Baby Shower Woes? Here's Your Virtual Shower How-To!

CORONAVIRUS SUCKS!! Sporting events and concerts canceled, families kept apart, pregnant women delivering babies alone, weddings postponed and essential workers risking their lives while keeping the country running... We have all been affected one way or another.

Mamas you have waited nearly nine months for this shower, endured the body changes, nausea and sleepless nights all to throw on some makeup and put on a pretty dress - - okay there's other reasons too but this is one of the fun ones. To some people, canceling a shower may seem minute but to the mom who tried for years to get pregnant, experienced a previous loss or is simply excited for their little one to arrive this shower is their little bit of light in a time of darkness in the world.

Virtual showers didn't appear overnight, women have had virtual showers for years. Now with social distancing in effect it is a great option for women to still get the chance to celebrate and not have to worry about their safety or that of their guests.

So how exactly do you go about planning a virtual shower?? It's actually pretty similar to how you would plan any other shower:

Step One. Invitations. Many places offer online services. Minted and Paperless Post are offering FREE SERVICES until June 30, 2020. On the invitation include what your "venue" will be (Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts). You may have some party guests that are not so "tech savvy" so a trial run may be a good idea to smooth out any bumps prior to the main event. (This part can be designated to a family or friend to help with)

Step Two. Set up a Registry. I personally loved using Babylist for my registry because it made registering from multiple places a no-brainer. Online registries make keeping track of gifts simple and allows the host to enter in details on where to ship them.

** For guests attending a virtual shower ** Two possible options. Plan ahead to send gifts to the mom-to-be so she has something to open on camera for all the guests to see. Or guests can show gifts they "brought" to the party and mail at a later time.

Step Three. Decorations/Party Favors. Now this is where it gets fun and you can put your personal touch on things. Decorate the space behind you so that when your guests tune in they have a festive backdrop to look at. Or if you want to take it one step further, mail party kits to your guests at least a week prior to your party date so it arrives on time. What's in the party kit? You can make it as elaborate or simple as you'd like. Some ideas include festive plates, napkins, cups, straws, party hats for guests to wear during the virtual shower, a tasty treat, mini banner and balloons which will allow guests to also decorate their backdrop. If you plan on playing games you can also include the necessities to participate.

Step Four. Games. Set aside time during the party for activities. This may seem like a difficult feat while in separate places but games such as baby bingo while opening gifts, price is right - guessing the price of baby items that you hold up on the screen and having party guests right down on a white board or piece of paper and hold it up - are both great options. Prizes can be sent to the winners home or even a virtual gift card.

Voila! Virtual Shower Success! This may not be how you ever imagined having a baby shower but don't let this pandemic rain on your parade. YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE A BADASS MAMA! One day when your baby gets older you get to tell them the story of how you kicked COVID-19 in the face and gave birth during one of the craziest times in U.S/World history.