How to Host a Drive-By Baby Shower

These are definitely weird times we’re living in, but it’s not all bad. Because of social distancing, we’ve had to get creative in how we can celebrate our loved ones. As a result, one of my favorite things to come out of these past few weeks is the drive-by baby shower.

I just love that, as a society, we always find a way to bring good into the world, even when all the odds are stacked against us.

Drive-by or drive-thru baby showers are just one shining example of that. Nothing can get in between us and showing our friends and family how much we love them!

{And if you’re looking for other ways to host a social distancing baby shower – I’ve got lots of other unique ideas!}

What is a Drive-By Baby Shower?

It’s simple! Instead of gathering all together in a house or venue and mingling with food & drinks, guests will form a parade in front of the mom-to-be’s house.

They’ll drive by at a designated time, drop off gifts (because that is the purpose of a baby shower, after all), shout their well-wishes, blow kisses, honk, and make mom and baby feel special!

Who should host the shower?

Ideally, whoever would have hosted a regular baby shower could organize the drive-by shower.

If no one volunteers, don’t be afraid to ask your closest friends and family! Normally that could be awkward, but in this case, it’s an extremely low lift for the host or hostess. There’s barely any cost or effort involved, compared to a regular shower.

On the flip side, don’t be afraid to host your own drive-by baby shower! Just let your friends and family know you’d love to see their smiling faces before baby arrives, and that you’ll be outside to wave at the designated time, and they’ll get the idea.

Tips for a Successful Drive-By Baby Shower

This shower doesn’t have to be complex or complicated, so more than anything, don’t overthink it! At the end of the day, the purpose is to make sure mama feels the love, and that you’re able to shower her with gifts so she’s prepared for baby’s arrival.

There are a few things you can do to make the shower a little more fun and special for everyone involved though, with minimal effort:

1. Choose a short time frame for the drive-by

Give guests a 30-60 minute window to drive by the house, to keep up the parade vibe, and so the pregnant mom isn’t sitting on her front porch for hours on end.

2. Send an invitation.

Even though this is a less formal type of baby shower, an invitation is still nice to send. An email or evite invitation is totally fine, but it’s always helpful for people to have all the details in one place, and for the mom-to-be to have something to print off and put in her baby book!

{And I just so happen to have a super cute Drive-By Baby Shower Invitation in my One Joyful Mama Designs Etsy shop. ;)}

3. Set up a table at the curb for gifts.

Let’s be real here – the underlying purpose of any baby shower is to give the parents-to-be gifts, and help them stock up on all the endless stuff babies need.

So make sure guests have a designated spot to drop their gifts, so they can maintain their 6-foot social distance.

4. Decorate the house and yard.

Part of the fun of hosting a baby shower is decorating the whole house and bringing the party to life with a fun theme or color scheme. There’s no reason you can’t still do the same thing at a drive-by shower!

Pick up balloons, yard signs, streamers, whatever you can to jazz it up and bring a smile to your pregnant friend’s face.

5. Set out individually wrapped cookies or cupcakes.

This is definitely not required, but certainly nice-to-have! A little sweet treat (individually wrapped, to avoid any cross-contamination) is a nice “thank you” to give guests for making the drive out to celebrate the baby on the way.

6. Send an activity to guests in advance.

Baby showers always have cute little games or activities for guests to do, which create fun memories for the mom-to-be. There’s no reason drive-by baby showers can’t have their own activities!

Just send the activity in advance, and have guests fill it out and bring it with them to drop off for the mama-to-be to read later.

These Predictions & Wishes for Baby cards a great activity for any baby shower. Not only do they give guests some fun talking points, but you can make them into a little booklet afterwards, for mom-to-be to keep and remember after baby arrives.

7. Encourage guests to make signs, make noise, and make mama feel special.

It’s still a party, after all! Encourage guests to go all out, as much as they can. Bring confetti poppers, make signs, decorate their cars, blast the pregnant mama’s favorite music… whatever they can do to make it personal to the mama of honor.

8. Set up a virtual gift opening party via Zoom.

Everyone loves seeing all the cute, snuggly, precious gifts at baby showers! So, to really go the extra mile, you can set up a virtual gift opening Zoom conference, so everyone can share in the excitement.

Are Drive-By Baby Showers here to stay?

I don’t see why not! Maybe they won’t be as common once we’re all able to back to “normal” life, but I think they’re a great option for a lot of people.

Maybe mom is super busy, traveling, and can’t block out a Saturday for a traditional shower?

Maybe mom is immunocompromised and has to be cautious of large groups all the time?

Maybe baby came early unexpectedly, and the parents are at home with a NICU baby?

There are tons of reasons why a drive-by shower would be appropriate, back in the ~real world~, so let’s keep ’em alive!

Have you participated in a drive-by shower? Let me know how it went in the comments!