Looking for virtual baby shower ideas? You’ve come to the right place!
Whether you’re organizing a traditional baby shower and trying to find a way to include a few guests from around the globe who can’t attend in person, or you’re hosting a baby shower completely online due to social distancing requirements and concerns, rest assured there are ways you can make this a special and memorable celebration for the mom-to-be.
From planning tips to baby shower games, we’re sharing 17 virtual baby shower ideas to inspire you!
How to Host a Baby Shower Online
1. CHOOSE A HOSTING PLATFORM
If you’re trying to organize a virtual baby shower, the first thing you need to do is consider which platform you want to use. If you are hosting an in-person party and only need an option for a handful of out-of-town guests who want to join remotely, Facebook live is a simple (and free) option. If the entire party is virtual and you want guests to be able to see each other and interact online, Zoom is great as you can view multiple participants at the same time. Zoom’s free plan can host up to 100 guests at one time for a maximum of 40 minutes, so you may need to subscribe for one month if you are hosting a large number of guests and/or want the party to run longer.
2. ASK THE PARENTS-TO-BE TO CREATE AN ONLINE REGISTRY
There are tons of great online baby registries to choose from. If you are hosting a virtual baby shower with people from across the globe, make sure to choose a site that offers international shipping, and encourage guests to choose gift wrapping if available. You may also consider having gifts sent to someone who lives in close proximity to the mom-to-be so they can be removed from their packing boxes, wrapped (if needed), and delivered at once on or before the baby shower.
3. SET A DEADLINE FOR GIFT ORDERS
Once an online registry has been set-up, be sure to review shipping timelines so you can inform guests the latest date they can place an order to ensure their gift will arrive on time. Pay special attention to international shipping times for anyone who lives far away, and add a 7-10 day buffer to be safe.
4. SEND INVITATIONS
Whether you choose to send out paper invitations or e-invitations, or opt to create an event on Facebook, be sure to include important instructions, including the day and time, baby registry information, the deadline for ordering/sending gifts to ensure they will arrive on time, where gifts should be sent (if different from the address of the mom-to-be), and login details for the event itself.
Keep in mind that there will be people on your guest list who aren’t tech-savvy so ensure your instructions are as detailed and simple as possible, and provide your contact details so guests can reach out with questions if needed.
5. PLAN FOOD AND DRINK IDEAS
Hosting a virtual baby shower doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the eating and drinking part of your celebration! Encourage guests to enjoy their favorite drink and sweet treat during the party, and ask them to share the recipe. You may also consider asking guests to pitch in and order a selection of foods and desserts to be delivered so the parents-to-be have something to enjoy during and after the party!
6. ENLIST THE HELP OF SOMEONE CLOSE
If you’re trying to organize a virtual baby shower from a distance, ask if someone who lives close to the soon-to-be mom is willing to help out with things that are difficult to do from far away, like receiving, wrapping, and delivering gifts, organizing food and decorations, and celebrating in person with the mom-to-be. If social distancing makes this impossible, he or she can order/deliver food and decorate the outside of the soon-to-be mom’s home instead (psssst, check out this baby shower yard sign!).
7. HAVE EVERYONE DECORATE THEIR SPACE!
Amazon has tons of great baby shower decorations you can order for a small fee, and if guests are able and willing, they can decorate the space they will be sitting in during the virtual baby shower to make things more festive. If the gender of the baby is unknown, you can ask everyone to decorate based on their predictions to make things extra fun!
8. DO A TRIAL RUN
If you’re organizing a virtual baby shower, be sure to do a trial run prior to the big event. While this may seem time consuming and unnecessary, you want to make sure all of your guests have tested the platform you are using, and that they have worked through any quirks with their video and audio equipment. Try not to leave this until the time of the shower to avoid delays, and to prevent the mom-to-be from seeing people looking flustered and frustrated.
9 Virtual Baby Shower Ideas
If you’re looking for virtual baby shower games you can enjoy and that aren’t too difficult to organize for a group of online guests, here are 9 ideas to inspire you!
1. GUESS THE BABY
If you’re looking for virtual baby shower ideas, Guess the Baby is a great ice-breaker. Ask everyone attending the shower to email a baby picture of herself to the host. The host will then compile them and share them online for everyone to see while guests guess which picture matches which guest. The person who has the most correct guesses wins!
2. TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
Two Truths and a Lie is another great ice breaker to add to your list of virtual baby shower ideas. Pick a theme and ask everyone to participate by telling two truths and one lie surrounding that theme. Guests should write down their guess as to which is the lie, and whoever gets the most correct answers wins. Some ideas to consider include old wive’s tales, funny baby stories, best baby advice, etc.
3. BABY-THEMED CHARADES
We all love a good game of charades, and it’s probably one of the easiest virtual baby shower ideas to organize. To make it baby-appropriate, make sure all the options are baby themed, and you can either send prompts to each guest ahead of time, or private message/text them in real time when it’s their turn.
4. MOST EMBARRASSING BABY STORY
If you’re looking for virtual baby shower ideas for a smaller group, ask everyone to share their most embarrassing story either from their childhood or their children’s’ childhood. This is a great way to get everyone talking and laughing together!
5. BEST PARENTING ADVICE
Ask each guest to write out their best piece of parenting advice before the shower, and then take turns reading them out loud to the mom-to-be. As baby showers usually have guests from different generations, it can be really fun and meaningful to see what everyone comes up with. Guests who don’t have children of their own yet can share things their parents did that they hope to continue if and when they become parents themselves. At the end of the shower, ask everyone to send their advice to the soon-to-be mom so she can keep them as a memento.
6. FINISH THE BOTTLE RACE
While many traditional baby shower games are difficult to replicate online, there are plenty of fun and silly virtual baby shower ideas you can try, and this one is my favorite! Ask everyone to purchase an inexpensive baby bottle and fill it with their favorite beverage in time for the party, and see who can drink theirs the fastest!
7. MOM-TO-BE QUIZ
Gather details from the mom-to-be, like her belly measurements, pregnancy cravings and aversions, and the things she’s excited and terrified about when it comes to motherhood, and create a quiz for guests to complete. Read the questions out loud, have everyone record their answers, and see who knows the soon-to-be mom the best!
8. THE PRICE IS RIGHT, PREGNANCY EDITION
Another one of my favorite virtual baby shower ideas is to organize a pregnancy edition of The Price Is Right! Grab 10-15 baby items like a pack of diapers, wipes, a food pouch, teething rings, nose aspirator, and baby booties, show them to the group via your webcam, and let guests guess the correct price (without going over!). You can then deliver/send the goods to the parents-to-be!
9. BABY PICTIONARY
The final item on my list of virtual baby shower ideas is to send baby-themed phrases to each guest ahead of time, and then set a timer for them to sketch out their clue before showing it to the rest of the guests. ‘Up all night’, ‘2 am feeding’, ‘colic’, and ‘diaper blowout’ are sure to result in some funny artwork and lots of laughs!
I hope this collection of virtual baby shower ideas inspires you to get creative and find ways to make the mom-to-be in your life feel extra special and loved leading up to the birth of her child!
