With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many moms-to-be are planning virtual baby showers in lieu of in-person parties. And while these online gatherings piece of work a picayune differently, the intent is the same: to gloat you and baby. Virtual belly rubs it is!

Although the concept has taken off more recently, virtual baby showers aren't completely new. Many moms take opted for online celebrations in the past to connect with family unit and friends who tin't make it to an in-person event.

Take Teresa Cox, 34, a stay-calm mom to a four-twelvemonth-one-time boy and blogger at Simply Made Fun. Cox held a virtual infant shower a few years ago considering she had a high-take a chance pregnancy and couldn't travel to the West Coast to be with her married man's family unit. "My mother-in-law was the one who came upward with the idea of a virtual shower and then that everyone could feel like they were a function of the commemoration," she says.

"The key advantage to a virtual event is that no ane has to travel, a bigger group can be invited and it's much less expensive compared to [an in-person] event," says Kurt Perschke, possessor of WebBabyShower, a virtual baby shower service that offers invitations, a customizable website and born games. (WebBabyShower is offering What to Expect readers 10 percent off their services.)

Hosting a Virtual Baby Shower

What is a virtual baby shower?

Well, virtual baby showers don't centre effectually food, though attendees are certainly welcome to make upward a plate and consume at their leisure. Whatwill happen is that everyone will log in at the appointed fourth dimension to gloat you and babe from afar. Here, a step-past-step guide to planning your perfect virtual baby shower.

Choose your virtual baby shower "venue"

Get-go, decide on a site that everyone can use for a live video chat, such equally Skype, Google Hangouts or Zoom, says Perschke. Some loved ones may non be tech-savvy, then it's smart to test the service ahead of time to piece of work out any potential problems.

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Stick with something that you find easy to apply and one you're fairly confident that, say, your elderly grandma volition be able to work. "Don't try to reinvent the wheel here," he says.

We recommend using Zoom for your virtual shower video conversation, since the platform offers fun options to customize your background. Just keep in mind that Zoom calls are capped at forty minutes unless y'all accept a paid subscription.

Don't fret, though: If you adopt to stick with the gratis option, you'll still take plenty of time to fit a virtual baby shower video chat in that timeframe. Acquire more by checking out our guide to using Zoom, and become fun virtual backgrounds for your online baby shower.

Create your virtual baby shower timeline

Although you lot don't take to stick to a strict timeline, yous may observe it helpful to have a general schedule to continue the outcome running smoothly. Here are two alternate virtual shower timelines to consider, depending on how much fourth dimension you lot have:

If you lot take 40 minutes

  • 11–11:05 a.yard. Catch up with those who "get in" to the chat early, and let anybody figure out how to navigate the video call and prep for the political party.
  • 11:05–11:25 a.m. Let the games brainstorm! (Scroll down for more game and prize ideas.)
  • 11:25-11:35: Open gifts, if yous're choosing to practice then. (If you'd prefer not to open gifts during your virtual shower, y'all can skip this pace and devote another ten minutes to games.)
  • 11:35–11:40 a.k. Virtual goodbyes!

If you lot have xc minutes

  • 11–11:ten a.m. Catch up with those who "arrive" to the chat early on, and let anybody figure out how to navigate the video call and prep for the party.
  • 11:10 a.yard.–12 p.yard. Allow the games brainstorm! (See the bottom of the page for game and prize ideas.)
  • 12–12:xx p.m. Open up gifts, if you're choosing to do so. (If you'd adopt not to open gifts during your virtual shower, y'all can skip this step and devote another 20 minutes to games.)
  • 12:20–12:xxx p.grand. Virtual goodbyes!

Send out virtual baby shower invitations

Adjacent, it's time to appoint someone to transport out baby shower invitations. That can exist you!

"Over one-half of our customers are moms themselves," says Perschke. In that location'due south a dissimilar baby shower etiquette at play with virtual parties, and it's totally adequate to take ownership over your experience and throw 1 yourself.

To keep with the virtual theme, consider sending e-vites, such as from Paperless Mail service or Minted.

Set up your baby registry

If you oasis't already done so, at present is a corking time to create your babe registry. You may likewise want to include a link to it on your invitation. Many momshoped-for already prefer online baby registries.

If you don't accept 1 yet, browse the all-time online baby registries and review a baby registry checklist to brand sure you accept everything you'll demand once baby arrives.

Consider virtual baby shower decorations

Decorating for a virtual shower is optional, simply it might help you lot feel festive to put upward a few decorations in the area where y'all'll exist hosting the live video conversation.

For Cox, her mother-in-law (who hosted) sent her a box a calendar week before the party filled with everything she needed to gear up, similar wall decorations, beautiful napkins and the supplies she'd need for games and prizes. This alleviated her need to exercise any prep.

Moms-to-be have also gotten creative with Zoom's virtual backgrounds. Here'southward a diversity of options to fit the theme of your virtual baby shower — feel complimentary to download them for your party. Don't forget to include the link to download so other guests can feature the groundwork, too! You'll discover even more backgrounds in our Zoom baby shower guide.

virtual zoom background it's a girl

virtual zoom background it's a boy

Program virtual baby shower games and activities

  • Gauge the Number.The host holds upwards a jar filled with sweets (likd M&Ms, jelly beans or Hershey's Kisses) and asks guests to guess how many are inside.
  • The Price Is Right. The host holds upward various infant items (such as a onesie, bottle or toy) and guests guess how much they cost. (Cox played this ane at her virtual shower, and noted that it "got everyone talking and laughing because of how different prices are now compared to when some of them had kids.")
  • Proper noun That Infant Song. The host plays different plant nursery rhymes or popular baby songs and guests try to judge the name as quickly as they can.
  • Who's That Baby? Before the call starts, enquire guests to email photos of themselves as babies to the host. The host shares them with the grouping and everyone tries to estimate who is who.
  • How Well Do You Know Mom? Use the downloadable template below to quiz guests on how well they know the mom-to-be.
  • The Glory Baby Name Game. Use the downloadable template below to match celebrity babe names with the celebrity mom.

For prizes, aught is easier than due east-gift cards: Transport winners a gift card for their next food commitment via DoorDash, some bucks to spend at Sephora or an Amazon credit, which can help buy merely near annihilation.

virtual baby shower game

virtual baby shower games

Have a virtual baby shower guest volume

Y'all also have an opportunity to get creative with a virtual "guest book" for your shower. Try this Google Slides guest book template that you lot can copy, customize and send to your guests to fill out.

All yous have to do is open the link, click "File," "Make a copy" and "Unabridged presentation." You can then edit the information and transport it off to guests. Ask them to fill in their communication for the mom-to-be earlier or during the shower.

Hither's what the guest book volition look like:

virtual baby shower guest book

virtual baby guest book

Should you open gifts at a virtual baby shower?

Every bit for presents, you can choose what you'd like to practise. There are a few options: Your relatives and friends can open up the gifts they "brought" to the party and testify them to y'all onscreen (then postal service them later), or they tin can send gifts ahead of time for you to open on the chat.

"Some moms want to open presents over live video, but others don't desire to focus on that. A virtual shower is much more flexible than a traditional one," says Perschke.

Send virtual baby shower thank you lot notes

Don't forget to say cheers! Moms-to-exist should thank their friends and relatives for attending with a thoughtful note.

To aid brand the process easier, download and use the templates below to say "Thank you!"

virtual baby shower thank you note

virtual baby shower thank you note

virtual baby shower thank you note