Baby Shower Gifts: What to Choose (and What to Skip)

Baby Showers Put Guests in a Tricky Spot

Baby showers have become common practice, often held a few weeks before the due date.

For guests, it's a particular exercise: the baby isn't born yet, the name or sex may still be unknown, and the mother-to-be has often already received several onesies and packs of nappies through her registry.

Finding a baby shower gift that stands out, without tipping into gimmick territory, takes a bit of thought.

Avoiding the Duplicate Trap

The number-one risk with a baby shower gift is showing up as the fourth copy of the same thing.

Newborn clothes, bibs, soft toys: these are often the most common gifts, and so the ones most likely to duplicate.

A quick message to whoever's organising the event — usually a close friend or family member — can avoid this, especially if a gift registry already exists.

Remembering the Mother-to-Be, Not Just the Baby

A baby shower celebrates the baby's arrival just as much as the woman about to become a mother.

A soothing treatment, a prenatal massage session, a basket of nice things to enjoy in the last weeks of pregnancy: these gestures aimed at the mum are often fewer in number than baby gifts, and so particularly appreciated.

A Gift That Doesn't Need to Know the Baby's Name

Many parents-to-be only reveal the name at birth, which complicates the idea of a personalised gift during the shower itself.

A simple solution: give a gift voucher or a card to be personalised later, once the baby has arrived and the name is known.

It's a way to plan ahead for a genuinely personalised birth gift, without rushing before the one thing that actually matters — the name — is settled.

A Personalised Book, Ordered Right After the Announcement

A book personalised with the baby's name obviously can't be given during the shower if the name is still a secret.

But nothing stops you from announcing, on the day, your intention to give this gift as soon as the name is known — a nice way to stretch the baby shower's warmth all the way to the baby's very first days, without any rush.

Baby Shower Gift Ideas That Go Beyond the Obvious

• A blanket or crib bumper in natural fabric, in a soft shade rather than the usual white or pale pink.
• An illustrated poster to fill in later, once the name and birth date are known.
• A basket of treats for the mum: skincare, herbal teas, a scented candle, something just for her.
• A pregnancy guestbook, where guests leave a note for the baby to come.
• A voucher for a personalised book, to redeem once the baby is born and named.

A Reasonable Budget, No Pressure

There's no set amount for a baby shower gift: £15-40 is plenty for most guests, more for a group gift among close friends or family.

A well-chosen gift, even a modest one, often matters more than an expensive but impersonal one.

The Right Instinct: Think Beyond the Day Itself

A baby shower is celebrated in an afternoon, but the object you give can have a much longer life.

Choosing a gift that will still make sense months later — rather than a party accessory quickly discarded — is also a way of stretching that day well beyond its own memory.

For a gift to give right after the name is announced, explore our personalised books and put together a dedication in a few minutes, as soon as the baby arrives.