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For many expecting mamas, their baby shower is a sweet time to celebrate their newest family member with their close family and friends! But for our military families, this often is a hard and sometimes sad spot in pregnancy since traveling home from their duty station for an in-person baby shower might not be possible.
These mamas and their babies should absolutely be celebrated so let's chat about how to host a virtual baby shower!
Who should host a virtual shower?
Modern etiquette says anyone can host, even the parents themselves.
Who should we invite?
It's your party, invite the people you want to celebrate with!
How many people should we invite?
It depends on how many people on one Zoom call you feel comfortable with! It’s totally acceptable, and often preferable, to break the party up into separate circles of friends, making the virtual conversation easier!
Maybe a hybrid shower is right for you!
Have your local friends and military family over, set up a large screen create a Facebook event, and stream your shower on Facebook live - your guests can communicate in the comments! This is a nice way for your far-away friends and family to celebrate with your local village!
Want to have games? Do it, create a PowerPoint trivia or a baby-themed mad lib! These work great virtually and you can still have a prize for who wins (a virtual coffee gift card would be the perfect prize)!
How should I decorate?
Keep it simple, but decorate a little bit of the backdrop for your camera!
How long should a virtual shower last?
About an hour to an hour and a half. If you're worried about an abrupt ending, list the end time on the invite! You can conclude by saying “This was fun, thank you all for coming, I appreciate you being here and I hope to see you all in person soon”
What about food and favors?
Because this is a virtual shower, these things are not expected and can be skipped!
Should we create a registry?
Yes, a baby registry is just a list that tells your friends and family what gifts would be helpful to your family. This is important because as military families, we know that moving around unneeded items is a literal weight. I encourage you to think outside of the box when you're making your registry. Of course, you will need diapers and cute little outfits, but since you're far from your friends and family, you might also want to consider hiring a postpartum doula, a cleaning service or meal deliveries.
Many organizations host baby showers for the littlest members of our military families, check these out to see if there will be a shower near you:
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