You can choose to do this part while sending the digital invitations or after receiving RSVPs from the guests. Ensure all attendees (especially the not-so-tech-savvy-ones) understand how to get around the video call platform and online baby registries. This way, everyone will feel comfortable once the virtual baby shower takes place.
Plan the Virtual Baby Shower Decorations
Decorations for virtual events like baby showers make the party more engaging and welcoming. Below are some real-world and virtual decoration ideas you can easily implement.
Balloons
Balloons are fun elements that are also easy to incorporate. You can use regular or helium balloons so they can float in front of your camera. Consider balloon arches, too, if you have space for it. No baby shower is complete without balloons, and online baby showers are no different!
Virtual Backgrounds
A virtual background is available on most online platforms. Find context-related backgrounds for easy decoration of the space behind you without having to invest in real-life decorative pieces.
Flowers
Flowers are always a welcome decoration at any celebration. Use virtual flowers or set a nice bouquet arrangement on the table or shelf behind you to give the event a floral, cheerful feel.
Streamers
You can hang streamers in any visible place. Wrap them around the monitor, make garlands, or let your creativity choose.
Backdrops
Backdrops are easy to find on Etsy and Amazon. You can use them as a replacement for virtual backgrounds if you can’t find the design you like.
Get Help From the Guests
Encourage guests to show up in the mom-to-be’s favorite color. The guests can create a rainbow on the screen where each of them wears a different color T-shirt.
Plan the Games
Virtual baby shower games are an easy way to socialize and keep everyone engaged. Below is an overview of the most popular games and activities you can try.
Place Your Bets for Baby Predictions
In this activity, the virtual baby shower guests guess the hair and eye color, birth weight and height, birth time, and other details about the baby.
When the baby arrives, you can announce the winner at a virtual sip and see party.
Pop Quiz
Pop quizzes are a great baby shower game. Moms-to-be love seeing how much people around them actually know about them and their pregnancy. You can include different quiz themes, including mom-specific, dad-specific, their time together, etc.
Additional trivia ideas include baby animals, baby related word(s), etc.
Celebrity Baby Names
This simple virtual shower game includes matching the names of the babies and their celebrity moms. You can find tons of free templates for this game online.
The Price Is Right – Baby Gear Prices
In this game, the guests guess the baby gear prices. The baby items can include random things like accessories but also furniture, toys, clothes, etc.
Guess the Song
You can find cheerful baby-themed songs and nursery rhymes and play the tunes during the virtual baby shower. The guests have to guess the title of the song.
Guess the Baby Photo
All guests can send you a picture of themselves when they were babies, and you can combine them all and make a separate PowerPoint slide for every person. The attendees have to guess who the baby is in the picture. This fun virtual baby shower game is sure to put smiles on everyone’s faces.
Scavenger Hunt
Very few traditional baby shower games can be adapted to virtual events, but scavenger hunt is one of them. The scavenger hunt is an excellent idea for both a virtual and traditional baby shower game because it’s very easy to organize. Share your screen to show or write a list of things the attendees should find in their homes. Give the guests enough time to search for the items.
Tour the Crib
Not all guests appreciate games. If your shower theme is rather serious or includes older, neutral guests, the parents to be can offer a virtual tour of the nursery.
Include Prizes
Get a few gift cards and deliver them to the winners of the shower games. You can also include restaurant deliveries, cinema tickets, and other creative gift ideas your budget can afford.
Record the Event
Take screenshots or recordings of the video chat so that parents can look at the memories later.
Opening Gifts at a Virtual Baby Shower
In traditional baby showers, future moms open gifts during the party (for the best gifts for expecting moms, read here). A virtual environment makes it impossible for the mom to open gifts unless she receives them beforehand. That’s why you want to let the attendees know they should send gifts a few days or weeks before the event.
You can approach the gift-opening part in several ways.
Have Mom Open Gifts Before the Event
One idea is to have the mom unwrap the gifts before the start of the event. She can place the items in the nursery and show the gifts during the virtual nursery tour.
Have Mom Open Presents During the Event
Moms-to-be love opening gifts during the baby shower. Have her open gifts one at a time and spend a few moments discussing the gift with the person who bought it.
In this case, make sure to plan enough time so the mom can open all the gifts. If the party involves a lot of guests, the gift opening part can take quite a while.
Stack Open Gifts on One Another
If the parents-to-be still won’t have the nursery ready before the time of the shower, they can unwrap the gifts and show them off during the call.
Skip the Gift Opening Part
Maybe the mom feels uncomfortable opening or showing gifts in front of everybody. Discuss with her how she’d like to approach this part and consider removing this activity from your baby shower activities.
In this case, send out thank-you cards at the end of the event to let the attendees know the parents received their gifts.
More Virtual Baby Shower Tips
- Encourage guests to say something nice about the expectant parent(s) as they enter the event.
- Have attendee parents share parenting advice with the parents-to-be.
- Encourage attendees to share a sweet memory with the expectant parents.
- If the guests live in multiple time zones, host more than one virtual baby shower in order to include everyone.
- Consider hosting a separate shower for guests coming from different groups like family, friends, or work.
- Ask a close friend to help you organize the games and decoration details.
- Send party favors to the guests to show appreciation.
- Do some research about the best virtual party platforms before purchasing any software.
After the Event
Virtual showers usually last for one to two hours. Since you can’t thank everyone for coming in person, you can take a few moments to plan some after-event activities.
Send Thank You Notes
Look up or design a thoughtful “thank you” note and send it to everyone’s mailboxes. Thank them for attending the virtual baby shower and sending gifts to the future parents.
If you plan to organize a sip and see party after the baby arrives, you can let the attendees know at this point.
Reach Out to Ask for Feedback
Text some of the attendees to get their feedback. If you normally plan events like this, you’ll want to know what you can do better or receive some new virtual baby shower ideas (looking at gifts to request for your baby shower? Consider a pregnancy pillow to improve your sleep quality).
Ultimate Virtual Baby Shower Checklist
Planning a virtual baby shower takes a lot of thought and consideration. You’re likely to forget a task if you don’t create a to-do list. To help with that, you can use the checklist below.
- Reach out to the mom-to-be about guest lists, expectations, and contact details.
- Find and test the best virtual video call platform for the event.
- Design and send the invitations online.
- Make sure all guests understand the tech behind the party.
- Plan the decorations.
- Plan the games.
- Include prizes for the games.
- Send thank you notes and ask for feedback after the event is over.
Ready to Throw a Fun Virtual Baby Shower?
A virtual baby shower is an exciting way to celebrate a special occasion without the hassle of traditional baby showers. With the right strategy, you can show the guests a great time. The ultimate guide above can help you plan a perfect virtual event to remember!
