Baby Shower Gifts, Starting With the Registry

By the Gift DeskUpdated October 17, 202621 hand-picked ideas

Three easy answers

Best group giftVideo Baby Monitor~$60
Most personalBaby Time Capsule Keepsake Box~$35
Under $15Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss~$9

A baby shower is one of the few parties where the guest of honor has told everyone, quite precisely, what they’d like. That list was made with care, often after weeks of reading reviews at midnight, and it’s the first place to look. Going off-registry with a surprise can be lovely, but it can also mean a second bouncer in a one-bedroom apartment.

This guide is built around that. It opens with a few words on how to use the registry well, then covers the practical things that are often still unclaimed the week of the shower, books for the baby’s first shelf, keepsakes worth bringing to the party, cheap add-ons to tuck in with the main gift, and a short section for the parents themselves.

If the baby has already arrived, see our guide to gifts for new parents, which focuses on food, sleep and help. For toys and presents as the child grows, try gifts for babies, which is sorted by age, and for a baby due before the holidays, Christmas gifts for baby.

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Start with the registry

Buy from the registry if one exists, and buy early. The best-value items and the small essentials go first; latecomers are often left with the stroller or the crib, which are too expensive for most single guests. If that happens, team up with a few other guests and split one big item, or give a gift card to the store hosting the registry. Many registries offer a completion discount after the shower, so a card helps the parents buy the remaining big pieces for less.

If you want to add something personal, keep it small and pair it with a registry gift rather than replacing it. And if you’re shipping to the home, mark it as purchased yourself if the site doesn’t do it automatically, so the parents don’t end up with two of the same breast pump. For a second or third baby, where there may be a smaller "sprinkle" instead of a full shower, consumables like diapers, wipes and meals matter more than new gear.

Know exactly who it’s for?

The useful things nobody claims

Every registry has items that sit there unbought until the last minute, usually because they’re unglamorous. They’re also the things parents need on the first day home, which makes them some of the most appreciated gifts at the shower.

Check sizes and versions against the registry if one is listed, so you don’t buy the wrong model.

1
Video Baby Monitor
A nursery camera with its own handheld screen, so parents can check on a sleeping baby without opening the door and risking a wake-up. Some families prefer phone-app monitors and some want a separate screen that works when the Wi-Fi doesn’t, so if it’s not on the registry, ask. A good one is a sensible gift to split between three or four guests.
On Amazonabout $60
2
Baby Bathtub with Newborn Sling
Skip Hop Moby Smart Sling 3-Stage Tub
The first few baths with a slippery newborn are nerve-racking. A small tub with a mesh sling holds the baby at a safe angle, so the parent has both hands free, and it converts into a sit-up tub later. It’s one of those items that seems optional on the registry and turns out to be used every other day.
On Amazonabout $40
3
Stretchy Baby Wrap Carrier
Baby K'tan Original Baby Carrier
A long piece of soft fabric tied around the parent to hold a newborn snug against the chest. Plenty of babies settle faster when they’re carried, and the parent gets two free hands for coffee or a sibling. Learning to tie it takes a couple of tries, so it suits parents who’ll watch a video or two. Many families prefer a buckle carrier; check the registry before choosing.
On Amazonabout $40
4
Nursing Pillow
A firm, curved pillow that wraps around the parent’s waist and lifts the baby to feeding height, so nobody spends eight feeds a day hunched over. It helps with bottle feeding as much as breastfeeding, and partners use it too. Choose one with a removable, washable cover, and add a spare cover if the budget allows; it will meet spit-up on day one. It’s a feeding aid for an awake baby, never a place to sleep.
On Amazonabout $45
5
Portable Diaper Caddy Organizer
A soft felt caddy with dividers for diapers, wipes, cream and a spare outfit, carried by its handles to wherever the baby is. A changing table is lovely, but the nursery is rarely where the diaper emergency happens, especially in a two-story home or in the weeks after a C-section, when stairs are hard. It’s cheap, unglamorous and often missing from a first registry, and parents fill it the day they get home.
On Amazonabout $30
6
Muslin Swaddle Blankets Set
aden + anais Classic Swaddle 4-Pack
Thin, breathable cotton squares that get used for swaddling, as burp cloths, as a changing mat on a friend’s sofa and for tummy time on the floor. Parents can never seem to find a clean one. Swaddling should stop once a baby starts trying to roll, but the blankets themselves stay useful for months.
On Amazonabout $30

A first shelf of books

Books are a classic shower gift for good reason: they’re inexpensive, they never go to waste, and reading aloud is one of the first things parents and babies can do together. Mix a few for the newborn months with some to grow into.

7
High-Contrast Black and White Baby Book
Black & White by Tana Hoban
Newborns see bold contrast long before they see color, so these are among the first pictures a baby will really look at. Great for tummy time.
On Amazonabout $7
8
Personalized Kids Storybook
The Special Name Personalized Storybook
A picture book starring the child by name. Only bring it if the parents have shared the name; otherwise, give a voucher and let them order it later.
On Amazonabout $35
9
Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss
The Dr. Seuss classic, with a long-running twist: the family asks every teacher to sign it each year, then gives it back at graduation. The shower is where it starts.
On Amazonabout $9
10
Waterproof Baby Bath Book Set
BabyBibi Floating Bath Books, Set of 2
Soft vinyl books that float, for a few months from now when bath time becomes playtime. Rinse and dry them after use so they last.
On Amazonabout $17

Keepsakes to bring to the party

A shower is a rare moment when everyone who’ll love this baby is in one room. The best sentimental gifts make use of that, rather than being something the parents open and put away.

Our favorite11
Baby Time Capsule Keepsake Box
Benicci Ultimate Baby Keepsake Box
A lidded box with prompt cards and envelopes, made for collecting letters and mementos to open on a future birthday. Bring it to the shower, put it on a table with pens and ask every guest to write a short letter to the baby: a hope, a piece of advice, what the world was like this year. It turns the party itself into the keepsake, and the parents go home with dozens of letters they’d never have thought to collect.
On Amazonabout $35
12
Custom Birth Stats Print
A print with the baby’s name, birth date, time, weight and length, the details everyone asks about in the first week and nobody remembers a year later. The baby isn’t here yet, so put a card in the gift bag promising the print, and order it once the parents share the numbers. Choose a simple design that suits most nurseries, or ask the host which colors the parents picked.
On Amazonabout $35
13
Personalized Wooden Nursery Name Sign
A wooden sign cut with the baby’s name, for the nursery wall. Only give it if the parents have announced the name and are happy for people to use it. Ask them to hang it well away from the crib and secure it to the wall, never above where the baby sleeps.
On Amazonabout $35

Little extras under $25

Small, cheap and always needed. Tuck one or two of these in with a registry gift, or put a few together if your budget is modest.

14.
Organic Cotton Burp Cloths Set
Burt's Bees Baby Organic Burp Cloths, 5-Pack
Contoured cloths that sit over a shoulder. Parents run through several a day and still can’t find one when they need it.
On Amazonabout $25
15.
Hooded Baby Bath Towel
Bebe au Lait Mermaid Hooded Towel
A soft towel with a corner hood that keeps a wet head warm. Two is better than one, since one is always in the wash.
On Amazonabout $22
16.
Stroller Organizer with Cup Holders
A zip bag that straps to the stroller handle, with two cup holders and a phone pocket. Few strollers have anywhere to put the parent’s coffee.
On Amazonabout $50
17.
Electric Baby Nail Trimmer
A quiet electric file with soft pads for tiny nails. Clippers on a newborn make many parents nervous, and this takes the fear out of the job.
On Amazonabout $20

Something for the parents

Showers can feel entirely about the baby. A gift for the adults, particularly a partner who is often overlooked, is a kind touch.

18
Diaper Bag Backpack
A backpack-style diaper bag with a changing pad and insulated bottle pockets. Backpacks leave both hands free and are easier to share between two parents than a shoulder tote. Check the registry first; parents often have strong opinions about bags, and one they love gets used every day for two years.
On Amazonabout $40
19
Dad and Baby Matching T-Shirt Set
An adult T-shirt and a baby bodysuit with a matching joke or design. It’s silly, cheap and makes for a good first photo, and it gives the other parent a present of their own at the shower. Choose a bodysuit size the baby will grow into, such as 3–6 months.
On Amazonabout $25
20
Postpartum Recovery Care Basket
Frida Mom Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit
A basket of recovery and comfort items for the person giving birth, usually things like soothing pads, a peri bottle, nipple balm, cozy socks and snacks. Showers celebrate the baby, but the weeks after the birth are hard on the body, and few guests think about that part. Check what’s inside before you buy, since contents vary a lot, and hand it over quietly rather than unwrapping it in front of the whole party.
On Amazonabout $60
21
Food Delivery Gift Card
Grubhub Gift Card
A delivery gift card tucked inside the shower card is a gift for the weeks after the birth, when cooking falls apart. It won’t make anyone gasp at the party, but it will be remembered at 7 p.m. on a hard Tuesday. Mention in the card that it’s for after the baby comes.
On Amazonabout $50

Shower gift etiquette in brief

Buy from the registry first, and buy early. Then add something personal if you’d like.
Include a gift receipt with anything off-registry. Parents return and exchange more at this stage than at any other.
If you can’t attend, it’s still kind to send a gift from the registry, shipped to the home rather than the venue.
Skip crib bumpers, pillows and soft bedding sets; pediatricians advise a bare crib with only a fitted sheet.
Stuck between options? Tell our gift finder about the parents and what’s still unclaimed on the list.

Common baby shower gift questions

How much should you spend on a baby shower gift?

Most guests spend $30 to $75; close family and friends often spend more or join a group gift. A small registry item with a thoughtful card is always fine.

Is it rude to buy off the registry?

Not rude, but risky. Parents usually build the registry around the space and gear they’ve chosen. If you go off-list, keep it small, useful or personal, and include a gift receipt.

What if everything affordable on the registry is gone?

Join with other guests for a bigger item, give a registry gift card, or choose consumables every family uses: diapers in sizes 1 and 2, wipes, burp cloths or a few board books.

Should I bring a gift to a baby sprinkle for a second baby?

Yes, but smaller. Most families already have the gear from the first child, so diapers, clothes in the right season, meals and something for the older sibling are good choices.

Gifts for New Parents Gifts for Baby Christmas Gifts for Baby Gifts for Self-Care Lovers Gifts Under $100 Gifts for Kids by Age Gifts for Minimalists Gifts for Mom Gifts for Wife Gifts for Grandma Gifts for Grandpa Gifts for Teachers Gifts for Mother-in-Law Gifts for Nurses

Start with the registry

Know exactly who it’s for?

The useful things nobody claims

A first shelf of books

Keepsakes to bring to the party

Little extras under $25

Something for the parents

Shop this guide by price

Under $25

$25–$50

$50–$100

Shower gift etiquette in brief

Common baby shower gift questions

Related gift guides

Start with the registry

Know exactly who it’s for?

The useful things nobody claims

A first shelf of books

Keepsakes to bring to the party

Little extras under $25

Something for the parents

Shop this guide by price

Under $25

$25–$50

$50–$100