Four tips on hosting a virtual baby shower

If you’re like most people, you really look forward to celebrating a friend or loved one welcoming a baby into the world. Traditions over the years have grown from fun games with expectant parents, to more lavish occasions, all depending on your taste of course. Sadly, this is another social event that can no longer take place under lockdown, at least not the way we knew it in the past. Read on for four tips on how to host the ultimate virtual baby shower without letting lockdown get in the way:

A virtual venue

Like most special occasions in our “new normal”, celebrations take place from the safety of our own homes via  video conferencing platforms. There are some examples that stand out more than others, adding an extra element of fun to the experience. Take Zoom for example, which allows you to create a custom background for yourself. As the host, why not design a simple but memorable backdrop for everyone to use. That way, the “photos” of the day that you share will be easily recognisable for generations to come.

To ensure you keep charge of your virtual venue, create a timesheet for your event. Things do tend to get a little crazy on video calls with everyone eager to chat, but having a programme of events will help steer the programme and keep the focus on the most important part – the parents-to-be!

A virtual gift unwrapping

E-commerce is alive and well now in South Africa, so get everyone to send their gifts ahead of time and the mom-to-be can unwrap them all on the call so everyone can join in. This way, your virtual baby shower will  seem as close to real life as possible. For a fun twist, don’t leave a note with your name, and ask the parents to guess who sent them the gift.

Create a virtual advice wall

One of the most-loved parts of any baby shower, are the tips written down by guests and shared with the parents to-be. These are usually done in the form of handwritten notes, or even special guest books. With the switch to a virtual experience, apps like ForKeeps offer users the opportunity to create a free custom album online, and theme it for the baby shower. This groundbreaking option allows guests to upload notes  detailing their most trusted words of advice, photos, and even send virtual balloons, which the new parent/s can keep forever.

The app is available for download on Google Play or iOS Appstore or accessed immediately, via their website here.

Introduce themes and games 

Something that never goes out of style with parties is when you choose a theme. It gives the guests something to look forward to, and makes for some great memories too. If you’re aware of the gender, perhaps lean towards something that the parents would enjoy for their little boy or girl.

You could also add little elements of fun while hosting your video call, like asking everyone to make their video avatar a baby picture of themselves with a nickname, and see if everyone guesses each other correctly.

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