What if you don’t want to open all of your baby shower gifts in front of everyone? Well, you don’t have to! Just throw an unwrapped baby shower. Skip the gift opening and just have fun. Here’s how to plan the perfect unwrapped baby shower.
{This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.}
What is a Display Baby Shower or Unwrapped Baby Shower?
A display baby shower or unwrapped baby shower is very similar to a traditional baby shower. The main difference is that the new mom doesn’t sit and open each individual gift in front of the guests.
The gifts are brought to the party unwrapped and put on display so everyone can oooh and ahhh at their leisure.
Is an Unwrapped Baby Shower Right for You?
You might want to have an unwrapped baby shower for several reasons. The biggest reason is if you don’t want to do the traditional “gift opening ceremony” of baby showers.
My BFF absolutely HATES opening gifts in front of people. If you’re like her, you might want to just have your guests bring unwrapped gifts.
Huge guest list? Yep. Unwrapped gifts are the way to go. I’ve been to a baby shower with over 70 guests and it took the mommy-to-be about 2 hours to get through all of the gifts. Not exactly fun.
Even if your baby shower is relatively small, you might just want to skip the gift opening to spend more time chatting with friends and family. Especially if you don’t get to see them very often.
Pros and Cons of an Unwrapped Baby Shower
Pros:
- You don’t have to spend time opening your gifts, and you can enjoy your party.
- Everyone gets to take their time and look at all of the gifts on display rather than squinting from the back of the room.
- Your guests don’t have to worry about wrapping their gifts. No last minute trips to Walgreens to get a gift bag. (Me. This is me.)
- Your guests can hand you each gift as they arrive and you can personally thank them.
Cons:
- No gift opening ceremony. (Some people like this part of baby showers. I personally think this is a pro)
- You won’t get to play certain games like Baby Shower Bingo.
How to ask for Unwrapped Gifts at Your Baby Shower
Depending on how you plan to handle your gifts at your shower here are some examples of what to include on invitations to unwrapped baby showers:
“Don’t worry about gift bags or wrapping paper! We are kindly requesting that you bring any gifts unwrapped. We will display the gifts for everyone to see. Our gracious hosts will provide tags to show where each gift came from. Thank you!”
“(Mom’s name) kindly requests that any gifts come unwrapped. She will happily accept them as you enter, and we will display them on a table for everyone to see. Hope to see you there!”
I like to use the terms “kindly request” and “any gifts” because it’s a softer ask. “Jennifer wants you to bring unwrapped gifts” sounds off-putting. lol But if you use the term “any gifts” that sounds like bringing a gift isn’t required even though we all know it is.
Language is fun, isn’t it? Social events totally don’t give ANYONE anxiety, right? Said the person who stresses over every single word in an invitation for a week straight.
You can also just order pre-designed invitation inserts. You can customize these too.
How to display your unwrapped gifts at your baby shower
You have a few options to display your baby shower gifts.
Obviously, you’ll first need a space to display them. A table works well. You also might need some floor space for larger gifts. If you have the room for it, try to make your gift display out away from a wall so your guests can walk all the way around it. It makes it easier to view the gifts.
Clothes can be displayed by hanging them on a clothesline or just using hangers and a coat rack or something else that can hold hangers. You can lay them out on a table if you’d like. I personally think hanging up the clothes is a good idea. That’s what most people want to see anyway. They’re the star of the gifts.
You should designate a friend or family member to be the curator of the display. They’ll be in charge of making it all look pretty. You can have your friend accept the gifts as people walk in but it makes more sense if you as the mom-to-be accept them.
Accepting your unwrapped gifts
When your guests walk in with gifts, they can hand them to you and you can take a moment to thank them. I know a lot of people that get more satisfaction from handing a gift to a person personally rather than putting it in a pile and waiting for them to open it across the room. This is a more intimate way to accept a baby shower gift and will make your guest feel more appreciated!
Hand them over to your gift curator once you’re done, and she can attach a tag with the guest’s name so everyone knows where they came from. Tags are optional but a nice touch.
What do you think about Display Baby Showers?
Would you rather have unwrapped gifts at your shower? Would you prefer to attend a baby shower where the new mom doesn’t open her gifts?
Let me know in the comments below!
You also might like:
Pin for later:
Kira | A Better Life Lived says
This is an interesting idea! I’ve never been to. Baby shower like this. I’m torn on if I’d want it for myself, definitely some pros, but I’d be totally okay with it if I received an invitation requesting gifts be unwrapped!
Niki at Toot's Mom is Tired says
I didn’t have a display shower but I like the idea of it. I hate wrapping gifts. Lol
Holly says
Yes! This is exactly what I need to do. I hate opening presents in front of people. This is such a good idea.
Mary Anne says
I hosted a display shower for our daughter in law and son. It was perfect. I had tags to place o each gift that the guest signed. We had Clothesline and a cozy rack to display clothes. The soon to be parents and guests had time to visit.
Judy says
I like the traditional Shower. It’s a great time to put all of the attention on the mom to be.
Beth says
I’m trying to figure out which way to go on this, as the mom-to-be will be flying home, so many gifts may be sent to her and not available for unwrapping OR display. I love the environmentally friendly aspect of the display shower, though!
Elizabeth says
I had a large unwrapped Jack and Jill shower for my first son in 2018 and I loved it! Gave me time to visit with everyone and also we had a few games with prizes like guess how big moms belly is and the guests had to cut a piece of yarn and wrap it around me to see if they were right! So that was fun haha! It was a great party and the gift display table was beautiful! I do not like being the center of attention at all and didn’t have a wedding shower for this reason so I was happy their was an alternative way to have a shower!
Cathy says
I was at a display shower and there was never an opportunity to view the gifts. Any suggestions how to get each table up to view?
Niki at Toot's Mom is Tired says
You can make little platform shelves with boxes in the center to hold smaller items. If you have room, put it where people can view from all sides.