Your Guide to Virtual Baby Showers, Featuring Gift Ideas From Black-Owned Businesses
With the world in disarray, soon-to-be-parents are taking old rituals and making them their own. From “drive-thru” baby shower celebrations to socially distant outdoor gatherings, pregnant people and their loved ones are finding ways to commemorate their new additions. We chatted with a few mamas - and even hosted a virtual baby shower of our own - so we could bring you our fave tips for bringing your baby shower to the interwebs. And we couldn’t resist throwing in a few gift ideas from some swoon-worthy black-owned businesses too.
Willy Nilly is Not the Way to Go:
Appoint a family member to emcee the shower so they can manage everything from the technical aspects of the event, to making sure your Aunt Maude knows how to put herself on mute so you can enjoy your big day.
The Early Bird Gets the Worm (and the Gift):
Post your registry two to three weeks in advance to give everyone time to order, and the packages time to be delivered, so you can open your gifts during the shower. Everyone loves seeing your smiling faces as you unbox their presents for your little one!
Send an Agenda:
Let everyone who RSVP’d “yes” know the plan in advance so they understand what to expect and everyone shows up on time. No one wants to miss your mom’s teary toast or your best friend’s slideshow of your baby pics. Or do they?!
Don’t Forget the Games:
Here are some of our go-tos:
Match the emoji to the children’s book: A modern take on our childhood favorites! Print these emojis out on cards and hold them up to the camera, asking guests to guess in the chat or on video, what the corresponding children’s book is. These are Poppy’s picks:
🐭 🍪 (If you Give a Mouse a Cookie)
🌈 🐠 (Rainbow Fish)
🐛 🍓 🍐 🍰 (The Very Hungry Caterpillar)
💤 🌙 (Goodnight Moon)
🐇 ♣️ 🫖 🎩 (Alice in Wonderland)
🕷 🕸🐷 👧🏼 (Charlotte’s Web)
Who’s that baby? Before the event, ask attendees to submit their baby pictures, and guests can guess who each photo resembles. Alternatively, you could use celebrity baby photos like these:
Parental Superlatives: Give yourself a defining activity or trait, and ask your guests to guess which parent it might belong to. For instance:
Biggest Prankster
Most Likely to Spoil The Baby
Most Questions Asked of the Pediatrician
Master of a Dirty Diaper
Most Likely to Sample the Breast Milk
Activity: Virtual Nursery Tour! Take your family and friends around the nursery you’ve set up to give them a peek into all the nesting you’ve been doing. Plus, if you sent out a registry link, this will give you a chance to show your guests where you’ll put the gifts they bought.
Activity: Photo Mash Up: Nithya Rajan, an Education Strategist and first-time Mom, was amused when her husband created a Powerpoint using photo mashup sites, to show some options of what their baby could look like. Here is one of their faves:
Need a gift for an upcoming shower? See our ideas, all from Black-owned brands or creators:
Modern Pacifier from Pretty Please Teethers
You may remember Pretty Please Teethers from our Products We Love feature in June 2020. We caught up with PPT to discuss their gorgeous Modern Pacifiers. This line is designed to soothe and comfort your little ones all while keeping a natural, modern and minimalist style.
Features:
FIRST Two-Tone ALL Silicone Pacifier
One Piece Silicone Design
Rounded Silicone Bulb Shape Nipple
Age: The First Year (0-12m)
US CPSIA compliant.
FREE of: BPA, PVC, latex, and phthalate
These pacifiers come in nine different color options and cost $10.99 each. Pretty Please Teethers Founder Kelli Ulrey created the brand with one mission in mind: to find safe, stylish, and natural handmade items for her little one. Even if you don’t need to purchase a teething device at the moment, check out those adorable baby models on her site!
Asaro Onesie by Ade + Ayo
The Asaro collection by Ade + Ayo is named after the Yoruba word for yam porridge - a yummy yam delicacy common to Western Nigeria. The Asaro print makes ankara, a traditional pattern and fabric style common in West Africa, comfortable for the littlest among us. The Asaro Print Long Sleeve Onesie has been carefully crafted to keep your little one comfortable without compromising style. Made from GOTS certified organic cotton, these onesies are soft and safe for your baby's skin.
Ade + Ayo is offering a 15% off discount for Poppy subscribers. Check out all of their colorful collections, and use code Poppy15 at checkout.
Black Hive Collection from Bombas:
The sock company, Bombas, recently launched The Black Hive Collection, a campaign inspired by and created with the company’s Black Hive -- a self-formed and titled collective of its Black-identifying employees. The collection evokes the meaning of Black Excellence with vibrant, bold colors that reflect a joyful vision of Black pasts, a celebration of Black presents, and an empowerment of Black futures.
In line with the Bombas mission -- One Purchased = One Donated -- for every pair of Black Hive Collection socks sold, a specially-designed pair will be donated to someone in need within the Black community through four organizations (selected by the Black Hive) working everyday to combat root causes at the intersection of homelessness and systemic inequality.
For a limited time, Bombas is offering 20% off for Poppy Seed Health subscribers, using the code POPPY20. This code is valid for new customers only, and expires on 3/18/2021.
PLUS: Check the Poppy Instagram page @poppyseedhealth for a special $50 gift card Giveaway to Bombas. Contest expires February 28, 2021.
Baby Gift Boxes from STINA & MAE
You might remember STINA & MAE from our August 2020 Products We Lovefeature. This brand was founded by Mishell Ekunsirinde, after she discovered how difficult it can be to find a changing mat that kept her son from touching gross public surfaces. Thus, the SAFI vegan leather baby changing mat was created.
STINA & MAE now sells a variety of handmade, organic products, including these adorable gift boxes ranging in price from $114 to $198. They feature nursing pads, bibs, nursery decor, and are a baby shower essential.
Pregnancy Milestone Cards from The Eco Baby Co.
You may also remember The Eco Baby Co from our August 2020 Products We Love feature. This black-owned brand only carries plastic-free toys and products. Their milestone cards help create a keepsake to commemorate the phases of pregnancy. Use code POPPYSEED15 for 15% off, excluding Naturpedic and Baby Quoddle brands.