Amber S.

Virtual baby showers are the perfect solution if you’re quarantined in the house due to COVID-19 or simply have friends and family that live too far away. Let’s face it…Times are uncertain. Life is uncertain. Who could have known that during your pregnancy there would be a global pandemic forcing people to not gather and stay home. No need to worry! Celebrating your upcoming bundle of joy is exactly the distraction we all need and it can be EPIC! Ultimately, ensuring that your virtual baby shower is a success is your top priority especially since this is all new territory. If you happen to be reading this after the Coronavirus scare is over, this is still relevant information because it’s the 21st century. Not having a way for folks to attend your shower virtually is well…virtually inexcusable. Mistake #1: Not Using Technology If you’re going to get this done properly, you’re going to need the assistance of some good tech and you don’t even need to be tech savvy. With a solid internet connection and simple software tools, you’ll be up and running in no time! Here is what we recommend: Consider Using an Online Baby Shower Service [responsive_vimeo https://vimeo.com/379834032] Thankfully you will not need to do this yourself. Use WebBabyShower to get a baby shower themed customizable website set up in minutes. In essence, it will cost you some money, but it’s a small price to pay considering all it includes: Virtual Invitations with TrackingPost Your RegistryPrintable Virtual GuestbookVirtual GamesQuizzes & ScoreboardPrivate Photo and Video Album& Much More Use a Video Conferencing Service As long as your guests have an internet connection, they’ll be able to join in on all the festivities. There is no shortage of services out there that you can use, but we recommend you go with Facebook Live or Zoom Conferencing. These are great services that have good mobile and Desktop support and integrations. Be sure to pay attention to the guest count and time limitations associated with each and sign up for a plan if necessary. You’ll be able to put the meeting link on your site and also include it in the invitations. Do NOT Use your Laptop Webcam We know you love your precious laptop, but let’s face it, Laptop webcams are not meant for virtual baby showers. The last thing you want is grainy pixelated video ruining your guest’s experience. Logitech C270 Desktop or Laptop Webcam Facebook Portal Invest in a quality USB webcam with HD clarity like the Logitech C270 or Facebook Portal if you’d like to use Facebook messenger as your conferencing service. Mistake #2: Excluding Physical Elements in Your Virtual Baby Shower The science behind any good event is guest interaction. We cannot stress enough to you that your guests must feel included and the best way to do this is to include real world elements. Although some of the below already have virtual components included with your site, try incorporating these: Real Invitations & Thank You Cards Use design services like Zazzle to really set expectations high and build anticipation. A quick Google search on this will provide you with no shortage of options. Mail the invitations out in advance of your event and send out the Thank You cards afterwards. Most people skip this important step do to the extra work it may require, but fortunately, we've made this very easy in our virtual baby shower planner bundle. As a bonus, it includes 3 free online themed invitations that are fully customizable and can be sent to guests via email or printed for your convenience when mailing. By doing this you will find that your guests will be eager for your event. We often see the guests arriving early before the host on the day of the shower. Real Games Buy this funny scratch off here! A quick Google search will provide you with several popular online games you can play with others, but you should prepare at least one physical game that your guests can participate in at your shower even from where they’re at. You’ll want to keep this relatively simple. Use the hilarious lottery scratch off game Did Baby Poopie? This game is very versatile and the ways to play it are limited only by your imagination, but it’s guaranteed to be a hit. "This one game will ensure people remain engaged because they will not want to miss whether they will win. " Here are a couple ways to play this funny scratch off game that will really resonate with your guests: Mail each of your guests a scratch off card along with their invitation and instruct them not to scratch them until the shower. Feel free to send your guests more than one if you desire. Lotteries are fun and they will enjoy the chance to win. Be sure to make sure to send a nice prize to the winner or winners with the thank you cards at the end. Buy a deck of these cards and assign your guests name to each of them. When it’s time for games at your baby shower scratch off the cards with people’s name on it. Be sure to build suspense for each one you scratch by mentioning people by name or displaying them on screen for all to see on a table with the names. Show them the prize you will be sending their way. Image Source Amazon Not looking to do a virtual baby shower? This baby shower game is also great for drive by baby showers. There's no shortage of ways to celebrate! Trending9 Real Drive-By Baby Shower Ideas Found On Instagram And How To Do It Gift Giving Of course you can have all of your guests mail their gifts to you ahead of time and open each one on camera, but consider allowing your remote guests to present their gifts to you virtually and mail it to you afterwards. This allows them to play a role in your shower and anticipate their time to present and really see your reaction. You’ll want to assign someone who is with you to manage the virtual viewers and their camera angles. Mistake #3: Skipping Out On Decorating Make sure your guests have something great to look at. Most of them will be sitting at home while attending, but your background needs to exude all those baby shower vibes that that they would expect when attending a physical shower. Take some time to decorate a nice backdrop or two that your guests will see in the background of your video. There’s plenty of inspiration on our Instagram page and on Pinterest, so you’ll have no shortage of ideas, but one of the unique trends right now is the inclusion of a “Mom”osa Bar. This not only will create an epic backdrop for your shower, but you can actually coordinate with your guests to enjoy beverages with you where they are. Your guests that are physically present will gravitate towards this setup and help themselves as well. All you need to do is tell your guests to pour their favorite beverage and propose a toast! Just be sure that mama puts sparkling in her beverage. ? Don’t feel like decorating? Check out our Mimosa Bar Kit and you’ll be setup in a flash with everything that you need. [BONUS] It’s not Over When it’s Over You’ll be able to build anticipation with your chosen theme, cute invitations and games, but because this shower is virtual, your guests will be able to participate for a while after the day of the shower. WebBabyShower allows you to continue sharing updates and pics/videos for months or years afterwards. It can turn into your own private blog for friends and family to continue to check in on you and your little one. Some people actually post videos of the gift opening after the shower for guests to see. The Bottom Line The bottom line here is that with proper planning and the right tools your baby shower can be a HUGE HIT! Nothing should stop you from adding a fun virtual element to your baby shower for those who will be unable to attend. If a virtual baby shower is something you definitely want to plan, but you're still not sure where to start, consider investing in a Virtual Baby Shower Planner. This is a master resource that will guide you step by step to set up the PERFECT Virtual shower in 3 weeks or less! Want more party planning tips? Follow us on Instagram @cotierbrand and sign up for our newsletter. Leave us a comment below if you found this to be helpful in any way! Pin the image below to [SAVE] this article to your Pinterest board!