5 Baby Shower Gift Ideas

I felt so spoilt when a friend organised a small baby shower get together the week before AJ was born, it’s not often (at least in my experience) that Baby #2 receives such special attention, and it was nice to take some time out of the nesting frenzy to sit, chat and enjoy morning tea with some wonderful mama friends. I received some really precious and thoughtful gifts when both Immy and AJ were born (as well as being someone who loves to buy gifts for new bubbas) and thought I would share five of my favourite ideas for baby shower gifts…

5 baby shower gift ideas

5 BABY SHOWER GIFT IDEAS

1. Picture Books: My favourite gift to give at baby showers, especially for #1 babies, is picture books. Reading is so important to child development and good quality books truly keep on giving for years to come. I generally choose a selection of well known titles as well as books my small girl has loved for the expanding family to enjoy together. Some of my favourites include;

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? or The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
  • Who Sank the Boat? or either of the Grandpa and Thomas titles by Pamela Allen
  • Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
  • Hairy Macleary from Donaldson’s Dairy by Lynley Dodd
  • Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss
  • Where is the Green Sheep? or Time for Bed by Mem Fox
  • Any of the Maisy books by Lucy Cousins
  • A selection of the ‘When I’m Feeling…’ books by Trace Moroney

Alternatively, you might like to gift an illustrated collection of fairy tales or nursery rhymes or a classic series, like the stories of The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, for the family to enjoy once bubs is a little older.

2. Handmade: I love the thoughtfulness of a handmade gift and have so many talented, creative friends ~ AJ has received some beautifully sewn gifts and a painted canvas, and my grandmother is crocheting a special something for the nursery. If you can sew, embroider, draw, paint, collage, knit or crochet then why not use your skills to make a perfectly unique gift.

3. Pledge a meal: This is one I struggle to give (I am such an unconfident cook) but love to receive! Providing a meal takes the pressure off both the new mama and papa for a night which is sure to be appreciated at a time when both are likely to be tired and eating well is so important.

4. Feeding basket: What about a basket of goodies for the new mama to enjoy during the long hours of sitting still and feeding?!?! Suggestions to include (depending upon what she likes, of course) ~ her favourite TV series on DVD (thanks to my friend Danimezza for this fantastic suggestion), a pile of glossy mags related to her interests, a novel (maybe something light and easy to read), a selection of easy to eat and nutritious snacks (some nice crackers and cheeses or dips, fresh seasonal fruit, nuts and seeds, muesli bars, dried fruit, etc), a pretty, refillable water bottle, burp cloth, breast pads, a pretty scarf to use as a breastfeeding cover, nursing bracelet, notebook and pen, an iTunes gift card.

5. Cleaner: An extravagance most definitely but perfect from a large group of friends or work colleagues, a voucher for a month’s worth of weekly visits by a cleaner has to be the ultimate gift for a newly expanded family. I was so fortunate to receive this as a gift from my colleagues and some of my clients when Immy was born and I can’t tell you what a difference it made, especially once my Mum who was staying with us returned home and Dad 101 returned to work and I was learning to negotiate full time motherhood alone.

What are your favourite baby shower gifts to give?

19 Comments

  1. Hi I love all your suggestions, a cleaner and meals are brilliant and much appreciated especially at this special, yet overwhelming time. Who needs to waste time on chores! I also love to give, and receive, artwork or a gift certificate to buy some. It is something you may not buy yourself but if it is good quality can last for years and make the room so special. A real keepsake for the child and family for years to come.

  2. This is more of a “drop by to visit the newborn” gift than a shower gift, I think…but one of the best gifts I received was a gift card to a 24-hour drugstore chain. In those newborn days we were always running out to buy random things, from extra menstrual pads to nipple shields to diapers.

  3. We have a much loved photo book for my son that has pictures of all of his family. I will be making them to shower family babies.

    A coupon book (meal, load of laundry done and folded, baby cooed over while mama showers etc) is another grand idea from a close friend.

  4. Marcela Alfaro Rivera says:

    For my sister and close friend I made a special pack. It included;
    Cotton tips/ Colton balls
    Saline
    Nasal spray n sucker
    Vicks palm
    Panadol
    Teething gel
    Thermometer
    Nail clippers
    Hair brush/comb
    Baby oil.
    Things that you don’t really think of until your in a pickle. I remember the first time my son had a fever and was teething and I had nothing.

  5. Lots of great suggestions Christie and glad to hear you and bub are being spoilt. i like to give friends a meal where I can but I love your suggestion above for the month of cleaning!! What a wonderful idea. I’m a huge fan of giving books too 🙂

  6. Like all your ideas.
    I like giving a good quality baby nightie – neutral colours if you don’t know if boy or girl. Nighties are great for those nappy changes at night and can be hard to find in the chain stores. And babies look so cute in them!
    Or my other suggestion is a subscription to the Australian Breastfeeding Association – joining up before you have a baby is a fantastic way to prepare for breastfeeding.

  7. Books are also one of my favorites Christie. My list at the moment includes: Ten Little Fingers by Mem Fox, Guess How Much I Love You, Peepo, Dear Zoo, Where is the Green Sheep.

  8. Margaret Elvis says:

    That special something is approaching completion. Pop says it is ‘very pretty’ so it must be as he seldom comments on such things. Give me another week or so and it should be ready and I am hoping you are going to like it. xx

  9. Books & meals are what I usually give, but WOW! A group gift of a cleaning service would be amazing, especially for baby #2, when people already have most of the “stuff” they need. Great suggestion!

  10. Looks like I had points 1 and 2 covered 😉 But I agree, the idea of a cleaning service is pure genius, love it! Hope all is well with you. xx

  11. Cath@leafjournals says:

    Adding to the book list… Ten Little Fingers by Mem Fox, Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, We’re going on a Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen and Sometimes I like to curl up in a ball by Vicki Churchill. All available as board books and certainly great favourites here.

    Also, really really good hand cream will never go astray. You never realise how much you need it until you’ve had a little one.

    And yes, cleaning is a much better choice than even babysitting. We received a voucher for babysitting and didn’t use it until it was almost expired, but cleaning…

  12. Pingback: Unique Handmade Baby Gifts Ideas
  13. Hi Christie, these are a brilliant range of gift ideas – I especially like the ‘feeding basket’, it’s always bound to go down well! Especially filled with foods she’s kept away from during her pregnancy… We always find personalised gifts are a good idea too, they make great keepsake gifts! Thank you for sharing x

  14. Hey I think the carseat canopy cover is a great gift idea. My aunt had a baby and she bought one a few months ago for $60 but I just bought one for a gift for someone and for a limited time they are doing a promo code deal (Im not sure how long they are doing it for). I used this link and the promo code pink1 and I only paid shipping (which came out to about $13). I just thought I would let anyone having a baby or who wants one for a gift for someone know, it’s a good deal and they are really nice.
    http://www.carseatcanopy.com

  15. Ring Wrapper for mom so her ring won’t scratch baby when she is changing a diaper…

  16. Just in time when I have to attend a friend’s baby shower. I was looking for some good ideas, feeding basket sounds like so much fun. I might just go with that. Thanks!

  17. Great post. I think a Nappy Cake of some variation is a fantastic gift, it has everything a mother needs for when the baby is born and if constructed nicely makes a fabulous centre peice in a shower. I personally bought mine from Dinkytoes (www.dinkytoes.com) for my sisters shower, they have such a huge range of designs, good customer service and very good prices!

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