Baby showers are the best! Nothing is more exciting than sharing the anticipation of a new life with closest friends, sisters and aunties-to-be. The current climate might have thrown a few obstacles our way, but we are here to help you throw the best virtual baby shower ever with our top tips.
Set your date and invite your guests
Whether you choose to use Zoom, House Party or something else, at least at the moment you know no-one will have any other plans! Set the date, ideally 6 weeks or so before she’s due. Have a chat with the mum-to-be about gifts that would be most appreciated and talk about ideas for the day. Don’t give away all the surprises though! Then use Patchwork as your party planning tool and get everyone in the mood. Let everyone know what they can do to make it the best virtual baby shower EVER.
A drink and some cake to celebrate
A virtual baby shower isn’t complete without plenty of cake and a glass of fizz (or whatever your favourite drink is). This bit is easy, as everyone can simply make sure they have enough cake for themselves and a drink to toast the new arrival with. If you want to really go to town and get creative, baby themed cakes and a newly invented cocktail named after your friend are a great idea. Otherwise a doughnut and a Pimms will do the trick!
Decorate her space
Under usual circumstances you’d be decorating the venue (most likely someone’s living room) and making it all look gorgeous before her arrival. The next best thing is to arrange for some decorations, flowers or bunting to be delivered on the morning of the baby shower. Like this gorgeous personalised bunting from The Sewcial Circle. Then she can surround herself with gorgeousness and you can all admire from a distance.
A wish for the baby
This is a lovely one, and works so well for a virtual baby shower. Just ask each guest to find some coloured paper or card, and write down their wish for the new baby. Then each person can take it in turns to read their wish. Or if you prefer, you could ask everyone to send them a week ahead, so mum-to-be can open them all and read them all out on the day. And do her very best not to cry.
Club together for one big gift
Booties and bibs are cute, but is there something else that would really help the new parents out, and be more appreciated once little one arrives? One of the most popular group gifts we’ve seen on Patchwork lately is a food delivery for new parents. Time with their new born baby is so precious, and without friends and family physically around to help, they might struggle to cook in the early days. A food delivery service from somewhere like Cook is perfect, or maybe put together a hamper with some easy to prepare meals, healthy snacks for those late night feeds, and some vitamin packed fruit. Otherwise maybe there’s a big ticket item they might like help with? Maybe they’d appreciate money towards decorating the nursery, or you could chip in towards a beautiful new cot.
Design a babygrow or vest
Buy a multipack of plain newborn vests or babygros and send one out to each guest along with some coloured fabric pens. On the day of the shower, get everyone to design their own tiny masterpiece, to be sent to your friend as extra gifts. Every time she puts one over a tiny head, she’ll feel the love. (Especially needed during those middle of the night feeds).
Place your bets
An oldie but goodie – everyone loves doing this at a baby shower. Nominate someone to run the game and get everyone to guess the sex, weight, birth date, hair colour, or any other variable you can think of. Carrying high or low, craving salt or sweet? There are so many old wives tales to help you out here.
Jelly babies in the jar
Ask one of the crew to fill a jar with jelly babies, or any other kind of sweets and everyone else has to guess how many there are inside. The winner wins the jar through the post! What a treat.
Baby boogie
Use your patchwork to get everyone to suggest a baby related song and make her a playlist. (Yes, there are a LOT of songs with the word ‘baby’ in the lyrics). She can play it during the baby shower and you can all have a baby boogie. Or she might want to play it at the birth, or just when she needs to feel her friends’ good vibes close by.
Who’s that baby?
Ask everyone to send over a baby pic of themselves, upload the pictures and see if everyone can spot who’s who (and vote for who had the cutest smile or the chubbiest cheeks).
Who knows her best?
Organise a “who knows her best” quiz. Does she like to sleep in late or get up early? Is she craving fish and chips or a curry? Is she a fan of shopping in town or browsing online? See who’s been paying attention and who knows her best!
Set up your virtual baby shower patchwork
You can customise our readymade template in minutes and then send the link to all her friends to get everyone involved in making it the best baby shower ever. You can upload images, personalise the text and make it your own. Or you can create your own page from scratch. Once everyone has pledged what they want to fund, make or do, you can start planning and treat your friend to an AMAZING lockdown baby shower.
We’re here to help if you need any more tips or advice – just drop us a line at hello@patchworkit.com