Baby Shower Gift Ideas: Useful and Unique Gifts for Baby and Mom

If you’ve been invited to a baby shower but aren’t sure of perfect baby shower gift ideas, you aren’t alone. But one of the great things about attending this kind of party is that the hard work of thinking up those ideas has already been done for you! Almost every parent-to-be who’s having a shower thrown for them will have created a baby registry—a list of precisely what items they want to help raise their baby. Ask the baby shower host where your guest of honor is registered, and the gift ideas will present themselves. If you still need some inspiration, read on for baby shower gift ideas for girls, boys, and even moms (it’s about time!).

Baby Shower Gift Ideas for Girls

So here’s the thing about baby boys and baby girls. Generally, they need the same things! Babies need the same diapers, bottles, and specialized infant laundry detergent.

Here are a few common items found on baby registries that you can buy in pink or with “girl” patterns:

Onesies
Baby socks
Stuffed animals
Swaddle sacks
Pacifier clips
Sippy cups

Headbands and head wraps are also popular for baby girls so their little cue ball heads won’t get them mistaken for boys.

If you’re giving clothes, consider adding a bottle of Ivory Snow detergent—it’s the #1 pediatrician-recommended baby detergent brand, so it’s a great baby shower gift idea for girls or boys.

Baby shower gift ideas: a box with toys and baby clothes

Baby Shower Gift Ideas for Boys

Just like baby girls, baby boys need a lot of non-gender-specific items for feeding, diapering, bathing, laundry, and more. Check the parent-to-be’s baby registry for the items they really want, but here are a few suggestions for items you can pick up in boy-specific colors or patterns:

Footie pajamas
Crib sheets
Board books
Swaddle blankets
Sun hat
Bibs

Don’t forget to include gentle, hypoallergenic Ivory Snow Laundry Detergent with your gift, whether you’re buying for a girl or a boy.

DIY Baby Shower Gift Ideas

If you’re a crafty or artsy type or just not a fan of giving gifts you can find at any superstore, you can create some nifty DIY baby shower gifts. One idea is a themed basket with multiple gifts—like a basket filled with classic board books for a future reader or a laundry hamper with Ivory Snow Laundry Detergent, stain remover, and baby-size hangers tucked inside.

If you have any artistic talent (or, barring that, the ability to laugh at your horrendous attempts at art), a fun DIY baby shower gift idea is to get a pack of plain white onesies and some fabric markers, then spend some time decorating the onesies with mottoes and inside jokes that speak to the parents-to-be. A onesie with a faux jersey for the local sports team or a smiling poop emoji will give the parents a laugh whenever the baby wears it.

Sometimes your hobbies and skill set will point you in the direction of a DIY baby shower gift idea:

If you live for the fiber arts, a hand-crocheted receiving blanket is a no-brainer.
If you’ve got a talent for graphic design, a custom name sign for the nursery door would be a thoughtful gift.
If you love to cook, you could put together a week’s worth of freezer-ready meals to make dinnertime one less thing the new family needs to worry about.

Unique Baby Shower Gifts

When it comes to baby showers, “unique” can be hard to come by—and that’s OK! There’s a reason why the same gifts are given at baby showers over and over again—they’re the essentials babies need. But if you simply must switch things up, here are some unique baby shower gift ideas for you:

Baby bottle sampler: Search for a box offering one of each of the most popular baby bottle brands—or make your own!
Keepsake journal: Offer something that will allow parents to document baby’s milestones throughout the first year.
Nursing cover: It’s a car seat cover; it’s a wearable cover for nursing; it’s a stylish infinity scarf. If it were any more versatile, it would raise the baby itself.
Custom wine labels: From “lost the baby weight” to “date night,” these cheeky labels will remind moms-to-be to celebrate the little things. Search Etsy or Amazon for a design you like, then paste the labels onto the mom’s favorite vintage.

Baby Shower Gift Ideas for Moms

So many people think baby showers are just for the baby. And, OK, honestly, they are—but the mom-to-be is there, too, probably not in the most comfortable stage of her life, and if you are looking for a baby shower gift idea that’s just for mom, that’s very thoughtful! When thinking baby shower gifts for moms, think comfort and relaxation. Here are a few gift ideas to get you started.

Bath products
Scented candles
Nice sleep mask
Herbal tea (especially for pregnancy symptoms or milk production)
Gift card for a maternity massage
Compact snacks for quick energy when the baby comes: protein bars, trail mix, etc.

Mom’s also going to be having a lot of late-night awake time nursing or comforting the newborn. A battery backup for her cell phone or an extra-long charging cord to plug it into the wall could be a thoughtful gift she doesn’t even know she needs yet.

Frequently Asked Questions about Baby Shower Gifts

Anything on the future mom’s baby registry is an appropriate choice—those are items she’s specifically asking for to help her take care of her baby. If you deviate from the list, gift cards to baby stores, grocery stores, or all-purpose superstores are good choices to help the mom-to-be.
The most obvious answer is cash or a gift card to one of the stores where the mom-to-be set up a baby registry. The second most obvious answer is something unglamorous and consumable; something you can never have too much of—think disposable diapers or Ivory Snow Laundry Detergent. Combine them by taping a gift card to the side of an Ivory Snow Stage 1: Newborn Liquid Detergent.
Generally, a baby shower goody bag will include fun items like candy, small candles, and travel-size bath products. The host might also choose products based around the baby shower theme, like Cracker Jack for a sports-themed baby shower.
It depends on how well you know the mom-to-be and how much you can afford. Fifteen to 30 dollars is a reasonable price range for people with less discretionary income; if you have more to spend, $40–50 average and $75¬–100 for a best friend or sister. Older and more well-established family members sometimes spend hundreds on baby furniture and other big-ticket essentials.

Narrowing down all your baby shower gift ideas can seem overwhelming, but just remember that the purpose of a baby shower is to give the new parents everything they need to start raising their baby. A gift from the baby registry or a gift card might seem boring, but it’s exactly what the parents-to-be need.

(If for some reason there’s no registry for this shower, check out our baby registry checklist, which will take you through the essentials that are on most baby registries and hopefully give you some ideas for baby shower gifts.)