New baby shower trend avoids 'I hate people watching me open gifts' awkwardness
It also avoids group silences if your present isn't wrapped like it came from the Kardashians.
Pregnancy
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In news that might make you want to do a little happy dance, expectant mums are changing up their approaches to gifts at baby showers.
'Display Showers' are growing in popularity; where hosts encourage guests to bring their presents unwrapped, with simply have a tag identifying who it’s from.
The gifts are then 'displayed' in an arrangement where people can still see and talk about the products, but aren't held hostage to an hour of unwrapping, and pretend oohing over every item.
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What is a 'Display Shower'?
Babylist, a registry site for parents-to-be, recently surveyed users to understand what’s driving the trend. According to their research, skipping the public present opening takes the pressure off the mum-to-be, and gives guests more time to enjoy each other's company.
“I am pretty introverted and feel awkward opening so many gifts in front of everyone, but I know some people really love seeing all the baby stuff, so I thought this was a perfect way to please everyone,” a pregnant woman told the site.
Additionally, many parents shared they valued decreasing waste, and the costs associated with wrapping.
Respondents' main tip when it came to hosting a Display Shower? Be super clear on the invitation about naming gifts, but keep track of who brought what, in case anyone didn’t quite understand.
According to the survey, most mums found that the Display Shower was embraced by others, but a few encountered some resistance.
“All of the pushback was from older generations. I just explained why I was doing it and sometimes had to simply say because I didn’t want to,” one commented.
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"Nice to not sit through an hour of gift unwrapping"
In parenting groups on social media, we found that most are big fans of the display shower and recommend others follow suit.
“I went to one of these recently and it was actually really nice not having to sit through two hours of gift opening,” read one comment for example.
Another mum, who had recently hosted a Display Shower, shared the wording on her invitations:
“Please bring your gift without paper or bag, a bow is enough, along with this gift tag. Unwrapped presents are just as sweet, plus it gives us more time to mingle and eat.
"We'll display your gifts for all to see, and enjoy celebrating the mummy-to-be!”
Some did suggest that the name - Display Shower - could come across strangely, so opted for something different like “no-wrap shower”.
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Originally published as New baby shower trend avoids 'I hate people watching me open gifts' awkwardness
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