Everyone who’s ever been to a baby shower knows the drill. The parent-to-be sits front and centre, unwrapping each gift while a chorus of “Awww!” echoes around the room. It’s sweet. It’s sentimental. It’s also painfully slow.
Cue the display baby shower — a modern twist on tradition where gifts arrive unwrapped, are beautifully showcased on a table, and the dreaded unwrapping marathon is skipped entirely. Guests get more time to mingle, mums-to-be avoid the spotlight, and the vibe is less “sit and smile” and more “snack and socialise.” But not everyone’s sold on it…
What a Display Baby Shower, Anyway?
Instead of the typical gift opening marathon, a display baby shower invites guests to skip the gift wrap entirely. Gifts are brought as-is, tagged, and arranged beautifully for all to see, kind of like a boutique baby store exploded across your living room.
It’s modern, it’s efficient, and it’s causing a low key divide between generations faster than you can say “gender neutral onesie.”
So Let’s Talk About The Pros – Why It’s Catching On
1. Saves Time and Trees
You know that part of the baby shower where everyone watches the mum-to-be unwrap 47 swaddles while saying “Aww, how cute” on repeat? Yeah, we’re skipping that.
A display shower cuts out the slow, painstaking unwrap-a-thon and lets guests actually socialise. It’s faster, less awkward, and honestly, more fun.
Bonus, less wrapping paper means less waste. Your recycling bin and the planet both thank you.
2. Photo Ready Aesthetic
Instagram mums, rejoice. A wall of colour coordinated baby gifts? That’s prime content darling. No crinkled paper, no awkward box battles — just beautifully arranged baby gear ready for its grid debut.
Let’s face it, a sleek nappy bag and a matching bottle set displayed on a rustic trestle table is much more photogenic than a mountain of torn paper and sweaty unwrapping chaos.
3. No More Performance Pressure
Not everyone loves being the centre of attention for two straight hours while opening gifts in front of a crowd. Display baby showers are perfect for introverted mums who’d rather avoid the oohs and ahhs that come with every opened bunny rug.
Now, The Cons – Why It’s Ruffling Feathers
1. Where’s the Surprise?!
Some guests live for that gift opening moment. They want to see the exact moment you unwrap the hooded baby towel they spent 40 minutes choosing at Baby Bunting. Taking away the unwrapping can feel anticlimactic, like skipping to the end of a movie and missing the fun.
2. It Can Feel Impersonal
Unwrapping gifts is a ritual, a tiny show of appreciation in real time. Without it, some guests feel their efforts are reduced to a tag on a table. And let’s be real, some of them are already salty that you put a 300 dollar car seat on your registry. No gift opening might push them over the edge.
3. Older Generations Are Not Impressed
For Grandma Pat and Auntie Bev, skipping the unwrapping is basically sacrilege. You’ll hear words like lazy, rude, and ungrateful faster than a toddler takes their nappy off during nap time. And if you’re in a multi generational guest list scenario, be prepared for side eyes and passive aggressive comments like, “Well, we used to open gifts at our showers…”
So, Should You Do It?
If you’re all about minimal fuss, photo ready vibes, and ditching outdated traditions, then a display baby shower could be your new love language. But if you’re worried about offending Cousin Janice or want to honour the more traditional feel good moments, maybe think twice.
Or better yet — compromise.
Have a few select gifts opened during the shower, maybe from close family or sentimental items, and let the rest be displayed. Add a cute note on the invite explaining the format so guests know what to expect,
“In lieu of wrapping, please display your gift with love — so we can admire them all at once”
Final Word, You Do You Mama
At the end of the day, it’s your baby, your shower, your call. The goal is to celebrate a new life and support the mum-to-be — whether that’s done with a bow, without a bow, or with an entire baby bath full of tissue paper.
Just know this, no matter how the gifts arrive, someone’s always going to forget the card
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