Some people might think a gift card baby shower is tacky. It’s a non-traditional baby shower, but it does have its perks. It could be the best baby shower option for you and your guests!
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What is Gift Card Only Baby Shower?
Gift card only baby showers are a non-traditional type of baby shower where the guests don’t worry about bringing in specific gifts.
Your friends and family are encouraged to give a nice card with either a gift card to a specific baby store or a general store like Amazon, Target, or Walmart where the new parents can buy whatever baby items they need.
Guests can also just give a check or cash to be spent on whatever the baby needs. You can even put the cash into a savings account for the baby’s college fund. (Or house fund if your little one doesn’t end up going to college.)
There’s no ceremony of opening gifts at this kind of baby shower because there aren’t really any gifts to open. Just cards.
Should You Throw a Gift Card Baby Shower?
Asking for money seems…. skeevy, right? Reminds me of that episode of The Office where Pam just wants cash for their wedding. “Money? You want some of my money?”
It’s definitely not traditional to ask for cash only or gift cards instead of gifts themselves. But if you lay out the pros to your friends and family, they probably won’t mind.
Asking for just gift cards or cash might be the right way to go for you if you are:
- Not from the area. Hauling home a bunch of large gifts in the car or having to ship them home is not very convenient. If you have to fly back home, having to check extra bags or ship your presents back is an added cost.
- Already getting a bunch of hand-me-downs. I have two friends that didn’t need very much for their babies because they had TONS of hand-me-downs from other friends and family.
- Waiting to find out the baby’s gender. Yes, you can buy gender neutral clothes and toys. But if you really want to get pink or blue stuff, you may need to get a gift card and wait until you have the baby to buy your stuff.
- Very picky about what you want. I get it. If you get stuff you don’t think you’ll use or things you don’t like, taking stuff back to the store is a hassle. And worse, if you don’t take stuff back, you just wasted your friend’s money.
- In need of the big expensive stuff. Clothes are nice. Bibs and pacifiers too. But having a pile of clothes and small things isn’t going to help when you need a crib, changing table, car seat, and stroller. Most people aren’t going to buy you anything over $50 for your baby shower. But stack your gift cards and you can buy all the big stuff and get the clothes and small things at consignment shops or on clearance later.
- Wanting to save up for your child’s future. This is where you would ask for cash or checks specifically. Not gift cards. You can put money away for college or their savings account when they move out.
Pros and Cons for Gift Card Baby Showers
Pros:
- Easier to get your gifts home.
- Guests don’t have to worry about shopping and finding a gift.
- You get exactly what you want/need.
- You can spend more time with your friends and family during the party rather than opening gifts.
Cons:
- Some people might think it’s tacky to ask for gift cards or money only.
- Guests don’t get to pick out what they give you.
- No gift opening ceremony and you can’t play Baby Shower Bingo. (This could be a pro depending on your personality. lol)
How to Politely Ask for Gift Cards Only at Your Baby Shower
There are several ways you can politely ask for gift cards for your baby shower. It all depends on what you want to do with them and why you are having a gift card only shower.
The out-of-towner approach:
“Since we have to fly back to (somewhere far away) we’re asking for Target or Amazon Gift cards in lieu of big bulky gifts.”
You can also add something about Amazon’s Baby Registry allows you to have your gifts shipped to your home address rather than bringing the gift to the party. That way if they REALLY want to get you something, you don’t have to worry about getting it home.
The Hand-me-down Collector Approach:
“We are fortunate enough to have piles of clothes, books, and toys from our nephews / nieces / friend’s baby so we are asking for Target gift cards for our little one!”
You could include specific names if everyone knows who you’re talking about.
My BFF got literally everything her friend’s son wore and is continuing to get hand-me-downs from them. My friend Jessica is getting all of Toot’s things for her new baby. Your guests will understand that they don’t need to waste money on things you’re getting for free anyway.
The Gender Surprise Approach:
“Will Baby (last name) be a boy or a girl? We don’t know! Please don’t stress about buying gender neutral baby items. We welcome Amazon gift cards so that we can find the right items after he or she is born.”
This is a good way to show your guests that they don’t need to worry about picking out a gift. I personally hate the stress of trying to find the best baby shower gift. Do you go cute or functional? Is there a theme? Ugh. No. Gift cards are easier.
The “We Need Big Stuff” Approach:
“Mommy-to-be kindly requests Target gift cards so Baby (name) can get furniture for his/her nursery.”
If I saw this in a baby shower invitation, I’d be like OH HELL YES. I’m all over this. Done.
I’ve done the whole friend group “let’s go in together on this $150 item” thing, and it’s not easy to coordinate. Asking everyone to pool gift cards is much less stressful for everyone involved.
The Straight-to-the-Point Approach:
“Don’t stress about buying a gift for Baby (name)! We’re asking for Target or Amazon gift cards only. We’ll handle all of the shopping. You just come enjoy cake and conversation!”
If you make the invite all about making your guests comfortable, no one will notice that you’re straight up just asking for money. There’s just something about directly asking for money that rubs people the wrong way even though they’re willing to hand over $50 to a Target cashier for a cart full of baby clothes just for you anyway. *shrugs*
What Baby Shower Games Can You Play at a Gift Card Shower?
Well you won’t be able to play anything that relies on the opening gifts part of a baby shower. So no baby shower bingo and the cute game is out. But you can always do fun printable games.
My favorite is a Mad-Libs style game where you ask the guests to fill in random funny words and then it makes a silly story. Whoever has the funniest answers wins.
I wrote one called “Tell Me About My Parents,” and it’s a letter to the baby about how (adjective) their parents are. lol It gets lots of laughs and many of the moms that played it at their shower keep the letters as keepsakes.
How Do You Feel about a Gift Card Baby Shower?
Are they too tacky or do you think it’s a good idea? Let me know in the comments below!
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