Social distancing baby shower/party for baby #2!
I put together a simple, laid-back, socially distanced and contact-free baby sprinkle (baby shower for baby #2) in our backyard and had a great time!
How to hold a social distancing baby shower or sprinkle
I did some Googling on this and found lots of resources for Zoom/video showers, or drive-by showers. I can see how that might be great for a first baby when people are actually buying you a lot of stuff, but in this case I really just wanted to see my friends in person so kept it in-person, just spaced out.
A big spread of shared food was not an option, so I bought individually wrapped treats (mini trail mix bags from Trader Joe's, granola bars, fruit snacks) and gave everyone a 3 oz candle tin (also TJ's, summer scents) and individual spray hand sanitizer bottle (also TJ's). That way they could use the hand sanitizer if they wanted, although I also sanitized all the goodies after buying them the night before. The bags I purchased previously so they had been in more than a 3-day quarantine just in case.
I also had sparkling waters in a cooler with ice, with tongs and hand sanitizer nearby so people could grab them and hand sanitize if desired. I really wanted to do something more fun like pastries and mimosas, but couldn't think how to do it in a way that would definitely make everyone feel comfortable.
Before everyone arrived I spaced out the chairs at least 6' apart. My mom and I sat on the little loveseat; everyone else had a chair 6'+ away from everyone else. I put each gift bag on each chair so guests didn't have to get near each other to grab them. (See our gazebo makeover here for details on this space!)
A few guest brought flowers or gifts which I collected at the coffee table. Then when I opened them I did touch all of them, but could hand sanitize right after. Worked out great!
We didn't play any traditional games, but there was plenty to talk about. My mom attended the first half, and held up photos from my baby book and even her baby book (it has the hospital bill in it--$77.45 total! July 1952), and shared some stories. She also brought the family heirloom doll that has been passed down to the oldest daughter since 1888. Someday this baby girl will get it.
I'm almost 37 weeks pregnant now, so this is a little later than most showers/sprinkles typically are. (See my first baby shower here--my friends did an amazing job throwing a beautiful but more traditional shower!) That's just how it worked out this time, but it was exciting to be closer to my due date and more mentally ready. Plus, get a group of moms of young kids together and labor stories will always come up, right? So it was fun to be closer to that myself and have already been talking to my midwives about our options.
So grateful for my community of friends and family supporting us in this huge next chapter. I am so happy I got to celebrate with them!
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