Socially Distanced Baby Shower Ideas

There are so many major events in life at which a gathering of large crowds of people is expected. Unfortunately, in 2020, this is not something you can do safely.

What does that mean for baby showers? After all, a baby shower is something where at least a dozen of your friends and family come bearing gifts, play games and eat a lot of food. How do you do that when you are required to social distance for the health of everyone? Here are a few socially distanced baby shower ideas that can help.

Outdoors and Properly Distanced

If your baby is due during a warm month, you can spend time with ten or fewer people as long as everyone has an assigned seat and everyone is outdoors. To do this, get a head count for RSVPs. Then set up small TV trays or similar tables and a single chair next to each table to keep people spread apart. Label each table with a guest’s name so that everyone knows exactly where to sit.

Gifts can be shipped or dropped off a week or two earlier to prevent contamination if you feel that is a concern. On the day of the event, all of the gifts can be brought out and placed on a large table near the area where you will be sitting. As for eating, create a buffet table or use a catering service so that touching of items and contact with the food is limited to just the caterer. Everyone should wear masks unless eating or drinking.

Party games can go on as expected. Winners will receive digitally sent gifts or items ordered after the party and shipped to the winners’ homes. It’s a variation on a drive-by shower, but it’s still doable.

Socially Distanced Baby Shower on Zoom

Zoom has been the meeting platform of choice for many groups coming together during the pandemic. This works especially well for a socially distanced baby shower where more than ten people would be expected in attendance, or when there just isn’t enough space to socially distance properly.

All gifts should be dropped off or shipped to you in advance. If you create several shower gift registries, guests will have no problem finding a gift online and sending it to you. You can place the gifts on a decorated table the day of the shower. Then you create a zoom meeting and invite all of your guests via email. Everyone appears and is able to see you and the gift table and the cake.

As for games, you can send a packet of games to each person who will be attending your virtual party. As the time comes to play games, each game is pulled from the envelope and played at home by each guest. There is also a way to play online shower games, but it requires more work to coordinate.

For food, consider ordering and having it sent to each guest in her own city and state. GrubHub, UberEats, Postmates and other food delivery services are all capable of doing this, and you can easily pay for the party guests’ food using a debit or credit card through these apps.

The One BIG Shower Gift and Staggering Guest Visits

Finally, if there’s one major shower gift you really want and really need, ask all of your would-be shower guests to stay home, stay healthy and pitch in to buy and send you this gift. You can still Zoom so that everyone can see you unwrap it and enjoy it.

You can also have guests drop by at specific and staggered times to visit in a socially distanced and responsible way. Many of your guests will appreciate this method of still participating in the celebration of your baby on the way while staying safe for everyone’s health.