Virtual Baby Showers: a growing trend

Turn on the computer monitor, try to charge the battery in advance and have a good internet connection. Now click on the link, turn on the microphone, the camera and voila! You are in a videoconference. But not just any videoconference, this is a very special one, the one that celebrates the arrival of your baby.

What is next?

It is seeing the faces of family and friends. From people you haven’t seen for a long time; some live in another country, and all of them are gathered to celebrate the traditional Baby Shower, now virtually.

Recently, this idea of a meeting was unthinkable for Alberto Solís, new father of Valentina who tells us that, in the midst of the pandemic, and a few weeks after the lockdown was decreed in our country, he and his partner found out that they would be parents.

Celebrating a Baby Shower never crossed his mind, “The main thing was to keep us safe and defend our unborn daughter”.

In the end, his family organized the virtual celebration.

Currently, many expectant mothers and their families are choosing to hold a baby shower online. The purpose is not to put at risk the mother’s, the baby’s and the guests’ health.

Since last March, virtual meetings have been on the rise. In Mexico, there was a 41 percent increase in the use of video conferencing in Microsoft Teams, according to data from Microsoft News.

What do you need to organize a virtual Baby Shower?

A computer, internet connection and a variety of games will be enough to celebrate a virtual Baby Shower and you will be ready to start the meeting.

“We didn’t imagine what it would be like, but it was a lot of fun to see the family play and get advice on what it means to be parents”, says Solís.

In some games, the host, who is usually the family member who organized the videoconference, must share the screen. Among the most common games for this type of celebration can be adapted to play them remotely:

• Unscramble the words. For example: lmki (milk), apisder (diapers) or bbi (bib).
• Charades. Send by private chat to one of the guests with the action to perform: crawl, cry, change a diaper, etc.
• Measure the belly. They can do it with a tape measure or with toilet paper. In the distance, the guests must give their estimates.
• Change the diaper. Blindfolded, the future parents must put a diaper on a doll in the shortest possible time.
• The price is right. Choose some products, for example: diapers, powdered milk, baby bottles, onesies, t-shirts, blankets. Contestants must guess the price.

ACCORDING TO THE PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, A PREGNANT WOMAN IS WITHIN THE POPULATION AT RISK FOR COVID-19. DON’T RUN RISKS, BETTER GET READY FOR A BIG PARTY, BUT VIRTUALLY

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The origin of this tradition

A Baby Shower can be held from the seventh month of pregnancy. It is customary for guests to bring gifts for the unborn baby and give advice to new parents.

The party, as we know it today, originated in the United States. However, there are sources that agree that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans gave offerings to the mother once the baby was born.

In recent times, it is increasingly common for both parents to participate in the Baby Shower. 

It can certainly be a start to include men in parenting. “I didn’t know what a baby shower was and also had no idea on what was going on, but it was fun to watch and participate in it. I think it is good that these traditions evolve under more open and inclusive parameters”, admits Alberto Solís.

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Is it a trend that has come to stay?

Virtual Baby Showers are a growing trend. They are a great opportunity for friends and family to participate in the shower of the unborn baby from the distance. With this type of gatherings, family ties have also been strengthened.

The advantages

The advantages offered by technology is to get closer and interact in a different, but fun way. “I am sure that this trend will continue because it is very functional. We learned that the family in another city or country can accompany us despite the distance”, says Sandra Salguero, who held her virtual Baby Shower with about 30 people to celebrate the arrival of her baby Neithan.

“People should not have an on-site Baby Shower in a pandemic if they love and want to raise and see their son or daughter grow up. Safety is the first thing they should focus on and see the safest alternatives that the digital world offers us”, Alberto Solís, Valentina’s father.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version