Baby Showers - San Rafael,CA

Hi S.,

I had quite a few people at my shower and get a little embarrassed opening gifts in front of people, but that said a shower is one of those times where everyone wants to see the gifts and 'ooh' and 'ahh'. What I did for mine was have someone hand me gifts to keep the process moving and my friend wrote everything down. Right before we started, I announced that I was opening gifts, but feel free to keep eating, chatting, whatever. That way the people who wanted to see me open gifts could sit closer and enjoy and the others were able to finish eating, etc. Hopefully, the mama-to-be can just enjoy the moment! Besides, there's always at least one very special/sentimental gift that is opened and it's so nice for everyone to enjoy it :)

I never knew this was an issue. I want to see the person open the gift I give. I would not want some gifts to be open and some not open. I am interested in what others say regarding this subject.

At my daughters baby shower it was huge and she opened them later after everybody left. The only ones she opened was in private when the person wanted them to open it before they left and they went off to the side and opened it. But my daughters inlaws are thieves and by her not opening them her inlaws would not know what was in the packages and it was less likely for them to rip her off.

I think people do like to see their gift being opened and acknowledged. I also agree with the "assembly line" method of gift opening (we did this at my huge wedding shower and it really helped).
Person #1: Make sure they have scissors and have them "pre-open" the gifts...cut off ribbons and bows (they always seem to take too long), open cards and have them ready, even start ripping the wrapping paper. They hand all to you.
After you open and show it around, have Person #2 repacking all the gifts as compactly as possible.
Person #3 should write down all the gifts (in case cards get separated from the gifts as they inevitably do).
If possible, Person #4 helping with all the trash.

Have fun! And make sure you have a big enough car or a couple of cars to help haul your loot home!!!

We always do "baby shower bingo". You can make your own sheets with just squares. Then when people get there you tell them to fill squares with gifts they think Mommy will get. Then as Mommy opens the gifts they check off the squares if the item is on there. When they get a bingo they get a prize. It keeps them interested and if you have 2-3 bingo winners it's always fun.
But I like to see all the gifts Mommy gets regardless of how long it takes. If your sister in law doesn't want to hang out then let her leave....

I can just tell you how I feel. When I buy something that I think is special for that mom to be, I want to see her open it to see if she loves it just as well as I did. I guess it sounds selfish, but it's your special day and you should do what you feel is right. Congrats and it only gets better!!! Kids are a gift from the Lord!!

I am not sure if I am too late to comment, but honey, this is your shower. Most of the time, you serve cake and open presents at the same time and if guests need to leave, they will. If people are upset, that is their issue and you should open every gift and take as long as you want, Just my opinion.

Hi S.,

I had two big baby showers when I was pregnant -- one on the East Coast and one here on the West. So I know how you feel. I agree with many of the responders who say a shower is exactly for everyone to ooh and aah and see you open all the gifts. BUT, as it can get long, I found it worked really well to have some gift-related games DURING the opening. One was a simple timer that went off at a random time. Whoever's gift was being opened at the time got a prize. Another is baby gift BINGO, where each person gets a different game board (piece of paper) of typical baby gift items. Whoever gets a row filled in first gets their choice of prizes, and the next person, and the next, and so on. That gives the guests a couple fun additional reasons to pay attention to the opening. If there will be lots and lots of gifts, have the game boards be 7x7 squares (or more) instead of 5x5 in regular BINGO. And I also think it's good to let people snack during the process, too. And I agree with having 3 gift helpers: a gift grabber, a note taker, and a gift-taker/trash remover. Hope that helps!

Hi S.. I had about 30+ gifts to open at my baby shower and I think you should open all of them. Each of your guest want to see you open the gift they brought for you. To keep everyone happy and entertain the coordinator should play some type of game like baby bingo with lots of prizes. That way the guests are eager to win and won't be bored as you enjoy opening your gifts. We did this for my shower and it went smooth. Congrats on your new baby!

In the MidWest wedding and baby showes are done at halls with catering, a head table, a receiving line, etc, etc... you get the idea. Gifts are done at the head table with a team of helpers and the guest of honor usually says thank you and holds up the gift for everyone to see. Open half of them while folks are munching on appetizers and the other half while they're eating cake - or only during the cake if the appetizers will be eaten standing. Enjoy!

I had a shower of about 50 women. I had so many gifts I had to take breaks opening them.. I also had help. One person handing them to be, i'd open and another person packing them back up. We played games while I opened my gifts. So my guest were kept busy but could watch if they wanted. It worked well...

Yes, I second the idea to do the gift BINGO during the opening, and other related games as a break between opening gifts. One that I thought was fun at a recent shower, was for the host to buy/collect various small baby items (pacifiers, bibs, bottles, burp cloths, toys, etc.) Maybe 10-15 or so. She should write a list of the items, and how much they cost. Then the guests are given a list of the same items, and are shown each item one at a time. Then they are required to guess what each item costs, like in "the Price is Right." Then after each gift is held up for everyone to write down their estimated price, they have to total up their list, and whoever gets closest to the "actual retail price" wins a prize. It's fun to see how some moms know exactly what things cost, and other guests have no idea. :-) And definitely serve cake during the gift-opening too. Have fun, and don't worry about the amount of gifts or the time it takes. That's the joy of a shower, and guests expect to see all the cute presents!

P.S. Another helpful tip is to have the host invite each guest to self-address an envelope to a thank-you note as they arrive. It's a nice "gift" to the mom-to-be to have a jump start on the thank-you notes.

I have always liked the gift bingo game and I also always save the cake for during the present opening. I think between the 2 everyone will be happy. I also agree that everyone wants to see you open and appreciate their gift and also enjoy ohhing at other special gifts. Hope this helps.

Umm it will take long, I had a shower with about 70 ppl... however, many guests expect you to open their gift....
so.......... we basically went thru them and quickly. I had two ppl helping, one who handed me the gift and said who it was from, I opened it, acknowledged them and handed it to the 3rd person who wrote down in a notebook what they gave me so I could send a thank you. believe it or not, we got thru ALL the gifts fairly quickly... however, I would suggest that if you do it, start when THEY are having dessert, don't wait until you are finished. may sound like oh, but it's my party I want that tasty dessert, true.. but well, compromise.. eat lunch, then open gifts..you can have your cake and eat it too, later.. so to speak.. :) hahah
Had I been the one to eat dessert and then open, all my guests would have just been sitting there staring at me.. so do it while they are enjoying dessert/coffee/tea...

Greetings S.,
As the mother of 5, and a Grandmother and having been to what seems like a million baby showers I really wanted to respond to what you were told -- because I believe it is very short sighted of her.
Baby Showers are a time for rejoiceing and yes making fun of one another, laughter and for those who have had children to relive some special? moments of being pregnant and giving birth.
The last shower I attended there were about 40 people. We had a great buffet, then 2 games, then while people ate cake the gifts were opened. There were really cute items and some tender tears as Great Grandmothers had made blankets and others gave gifts that were treasures of love that will be treasured for generations. I have also been to disorganized showers that were in the end fun. I along with my daughter in laws sisters gave her a shower that brought all the women in both families together and some had not spoken for years.
So it is very short sighted to think no one will want you to spend time with the gifts becasue it's just fun to see what each person thought special enough to bring( and get ideas for the next one you get invited to).
Guests are not like little children they will infact talk to one another and make new friends and like me may find someone that I'd never heard of when I told her where I lived turned out she had grown up next door to my husband's family and could tell me stories of him as a child! So my dear keep up with the excitement and just enjoy yourself and let the new mom have her sppecial day and be sure to take lots of pictures for her and the father and don't let anyone ruin it for you. Nana Glenda

Hello S.,

This is still the joke with some of my friends. I had a baby shower with over 40 quests and I was having boy/girl twins. So you can imagine how many gifts I got. I opened all of them. A coupel of friends left in the middle, they have no kids and are not into the whole kid thing. Everyone else stayed. It was long and I had intermission HAHA I got hungry in the middle of it.

I say this is your time enjoy it and open the presents. I think over all everyone has a good time, the gifts are so cute and precious. Maybe play a game during it. Have someone place a sticker on one of the gifts at random and when you come across that gift that person get a prize. Just an idea.

Congrats and Good Luck,
M

Dear S.,
I agree with letting people have their dessert and coffee while you open your gifts. I have been to showers with LOTS of people, and everyone enjoys getting to see all the cute baby things. That's part of the fun.

Have a great time!

Hi S.,

Lots of great suggestions...I especially like Erica and Bunny's. Make sure your coordinator or designated person takes note of who sent what and perhaps can address the thank you note envelopes in advance, so you can get a jump on them.

Congratulations on the coming of your baby!

Blessings......

Hi S.,

We had a large baby shower and I felt the same way; it was not my comfort zone. Also we had twins, so there were plenty of presents to open. I waited too long thinking I would not open them all in front of everybody, but after the party ended I wish I had started earlier. Many people went home sad not to see the presents opened, and others stayed later than they planned to watch me open them. I realized it is fun for people to see the baby gifts, and I always want to see mine opened at other people's gatherings. It's always more uncomfortable to receive than give. At least for me. But it's fun for your guests to see all the baby things! Have fun with it. It only happens once.

I attended a baby shower where the hostess requested the gifts not to be wrapped. The gifts were displayed with little cards attached identifying the giver. During the shower, between food courses or dessert, all the guests (about 60) were invited to view the gifts, ooh and ahh whatever. Many conversations occurred between otherwise strangers about the adorable gifts. It was a great warming activity. The large group didn't feel that large at all. The mother to be also mingled, stress free, with her guests, expressing delight.

Because of our large family, my first baby shower was huge and I had many presents. I had a few younger cousins helping me out and keeping notes, and we paused for a game about half-way through, but mostly my cousins just made sure that whoever's gift was being opened was paying attention and everyone else chatted. You don't specify if it is you opening the gifts or if the shower is for someone else, but I say go with your gut feeling about the gifts: if it is a family thing and everyone gets along, most won't mind just hanging out. If it is more formal, maybe skip the opening gifts until the guests have gone...

The other responders had great advice as far as opening during dessert. I've also been to showers where the gift opening was split up a little too so everyone doesn't get bored. (Open a few gifts, play a game, open a few more gifts, etc). I like gift opening to be near the end of the event so people can leave if they don't want to sit through it.

I had a very large baby shower, and opening the gifts took forever. As the one opening, I didn't really notice, but everyone else did. By the time we were done people were ready to go and we had no time for games!
I realized afterward that we should have played a game every 5 presents or so.

Baby shower gifts are a big deal, and most of them are unusually generous. Everyone wants to see you open all of them. Perhaps have your mother/sister/best friend open them at the same time as you to save on time. I wish I had thought of this BEFORE :(

p.s. Having someone else write down what was from who was AMAZING and made the Thank You's super quick and easy!
~S.

I can sympathize!!! I LOVE opening gifts, but I was overwhelmed when I walked in the door and the saw the enormity of the task in front of me. I was concerned not only for my guests getting bored, but I wanted to visit with everyone, and opening gifts was going to take away from that. It took almost an hour and a half of someone handing them to me, a different woman writing down who got what, and yet another taking the gift and putting it back on the table!!!! My MIL did a couple games while I was opening, and everyone ate their dessert, or more lunch. They talked, visited, and laughed while half paying attention to the opening. However, EVERYONE expects gifts to be opened, as many want to see your reaction to what they bought for you and/or baby. Just relax and have fun!!!

I see lots of good ideas here. If the shower is really big with a lot of gifts, why not just compact everything into the gift opening time, and begin it as soon as most guests have arrived? Hand out the dessert and let the guests eat while you are opening. Then have a couple of games that go along with watching the gift opening. I liked the gift bingo game and am sure with a little research or ingenuity you can come up with another game or two that will fit right in with gift opening time. Be sure you get a chance to stop once or twice during the gift opening so you can eat your dessert too! I'm also remembering that one very important 'break' that most expectant mommies tend to need... the potty break! Another thing to consider is that you may want to find out if anyone needs to leave early and make sure their gift is opened while they are there.
Have fun and enjoy the time. Your friends are attending because they care about you, so be sure you don't stress so much over the mechanics of gift opening that you don't get time to enjoy chatting with the friends. This is also something you can incorporate with the opening. It might take a little longer, but if you chat with the gift giver as you open her gift, that will help you get in your conversation and show your appreciation at the same time.

Hi S.,
Congratulations on your new baby. I've been to many baby showers, and one of the best parts is the opening of the gifts. It's always fun to see the cute little things people give. I'm wondering if your sister-in-law has any children yet. If not her remark makes more sense. Don't let her comment ruin your day. The day is about celebrating your child and it's not your responsibility to entertain your friends. Just being together and getting to have yummy food and conversation is enough. You might let your sister-in-law know that she is free to leave whenever she needs to, that you won't be offended. Shake off her negativity and have a blast!!!

Hi S.,

Opening the gifts is part of the shower--even if it's over 30 gifts! At my shower my sisters passed out cake and dessert. It worked out great! Enjoy your shower and the upcoming baby!

S.,

My opinion is that IT'S A SHOWER and the whole point of the gathering is SHOWERING someone with love and gifts! It can be overwhelming for the recipient at large showers but there are ways to make it fun (we had little ones at my shower and they had fun "delivering" the gifts etc) And guests not only want to see their gift being opened but are just happy to chat, eat, drink and enjoy during the festivities! Have fun!

Recruit three helpers for the gift opening process (and do this before the shower so they aren't taken by surprise)... one to pull the gifts together and hand them over to be opened, one to take away the wrapping and organize the opened gifts, and one to write down what the gift is and who it is from. I found that if you only have one or two helpers, things can get backed up quickly. Also have the guest of honor just hold each gift up to be viewed and avoid passing them around, as that can eat up a lot of time and distract guests from paying attention to guest of honor. You can always put the opened gifts out on a table to be checked out afterwards. If you are serving food buffet-style, you might want to just have the guest of honor and the three helpers go first so they can eat quickly and then start opening presents while the other guests are still eating. That makes a good excuse to not pass the gifts around and to view them up close later. Besides, guests are happier after they have eaten, as long as they haven't been there a long time already (so try to save the games for after food and gifts, and start the food right away and avoid a long period of chatting and visiting before the food is served.)