Virtual Baby Shower Bingo
If you need a way to easily get guests engaged, the scavenger hunt is the. Cox held a virtual baby shower a few years ago because she had a high-risk pregnancy and couldn’t travel to the West Coast to be with her husband’s family. “My mother-in-law was the one who came up with the idea of a virtual shower so that everyone could feel like they were a part of the celebration,” she says.
Are you interested in hosting a virtual baby shower?
Whether your friends and family live far away, you’re limited on travel, or if you just want to be unique, having an online baby shower may be right for you.
In this post, I’ll share exactly how you can plan and host your baby shower online.
Let’s jump into planning your virtual baby shower!
What is a Virtual Baby Shower?
A virtual baby shower is simply a baby shower that’s hosted online via a live stream.
It is a great option for those who have family and friends who live far away, but still want to take part in the celebration of new life.
This doesn’t have to be the only reason that you host your baby shower online, though.
In fact, hosting a virtual baby shower was the first thing that I considered when our family began planning our shower.
Because our families live far apart from each other, having a shower in a central location would require travel and just be a chore.
Although our parents decided to host separate showers for each side of our families, hosting a virtual shower was still something that I explored and will consider in the future.
Here’s how you can plan your shower.
Grab your FREE Baby Registry Checklist! Click here to access it.
What to do during an online baby shower
The activities of an online baby shower are no different from what you would do in person.
Your shower should include both playing games and opening gifts.
Steps to Planning a Virtual Baby Shower
1. Secure a hosting platform
Before you can host your baby shower, you’ll need to secure a suitable hosting platform. This is basically figuring out what website you’re going to live stream from.
There are both free and paid options that will enable you to do so.
Let’s look at both options.
Facebook is a great option for hosting your shower. Most people are already Facebook users, which means it will be easy for them to join.
To host your shower on Facebook, you would simply create a closed or private group specifically for your event. It’s important that the group is not public to ensure that your event can remain private and only for your guests.
Guests will be able to join the group, where they can interact beforehand and after. You’ll be able to go live while others view and can comment in real-time.
Pros:
- Free
- Able to build a community around the event
- Option to upload pictures within the group
- You will be able to download a video of the live stream as a keepsake
- It is an easy to use platform that most people are already using
Cons:
- Must have a Facebook account
- Guest can only interact through comments
Zoom
Zoom is a platform specifically designed for video conferencing. There are, however, limitations with the free version of this platform so you should plan on using the paid version.
You can sign up for as low as $14.99 and cancel or downgrade after you’re done.
All that guests will need to use this application is the specific link to join your event. They will be able to join using a phone or computer.
Unlike Facebook, guests will also be able to join by video and actually talk. There is also a chat that you can use to play games.
If you choose to use Zoom, I strongly recommend having a host who knows how to use the platform so that they can moderate. They will need to be responsible for making sure that everyone is on mute at certain times and responding to questions that may come up in the chat.
Pros:
- Meant for video conferencing
- Guests can join with audio and video
- Ability to download a video of the live stream as a keepsake
- Doesn’t require guests to have an account
Cons:
- Will require the paid version
- Only meant for video, no community aspect
Another free option that is similar to Zoom is Skype, although all features may not be the same.
WebBaby Shower
This site is specifically designed to help moms and their families host virtual baby showers. Included is a virtual guest book and games that you can play.
This platform makes it easy to host a virtual baby shower and is more than just a one-time event. With WebBabyShower’s simple setup, you can choose your theme, personalized URL, and have a cute baby shower website ready to go in 60 seconds.
Your WebBabyShower package will include a guest book, a gift registry page, photo and video albums, birthday bets and games with scoreboards so your guests can compete when they visit!
You can also use WebBabyShower to send invites to your guests directly from the platform, you can even track the open rates too.
You can easily plan your baby shower video call by using WebBabyShower’s video call planner.
Unlike other platforms, WebBabyShower is an ad-free completely private space. Only those who have your unique URL will be able to access your site, and for added security, you can also set up a password for guests if you like
Once your plan is coming to an end (plans range from monthly subscription to a year plan) you can print off a pdf keepsake so everyone’s well wishes and photos will be saved forever.
Pros:
- All in one platform
- Not just a one-off event site
- Private space with no ads
Cons:
- Most expensive option ($79)
- Will still need to use other platforms (No video chat integration)
2. Create a guest list
Now that you have a hosting platform secured, it’s time to come up with a guest list.
If you’re looking for a way to organize your guest list, I’ve included a printable in the Baby Bump Binder.
It’s important to remember that attending a baby shower online may be unfamiliar to some people, so they’ll need to have some basic technical skills to join.
3. Create a registry
You’ll want to create your registry before you send out your invitations so that guests have the opportunity to purchase and mail gifts.
I recommend creating your baby registry on multiple sites to give your guests options.
I’ve written an entire article on where you can register and what to put on your registry—The Ultimate Baby Registry Checklist.
Grab your FREE Baby Registry Checklist! Click here to access it.
4. Create and send out invitations
In keeping with the theme of being virtual, you can send out electronic invites as well.
If you’re hosting on Facebook, you can simply create an event that is connected to your closed or private group.
However, even if you are using Facebook as your hosting platform, there are sites where you can create virtual invitations customized to your theme.
Virtual Baby Shower Invitations
Since you’re hosting a virtual baby shower, why not have virtual baby shower invitations?
Here are two place where you can customize your virtual baby shower invites for free!
Canva
Canva is one of the most popular sites to use for graphic design. In fact, I do all of my designing on this platform.
They’ve made it super easy for you to create your unique baby shower invites with their premade baby shower templates.
Just update the information and you can download these templates to print or send via email. It’s really that simple.
Evite
One popular site is Evite. This site has tons of free options that you can choose from for your invitations—including video options.
Games For Baby Shower
If you choose to use the premium version of this site, be sure to Rakuten so that you can get cashback on your purchase.
I’ve downloaded the Rakuten browser extension so that it can notify me of when I can earn cashback.
While writing this article, I could earn 17.5% back for any purchase that I made on Evite.
When you sign up for Rakuten and make an eligible purchase of $25 using the site, you’ll get $10 free!
What to include in your virtual baby shower invitation
- Details on the date and time of your live event
- A link to join the group or meeting
- A link to your registry with a ship-to address
5. Plan your games
Because you’ll be hosting this online, you will have to be a little bit more strategic about the games you play.
Your games will have to be something that everyone can play online and still feel engaged.
The great thing about doing this virtually is that the prizes can also be virtual. Consider giving away virtual gift cards as prizes to winners.
Virtual Baby Shower Game Ideas
Here are a few virtual baby shower games that you can play with your guests. You can read my article on virtual baby shower games to play on Zoom for more ideas.
Guessing Games
Create a list of facts that the guests may not know about mom, dad, or baby. Have them guess the answer to these questions by entering them into the chat or showing their written answers on camera.
The winner can be the person who gets the most right.
You’ll want to ensure that the host or a designated person is keeping track of answers to determine the winner.
Scavenger Hunts/Trivia
Another engaging game is an online scavenger hunt or trivia.
Have guests look for the answer to questions online. The first person to find the most right answers wins.
6. Decorate your live stream room
Just because this shower is virtual doesn’t mean that it has to be void of decorations.
Take some time to decorate the room that you’ll be joining the live stream from.
A quick and easy decoration is a simple backdrop. Amazon has tons of inexpensive options specific to baby showers that you can choose from.
Simply put a backdrop behind you to add some decor to your video!
7. Go live!
Virtual Baby Shower Bingo Game
Before going live, you may want to do a test run on the platform you’ll be using. That way everything can go off without a hitch.
Be sure to send guests a reminder of what time the stream will start so that they can join on time.
If you’re using Zoom, you can set up your call to have people wait in a virtual waiting room until your host starts the live stream.
I suggest having a schedule or agenda written out beforehand so that you know exactly what should happen when. Here is an example:
5:55 PM – Start live stream
6:00 PM – Welcome guests
6:05 PM – Guest introductions (Name, relationship to mom, where they’re joining from)
6:20 PM – First game
6:35 PM – Second game
6:50 PM – Have mom open gifts
7:10 PM – Thank you to guests
7:15 PM – End call
8. Send out thank you notes
Alas, don’t forget to send out thank you notes to guests who joined the shower and those who sent gifts. These can be done virtually or sent via mail.
Free Online Baby Shower Bingo
Final Thoughts on Hosting a Baby Shower Online
Hosting a virtual baby shower is a great way to still celebrate your new addition, even if your family is afar.
Don’t let distance or restrictions prevent you from having your celebration. As you can see from this post, technology has made it possible for you to have your baby shower virtually.
If you need more help organizing and planning your pregnancy, don’t forget to check out the Baby Bump Binder for checklists and other templates.