It’s a shame to have to cancel your baby shower for any reason, especially a global pandemic! And in these uncertain times, we need our family and friends more than ever to help support us and stay connected through periods of self-isolation.

A Baby Shower is a lovely time for everyone to gather with the mum-to-be and celebrate her pregnancy. So given virtual parties are the new 'going out' – why not celebrate your Baby Shower online? While it may not have been the first choice for your baby shower, we encourage you to give it a try. The team at Storksak have gathered some of the best tips and websites to help you plan an online baby shower so that no one will have to miss out on the celebration.

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL BABY SHOWER?

A virtual baby shower is simply a baby shower that’s hosted online via a live stream – guests all meet up at the same time over their computers or smart phones and celebrate you and baby from their home.

CHOOSE YOUR ONLINE VENUE

First, you’ll need to decide which website or platform you are going to live stream your shower from. The most popular are Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts or Houseparty.
Not everyone is tech-savvy, so it is a good idea to test the site ahead of time to work out any potential problems or give older relatives a call to help set up the platform on their phone or computer.

INVITATIONS

There are plenty of paid and free online invitation platforms which you can use, we love Paperless Post for their beautiful & contemporary designs. Or you can use Facebook to set up the event. Make sure that your invite includes

• The date
• A start and an end time
• A link to join the group meeting online
• A registry list or list of gifts that you would like for you or the baby
• The address to have gifts sent to (ideally sent before the shower)

 

DECORATIONS

Pick a spot in your home that isn’t backlight so the guests can all see you and your beautiful bump clearly. Decorating the space a little will make the event feel special but if you can’t get a hold of any, flowers from the garden or some of the baby’s new items would be great!
Take off your active wear or PJ’s (standard isolation wear!) and get dressed in what you would have worn to your shower – you deserve to feel good and have a fuss made over you and your bump – it is a special occasion.

Posting all guests a goodie bag pre-shower will get them excited for the event. This could include mini bottles of fizz, something sweet, any equipment needed for the games and maybe badges or sashes for key members (eg. Grandma-To-Be, Future Mother In-Law) or other wearable props. You could also ask guests to all wear a particular colour during the shower to create a theme (and some great pics!).

FUN & GAMES

There are lots of fun games that you can play at your virtual baby shower. Some of Storksak’s favourites are…

• Ask everyone to send a baby photo of themselves to the host beforehand and guests have to guess who the baby photo is of
• Ask everyone to offer you one piece of parenting advice – this one is good because it allows everyone a bit a time to participate during the shower
• Create a list of facts about mum, dad, or baby and the guests guess the answer to these questions by entering them into the chat or showing their written answers on camera with a piece of paper and pen. You’ll want to ensure that the host or a designated person is keeping track of answers to determine the winner.

GIFTS

Your friends and loved ones are sure to want to shower you with gifts to welcome your new arrival. Here is our edit of the best baby shower gifts for parents-to-be.

Storksak Bundle of Joy Gift Set £40 | Storksak Baby Spa Gift Set £35

Travel Change Station £35 | Stroller Organiser Luxe £39

 

Or you could suggest everyone groups together and gets you the ultimate gift...

St James Leather £189 | Cabin Carry-On £150

 

PLANNING THE PARTY

Setting up a schedule beforehand will stop things getting away from you during the shower… You may also like to consider having someone act as a host to keep things moving and let you just enjoy the party. A suggested timeline is below:

3.55 PM – Start live stream
4.00 pm – Welcome guests, let them know how you are and show off your bump
4:10 pm – Introductions and hellos from guests
4:20 pm – Games
4:45 pm – Open gifts
5:00 pm – Thank you to guests
5:15 pm – End call

And don’t forget to screen snap some pictures of the group chatting during the shower along with some photos of you and your bump to share with people.

THANK YOUS!

It’s always nice to send out thank you notes or emails to guests who joined the shower and those who sent gifts.

Now more than ever, it is important to maintain interaction with your family and friends. A virtual shower is a perfect way to celebrate this special time with loved ones from the safety of your own home.

From the team at Storksak, we wish you a wonderful and safe pregnancy. We hope that if you do decide to have a virtual baby shower, that it is lots of fun and that you feel loved and spoilt by family and friends xxx