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Opening Gifts At The Baby Shower

Do you have to open the gifts at the party? I will have so many and it will take up so much time and I think it is a bore for people to sit and have to watch that? I don't want to be insulting if I don't, will they mind? thank you.

Our Answer:

Hi,

Thank you for your etiquette question. You are not going to like my answer, but the most polite thing to do is open the gifts during the baby shower. That is the whole point of the party. Believe it or not, most people love to pick out a gift and then see the joy and reactions the mom-to-be has while opening the present. Without the gift opening, as boring as it might seem, the baby shower would not be complete. And some people will be insulted at a party where gifts are not opened.

If you set up the gift opening with helpers, it will help it go by quickly. You can have someone to collect the wrapping paper, someone to hand the gifts and someone to write down the gifts and who they are from. Make sure you take the time to announce what each gift is, who gave it, and publicly thank each one as you open the gifts.

To help time pass quickly, you can also have the guests play gift bingo. They are each given a blank bingo card. They fill it in with items they think you will receive as presents. As each present is opened, they can mark off a square. The first one that gets a bingo wins a prize.

I hope that helps. Good luck with the baby shower!

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Comments for Opening Gifts At The Baby Shower

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Believe me
by: Anonymous

Opening gifts during a baby shower is the most boring experience ever. Do not torment your guests.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Yes, open gifts at Shower
by: Anonymous

I agree that the gifts should be open=ed at the shower. I look forward to seeing gifts opened and that's what most expect. I have no issue with replacing games with focusing more on honoring the mom to be, but I always look forward to watching gifts being opened.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		No opening of gifts
by: Anonymous

I think opening the gifts at the shower is outdated, tedious and boring to most guest. It takes up to much time and is really unnecessary. Baby gifts are being shipped to the mother to be home more and more now days should she haul them from the house to the shower and back home again?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My opinion on gifts
by: Stephanie

I agree that baby showers where the focus is on the mom-to-be and baby are very special. I love going to baby showers after the baby is born because guests are allowed to cuddle the sweet little one. But I think it is gracious to open gifts. While gifts are not opened at weddings, they are opened at the bridal shower, and the bridal shower is more comparable to the baby shower.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Opening gifts at the shower
by: Anonymous

I am having a couples shower for the prospective parents and am leaning toward not opening presents since the father does not want to and the mother does not know many of the guests very well. Should I reconsider?
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Don't open the gifts
by: Anonymous

Personally, I found this answer to be outdated.

Why is there this insistence on opening the gifts?

As a guest I find the gift opening part to be excessive and boring. As a past recipient of these showers, I found the gift opening to be tedious and long.

Do we open gifts at weddings? No, often the giver never even sees the gift as it's shipped directly to the bride and groom.

I would prefer to see less focus on the gifts and the silly games, and more focus on honoring the mother-to-be and the life transition she is going through. Honor the new life coming, and honor the way her life will change. She will become a mother. That's huge!

Games, dialog and themes that focus on that, and encourage the women to share their motherhood and baby stories, are much more meaningful and lovely.

While it's nice to see your gift opened, focusing on gifts for an hour or more isn't meaningful or special. It's rather sad really.

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