With families and friends living further apart than ever, online baby showers are becoming increasingly popular. It’s no longer uncommon for relatives to be geographically spread across the country or even on separate continents, and in the information age they are often already used to communicating online. If it’s impossible for everyone to get together to celebrate the new baby in your own circle, why not create an online “gathering” for the expectant parents?
A virtual shower will help expectant parents feel supported and loved during this major transition period in their lives, even if everyone can’t be there in person. It will allow loved ones to feel more involved in the pregnancy and welcoming a new person into the world. All the traditional elements like games, gifts, and belly talk can still be included in a virtual way. This is also a great shower option to cheer up an expectant mom on bedrest! This article will give some tips for throwing a successful online baby shower for the pregnant woman in your life.
Invitations
Invitations can be sent out for an online baby shower just as they normally would be or through email. Invitations sent through the internet or email are faster, easier, and free. Be sure to include information about exactly how the online baby shower will happen and where the expectant couple has registered for gifts. If it’s necessary for attendees to sign up for a membership online, encourage them to do this ahead of time to lower the chances of potential technical difficulties on the day of the online baby shower.
Setting Up An Online Baby Shower
Will it just be a simple get-together in a chat room? Will a website or photo album be created for the event where fun information and pictures of the expectant mom can be shown? There are dozens of social networking sites out there that may work for this purpose. There are even specific websites set up to make the logistics of virtual baby showers as easy as possible. Baby Shower Online offers a list of services including a guest book, guest list, photo album, live chat, and even baby shower games, for a $50 fee. Another good one to check out is Mommy Party.
Giving Gifts
Of course, the gift portion of the baby shower will be a little different. Have the expectant parents set up a baby registry at their favorite online store (or two). Guests can easily pick what they want to buy from this list and have the baby shower gifts shipped. Any pregnant woman will tell you it’s fun to receive surprises in the mail for the baby! Other alternatives are to send gift cards, pay for a service (a month of house cleaning?), or call a store where the expectant couple lives to buy a large item that they can pick up there.
Opening Gifts
Mom can open the gifts ahead of time or during the baby shower. Using webcams can make the online baby shower seem like more of a party or gathering and allow the guests to be able to see the gifts being opened. Another fun idea for “The Gift Table” can be seen on Tracy’s Online Baby Shower. Click the links there to “open” the gifts.
Many of the regular games can easily be adjusted to be played online. Guests can still guess the circumference of the expectant mom’s belly; she’ll just have to measure it herself. Other guessing games and listing games can easily be played over the internet as long as participants are honest. Or, if the guest of honor isn’t very interested in corny baby shower games they can be skipped altogether in favor of more creative or thoughtful activities and games. Have everyone mail a bead to the expectant mom to be strung together into a necklace or bracelet.
There are many ways to make an online shower great. Be creative and think of the mom’s personality, as well as guests’ technological abilities, when planning the details such as how the shower will take place, how gifts will be done, and whether games will be played. Most of all, online baby showers are the best way to bring together people who can’t gather in person to celebrate the great event of a new life.
