How to Safely Celebrate Baby with a Virtual Sip and See Party

Maybe you had a baby shower to celebrate the impending arrival of your child—or perhaps you didn’t. In any case, when your little one finally arrives, it’ll be a whole new reason to rejoice. A sip and see party, an open-house style celebration where loved ones can come by to visit the new baby while sipping refreshments, is a popular method to introduce relatives and friends to your child. However, because the world is currently dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, an in-person event may not be possible. The good news is that a virtual sip and see still a fantastic way to commemorate your child’s birth! Here are some of our best party-planning advice.

Think about the timing.

A sip and see party is traditionally held a few months after the baby is born to help the newlywed parents adjust to life with their new kid. Around a newborn, it’s also a good idea to minimise the amount of in-person visitors. You won’t have to worry about having too many guests (and their germs) around your baby if you use a virtual sip and see! Plus, because individuals can attend from anywhere, you won’t have to spend all of your time preparing hors d’oeuvres and drinks. While you should still take a few weeks off to recover from childbirth, bond with your newborn, and learn the ropes of parenthood, you can take a virtual drink and see much sooner than you would otherwise.

Choose a Co-Host.

New parents usually hold a drink and see party (after all, you’re the ones who want to show off your child!). However, don’t be afraid to enlist the help of a co-host to keep your virtual event on track. It’ll be helpful to have someone prepared and ready to jump in if the baby gets cranky or needs to be fed while you’re away from the computer for a minute, whether it’s your partner, a family member, or a friend. While you’re concentrating on baby, your co-host can lead a game or two (see below).

Select a Virtual Location

Video chat tools like Zoom and Google Meet are ideal for hosting a virtual sip and see with a bigger group of people. Both provide free, easy-to-access choices that can accommodate up to 100 individuals. Zoom is perhaps the most popular, but each has its advantages and disadvantages. The free edition of Google Meet has a one-hour time limit, but the free version of Zoom has a 40-minute time limit. You won’t have to worry about late arrivals because Google Meet events may be posted immediately to a Google calendar. If they choose Zoom, guests can use an intriguing background (see below).

Send Evites with Specifics

Rather than sending paper invitations, you can send invites via your preferred video chat app, a service like Paperless Post, or even your email. Date, start and end timings, a link to the virtual event, clear instructions on attending (particularly for older, less tech-savvy family members), and an RSVP date should all be included in the invitations. If you want to stagger visits throughout the virtual sip and see, you may use something as simple as a Google sheet as a scheduling tool to include certain time slots.

Customize Zoom Backgrounds

A personalised Zoom background is a fun and easy alternative to standard sip and sees decorations. The custom background(s) can be designed to reflect a specific party theme or colour scheme (coordinated baby attire, anyone?) On services like Canva, you can make them for free.

Obtain Virtual Entertainment Services

A unique performance or light background music can be the ideal accent (and exciting surprise) for your virtual drink and watch. Acoustic guitarists, singers, and solo musicians are among those that offer their services for internet gatherings. Whether they sing classic lullabies or the new parents’ favourite tunes, the entertainment will make your event, particularly special for you and your guests.

Choose a Cocktail (or Mocktail)

After all, it’s a “drink and sees” situation! Choose a cocktail (or mocktail option) that fits the party theme and ask attendees to make their drinks ahead of time so you can all drink together. It’s a lovely touch to send attendees a basic cocktail recipe that only requires a few common kitchen ingredients. Do you want to go above and beyond? You can send a tiny care box to your visitors with the components or include a smaller bottle of wine or champagne because you won’t have to make any refreshments yourself.

Prepare for a Game or Two

Of course, playing a virtual drink and seeing the game isn’t required, but having some structure to the online event will keep attendees involved and the event moving quickly. Maybe you should host a Mommy or Daddy Quiz (who sings better lullabies?). Who did the baby vomit upon first? ) or a Baby Facts challenge (What time did the baby arrive? How much weight has the baby put on thus far?). You can either have players ring in with their responses over the phone, or you can prepare activity sheets ahead of time and email them to guests.

Continuation

As the date for the sip and see approaches, contact RSVP attendees to give the cocktail recipe, unique Zoom backgrounds, and any activity sheets so that everyone feels included. This will serve as a subtle reminder of the event and get attendees interested and allow them time to iron out any technical issues before the virtual party.

Please make a note of it.

Make a keepsake that you’ll treasure for a lifetime! You may easily capture the virtual drink and see using video chat programmes like Zoom and Google Hangouts. After the party is over, save the movie to your computer, Google Drive, or flash drive and share it with your guests. Everyone will appreciate reminiscing about the happy times with the new baby.