If you have a loved one that’s expecting, it’s understandable if you want to throw a baby shower to celebrate the impending birth of their new baby. However, in the wake of COVID-19, many parents-to-be may feel more comfortable opting to host festivities virtually, rather than having close physical contact. A virtual baby shower can be great for connecting loved ones and celebrating the happy news. To ensure you have lots of fun and everything runs smoothly, here are some tips on how to host the ultimate virtual baby shower.
Give Plenty of Time
Just like you would with an in-person baby shower, you need to send out invitations well in advance, regardless of whether you’re hosting it online. This is because guests may have plans and might not be able to attend. Guests will need more time, especially if they plan to mail gifts to the parents-to-be. If you’re not sure when to get the ball rolling, it’s advised to plan the baby shower a month in advance. That way, everyone will have enough time to fit the event in their diaries.
Discuss Preferences
When you host a virtual baby shower, it’s important that you get some input from the parent-to-be. You don’t want everything to be a surprise, so make sure to have conversations about the event with your loved one. You may find your loved one has certain baby shower games they don’t like, or there are people they’d rather not attend!
Whatever you discuss, ensure you try your best to accommodate your loved one’s needs. After all, the attention will be on them, and you want them to have a baby shower they’ll always remember, rather than look back on with dread!
Choose the Right Platform
Once you’ve invited everyone to the virtual baby shower and had discussions with the parent-to-be, it’s time to look for a platform to host proceedings. Thanks to technology, there are all kinds of software you can use for the event. Because of COVID-19, many of us have some knowledge of videoconferencing apps already, like Google Hangouts and Zoom. Whatever platform you pick, it’s best to choose one that’s easy to use. You may find that some attendees aren’t as tech-savvy as you. To avoid any problems, stick to popular videoconferencing platforms, as this will ensure celebrations get off to a good start.
Pick a Theme
After you’ve chosen a videoconferencing platform for the virtual baby shower, the theme is the next aspect to focus on. Like an in-person shower, a virtual baby shower can have any kind of theme you wish. To get things right, take the mom’s interests into account. For example, you may find the mother-to-be likes to keep things minimalistic. Therefore, sticking to her wishes and not going overboard is a must!
Picking a baby shower theme will take time. However, once you’ve settled on one, you can get creative with the kinds of invitations, background décor, and games for the event which revolve around the theme.
Find Fun Games
The most important element of a virtual baby shower is to have fun! Therefore, you need to pick games that everyone can get involved in from their computer screen. Sure, you may not be together in person, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of fun games you can all play from the comfort of your own homes. If you’re scratching your head and can’t think of any ideas, take a look at these virtual baby shower games. Just make sure you get input from the parent-to-be!
Think About Food and Beverages
If you were to host a baby shower in real life, you would inevitably put on a spread full of tasty food and beverages for all to enjoy. Because you’re hosting proceedings online, that’s not to say you can’t do something a little quirky regarding what to eat. Depending on your budget and how many people are attending the virtual baby shower, you could send a little something edible for each guest to tuck into during the event. For those that don’t have the means to do this, consider providing a tasty treat and non-alcoholic drink for the parent-to-be. For everyone to enjoy themselves throughout the baby shower event, make sure to remind attendees to stock up on snacks that they can enjoy at their desks.
Create a Plan for Gift Opening
At a traditional baby shower, there will be a moment where the mom-to-be opens the gifts and thanks everyone for their presents. Because everything will be conducted online, you’ll need to make alternative plans. For example, why not set aside time for your loved one to open gifts on camera and hold them up close so attendees can see? You could even put on some background music to make this part more fun and prevent any awkwardness!
Do a Trial Run
If you have never hosted a virtual baby shower before, it’s normal to feel anxious and nervous about getting everything just right. Rather than stressing about the occasion, doing a trial run of the event should help you feel more confident. Set aside some time a couple of days before the shower to get comfortable with the video conferencing software and camera.
You don’t want to be dealing with technical issues on the big day, so taking some time to practice will pay off. You can invite the parent-to-be to come on a quick call to ensure the sound and video are working correctly. Once you’ve done this, you should hopefully look forward to hosting the shower as your nerves will be settled!
Hosting a virtual baby shower doesn’t have to be hard work. As long you do all the above, this should be an enormous help throughout the planning stages and ensure you throw a virtual baby shower that everyone will look back on with fond memories.
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