How To Throw a Virtual Baby Shower

I have one of those families and support systems that is spread out all across the country. In fact, my closest family is 5 hours away, my parents are 10 hours away, and my friends vary from nearby to 20+ hours away. To say I’m good at “keeping in touch” is an understatement.

When I got pregnant, it dawned on me that I’d most likely not have a baby shower. Although that’s not the end of the world, it’s still a whomp whomp moment.

Instead, I decided to rally, call my mom and plan a Virtual Baby Shower. In my head, a Virtual Shower is a way for your friends and family to feel like they got to RSVP “yes” to your party and attend, without having to travel (and no guilt from saying no…and no hoards of out of town guests just for a 2 hour party).

So here’s how you do it (and yes, this can be used for a bridal shower too!):

First, make your guest list. Remember, you don’t have to be concerned with proximity, so include anybody you wish could attend. You need a guest list first so you can get a head count for invitations.

I ordered invitations off Minted. I changed the text so it fit my needs. Mine said:

“Baby Shower in honor of Melissa King. Saturday, October 3rd, anytime! For family and friends far and wide, this is a virtual shower! Please send best wishes and advice! Fill out/return the enclosed card and reach out on the shower date: {phone number} or {email address} >>>> registered at babylistregistry.com” 

RSVP’s! Instead of a typical RSVP, I included a fun “advice card” with an addressed and stamped envelope inside to get it back to me. During most showers, cards are passed out for guests to write their best advice for the new mom (or bride), so this is a great way to incorporate a shower game into the package.

A shower game. Yes, look up a fun, easy shower game and include it in the invite. Remember, you’re asking people to have fun “at your shower” so you need to include it in the envelope. I Google’d “baby shower crossword puzzles” and found one I loved. I had enough printed, folded them up and stuffed in my invites. This was really important for me to include, because I didn’t want my guests to just think I was asking for a gift from my registry, I wanted them to know I was truly wishing we could all be together for a party.

Ok, so you’ve put together an invite, and you’ve put together a fun correspondence for your guests. Now, you plan a little something special for the shower date.
For me, I made a cake (it helped that my husband’s birthday was the next day, so a cake was double-necessary)! That was plenty for me. But my husband went over the top and arranged for my best, oldest friend to fly in and surprise me for the weekend. I am so lucky!

The day of the shower: relax! I went and got a special drink from Starbucks, planned a fun activity for my friend and myself, and had just an amazing day. Don’t wait around for the phone to ring or for emails to flood in.

To be honest, I got 2 phone calls that day. Zero emails. Although this sounds sad, I had plenty of friends send in RSVP cards and many more promise that theirs are on the way. The great thing about not having a physical party, is that your guests aren’t super stressed to get it all in on time. I opened my presents that morning, called and texted my amazing friends that sent them, and made a “thank you note” list. Then, I enjoyed my day, feeling like it was my birthday.

This virtual Baby Shower was such a blast for me. It gave me something to plan, but I didn’t have to cook a bunch of food for guests or stress about how messy my house is. I felt like I included all of my friends and family that never would have been able to participate in a shower. I told my self to not be disappointed in those that didn’t participate, but feel overjoyed for the love of those that did. And I really learned who my friends were and which family members were the most excited (not to say those that ignored it aren’t excited for us, but the personal notes from those that participated were priceless). One of my favorite notes of advice came at a perfect time: “take others’ opinions and input with a grain of salt.” How true, and it made opening the advice cards more fun!

 

I received a lot of gifts that weren’t on my registry too that really surprised me. If you want to see my registry (to help you make your own or if you’re debating on some items), you can find it here.

Some items I received that I didn’t register for that you’ll want too are:

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Babiators: These are so stinkin’ cute! They’re perfect for little faces and for long walks in the sunshine. They come in regular and polarized. I have the Wicked White Polarized glasses, and I can’t wait to take pictures of my little man in them! 

(For a 20% off discount site-wide, use TreatsWithaTwist20 at checkout! Valid through Oct 31)

Organic, local baby products! My friend Kait sent me handmade The Spiral Collective diaper rash balm, and I just adore the thought and love that went into a product like that. I love the idea of including natural items in your gifts because not everybody registers for small business products. 

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Aden & Anais burby bibs: These are so cool and I’d never seen anything like them. They’re a large burp cloth that have a button on the inside so they can be used as a bib too. Ingenious. (I’m in love with anything A+A so I just died every time I received anything by them.)

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Aden & Anais carseat canopy: I have a couple different carseat covers on my registry, but this one took me by surprise. It is so soft, flowy, and perfect to deflect that harsh sun and keep baby napping.

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A monthly picture accessory: I received a baseball cap with a replaceable Velcro number set so I could take pictures of my little guy every month (or week). I think that’s such a sweet gift idea.

PJ’s that are zip-up or nightgown style: I can see the value in these immediately. Knowing I’ll just have to pop his feet and legs out of the bottom of his nighty, or be able to quickly unzip him in the middle of the night takes the level of midnight changing panics down quite a few notches. Unzip, zip, done.

Personalized Thirty-One totes: I received a whole set of different sizes of Thirty-one totes and travel accessories. These are perfect for us because we travel a LOT (thus the Virtual Shower). Having a whole matching set of easy to pack totes, including a lunch tote and freezer pods, is an ingenious gift, especially with the abundance of things we’ll be packing after the baby is born.

 

I’ve received countless warm and amazing gifts. I can’t thank my friends and family enough!

Note: this is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.