Whether the need is due to social distance or travel distance, this is the perfect way to shower a mama-to-be with love.
Having babies and raising kids away from family can be hard. Sometimes this hardship can be due to actual distance, and sometimes it may be due to the necessity of social distance.
Whatever the case may be, mamas are still having babies and deserve to be celebrated.
We’ve moved a few times with my husband’s job, and we’re currently in the process of a cross-country move (deep sigh on timing). I know how hard it can be to have a little one when you feel out of touch with your people. Luckily, we live in a time where technology and resources can help with filling in some gaps.
A few years ago, my sister-in-law was in a distance situation after moving over 1,000 miles away from friends and family. While hosting a baby shower wasn’t an option, I wanted to do something special that let her know her village still supported her across the miles.
I hopped on Facebook Messenger and got to work. I created a message asking family and close friends to send me a word of advice, quote, tip, etc. about motherhood. I sent this to the females on our husbands’ side of the family, and I turned to her sisters and mom to add family and friends from their side to the Messenger list.
With each witticism that was shared, I also asked the sender to include one of three possible photos with her words:
- Favorite photo as a mom (kiddo or fur baby).
- Favorite photo with her own mom.
- Favorite photo with the mama-to-be.
I took the words and the images and got online to start creating a keepsake memory book. This was simple to do, and there are a variety of sites that could’ve fit the bill. I happened to choose Walgreens for the ease and convenience of pick up once the book was finished.
I entitled the book Mama-wise and made the first page a short letter about the miles that may separate us all not changing the love and support that was exuding from her village. Then each page of the book featured the witticism and photo of one of the women who responded with her name as a footer. 
As our in-laws are predominately Spanish-speaking, I placed the advice of the aunts and our mother-in-law in both Spanish and English.
I ended the book with a collection of baby pictures of the new parents-to-be that I’d gathered from their moms. It was both affordable and truly priceless.
Due to the current inability to gather in large groups, this is a perfect solution for creating a treasured keepsake. As this was traveling across the miles, I made a Baby Shower in a Box and included some decorations, non-perishable snacks, word search and Mad Lib games, presents, sweets for dessert, and then the “take-home favor” of the book. There was a simple set of instructions and items were wrapped and numbered for opening order.
Voilà! A mama-to-be is showered with love from a distance.
