Baby showers are a quintessential part of the pregnancy experience. They welcome a sentimental moment to celebrate the babes-to-be and honor parenthood. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues and social distance protocols remain, it is hard to get every loved one together in the same place to celebrate. Despite this change, parents have reinvented the typical in-person baby shower and unearthed creative ways to gather virtually and celebrate mamas and papas. Behold the rise of the Virtual Baby Shower. While there are limitations to a virtual baby shower -- you can still laugh, love, share stories, and celebrate one of life’s sweetest blessings with friends and family. Like a traditional in-person baby shower requires, you will need to delegate a host, pick a venue, choose a theme, send invitations, and organize activities. 

here are a few ideas to inspire your virtual shower: 

Pick a Host
Hosts are key to having a seamless baby shower event. They will help initiate conversation, activities, gift-openings, and toasts. Choose someone you trust, such as a partner, best friend, or a family member -- and be sure you are confident in their tech skills! 

Pick a Virtual Venue 
Choose a video conferencing platform that you are familiar with, such as  Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Skype. If you want a one-stop-shop for your event, check out WebBabyShower, an online baby shower service. 

Pick a Theme 
Whether you dreamed of a rustic, whimsical, floral, or a minimalist baby shower, you can still incorporate any theme-of-choice into your virtual shower. You can build a theme through your invites, virtual background, dress code, thank you cards, and activities. Check out Babylist’s ready-made virtual shower themes. 

Pick Virtual-friendly Games
That’s right, virtual baby showers can still incorporate fun games like Baby Trivia, Guess Who Mommy or Daddy, Guess the Baby, Celebrity Baby Names, and more. Check out this link for virtual event instructions. And, be sure to send printable games to guests in advance! 

Don't Skip the Gifts
If you want to incorporate gift opening, be sure your guests know to mail a gift early so you can open them with everyone -- that is, everyone on the computer screen! Don’t forget to remove gifts from shipping boxes pre-shower -- it will save so much time!

Organize Activities
It is important to go into a virtual shower with an event plan your host can follow. Whether you start with games, wishes for the baby, or a toast to the parents, you will want some itinerary to follow.

Write Your Thank Yous
Most importantly, don't forget to send everyone a thoughtful thank you card.

Thankfully there are still ways to celebrate a very special chapter in life. The possibilities with virtual baby showers are endless -- it just takes some out-of-the-box thinking to plan your shower.