Let me first tell you that we don’t do this nearly enough. Hosting a webcast is a great way to show your family what handling the baby is really like. He may be adorable and make faces, he may try to flip out of your arms, or he may cry his head off… so much better than a still photo!
If you have a webcam at home, you can use Yahoo! Messenger to host a private video conference call with junior as the star. Grandparents, uncles, aunts will be delighted.
The service is totally free and doesn’t require any special hardware on their end.
This is a sometimes tedious yet satisfying way for family to keep in touch especially when distance is an issue. Once you get everything set up its a fun way to either see a new baby or share your baby’s activity. Just make sure you find an appointment time that’s convenient for both of you, which can be hard to do!
We love doing this too. Our family members LOVE the webcasts. However, we like skype much better than yahoo messenger. It’s also free and the video feed is way less choppy–more like real time. Plus you can talk through your computer (newer ones with mics already attached) and there’s no noticeable lag time.
Yahoo video chat is ok, but there are at least two alternatives I prefer:
Skype and iChat. Skype is available on both PC and Mac, and has better video quality. iChat is only available on Macs, but it has much better graphics and allows for very slick video conference calls with several people at once.
This is such a great idea. We’d been doing it since our daughter was born, and sometimes we’re lucky enough that a web cast will save us from having relatives visit. It is a lifesaver.
Mike