Follow These Tips For a Safe, Socially Distanced Baby Shower

Four million babies are born in the U.S. every year. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ways we welcome babies and celebrate new moms are changing, at least for the time being.

While the coronavirus continues to pose danger and a significant risk of contagion, it is not wise to throw events without taking certain precautions. With care, it is definitely possible to host a reasonably safe, socially distanced baby shower. What does that look like? Here are a few ideas below.

Take It Outside

Just like there are outdoor wedding venues, there are plenty of outdoor venues for baby showers as well. Consider bringing the party outdoors. There are several different ways to accomplish this. Whenever possible, make it fun.

Consider throwing a festive picnic in lieu of a traditional baby shower, for example. A picnic gives you the freedom to put up cheery decorations, celebrate with friends, and serve food and beverages — all in a relatively safe manner. To keep your baby shower as safe as possible, place seats six feet apart. If possible serve individually packaged sandwiches, snacks, and desserts. Complete the meal with bottles of water, soft drinks, or single servings of champagne. Have plenty of masks and hand sanitizer available.

Talk to your chosen provider about the best outdoor venues for baby showers.

Limit Your Guest List And Choose A Large Venue

It is not unheard of for weddings to be pretty large. In fact, until recently, many weddings had upwards of 136 guests. While baby showers tend to have somewhat fewer guests, you would be surprised just large these gatherings can be. These days, paring your down your guest list — whether you are getting married or having a baby shower — doesn’t just make sense for your budget, it can also be an essential step to keep the people close to you safe.

Keep guests to a minimum. To cut down your list, avoid inviting people just to be polite. That means friends of friends, distant relatives, and people from high school and college that you see maybe once a year probably won’t make the cut. Consider what people will be a part of your future. If someone is unlikely to be in your life two years from now — or even five years from now — do they need to be at your baby shower? If someone admits to hurt feelings, be gracious, polite, and express gratitude for their interest.

When it comes to the venue itself, choose large, open rooms with high ceilings or indoor-outdoor venues. Ask professional venues for baby showers about your options for spacing out guests and providing safe catering.

Other Ideas To Keep Guests Safe

For a safe, socially distanced baby shower, consider the following:

• Stagger guests. A unique solution is to rent venues for baby showers for several hours at a time and stagger guests accordingly. For example, have family over for the first hour, then friends, and conclude with an hour for coworkers. Give yourself some time between groups if possible. Use that time to wipe down surfaces and put out new individually wrapped snacks or treats.
• Offer drive by and/or virtual options. Some guests may have pre-existing health conditions or compromised immune systems. For these guests, offer the option for guests to drive by and drop off gifts without contact or purchase gifts through an online registry.
• Require masks. Unfortunately, for some, masks can be a touchy subject. Require masks across the board to avoid stigma, debate, or uncomfortable situations.
• Skip the buffet. Now is not the time to leave food out, or to share large portions of food and serving utensils. Order catering from restaurants that are taking extra precautions or purchase foods that are wrapped and sealed.
• Give guests a polite out. Make it clear that you will not be offended if guests who are feeling even slightly under the weather skip your baby shower. Let guests know that health and safety are your top priority. If guests have a cough or are exhibiting any symptoms at all, encourage them to stay home.

It is not necessary to skip your baby shower altogether! Take proper precautions and celebrate your baby’s arrival with family and friends.