Baby showers are all about celebrating new additions, gathering family & friends, and, of course, showering the parents-to-be with love—and practical gifts. If you’re on the hunt for a thoughtful, useful, or memorable present, check out the list below of gift options I loved as a first time mom and are my go-to items for gifting.
Whether you’re shopping for a first-time parent or a seasoned pro, these items are sure to be appreciated.
*This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you make a purchase through my links.
Baby Shower Gift Favorites:
- Sound Machine & Night Light Combo
Why it’s a hit: Newborns are used to the “whooshing” sound they hear from inside your body – the sounds of bloodflow. A sound machine can mimick this sound and be soothing to a fussy baby. We forgot we had one (I blame sleep deprivation and being completely overwhelmed by all the gadgets) and during our newborn photoshoot our photographer turned one on. And what do you know! That baby fell right asleep. Now in the toddler stage we use the sound machine to block out other household noises (dogs, TV, mommy and daddy time…..) and we use the light feature to gently wake her up in the morning.
Top Pick: Hatch Rest Baby Sound Machine – Combines white noise, nightlight, and time-to-rise alert in one sleek device. I have the first gen version but love the options on this newer model.
Additional Options:
Hatch Baby Sleep Bundle: Home & Travel Sound Machines – Don’t forget the travel sound machine!! So helpful in the car or when they need to nap away from home.
Yogasleep Hushh Portable White Noise Sound Machine – I have this one and love it!
- Personalized Baby Blanket
Why it’s a hit: Picking a name is hard. You never realize how many people you don’t like in this world until you try to name a child – not kidding. Once we landed on a name for our little one I was so excited and just wanted to put it on everything.
Top Pick: Pottery Barn Kids Personalized Sherpa Blanket – Soft, stylish, and monogram-ready. Great for covering the carseat in the winter months when you need to carry them from the car to the house.
Additional Options:
Handmade 100% Organic Cotton Personalized Blanket – Love these color options!
Custom Baby Blankets – Fun patterns and options on this one!
- Baby Bath Tub
Why it’s a hit: Bath time can be difficult when babies are so small and they’re slippery when wet! I loved having a baby tub that was easy to use, easy to clean, and grew with my daughter.
Top Pick: The First Years Sure Comfort Deluxe Newborn-to-Toddler Tub with Sling – I had this one and I loved so many things about it: it fit in my kitchen sink, the baby sling was clutch for the newborn age, once my kiddo became a toddler I could use it in the bathtub to keep her safe and I didn’t have to fill up the whole tub.
Additional Options:
Collapsible Baby Bathtub – So good for travel!
Frida Baby 4-in-1 Grow-with-Me Baby Bathtub – You can never go wrong with Frida Baby items.
- Baby Playpen
Why it’s a hit: This is my most gifted item. I used this almost every day for two years. Why? It served so many different purposes. We have two dogs and I was able to get into this playpen with my daughter to do playtime, tummy time, and have a safe place for her (and her toys) away from the pups. Once she got old enough, she loved to crawl in and out of the door and I could safely zip it up and let her play while I folded laundry or ran to the bathroom.
Top Pick: Baby Playpen with Mat – This is the size I had and I wish I had gotten it with a mat. It’s lightweight, comes apart, and fits into a nice carrying case. Such a good item to take on vacation, too!
Additional Options:
Baby Playpen with Mat – This version has addition colors and sizes.
Baby Playpen Foldable – This one folds up in one piece versus assembly required.
- How To Reference Book
Why it’s a hit: Becoming parents is hard. It’s a life altering, schedule changing, major adjustment to your life. This book is a very simple, grab and go answer guide when you’re exhausted and you can’t Google one more thing. I loved it – and so did my husband.
Top Pick: The Simplest Baby Book in the World: The Illustrated, Grab-and-Do Guide for a Healthy, Happy Baby – This lived within reach for the first year of our kiddo’s life. So easy to read and apply the info.
Additional Options:
Help! I’m A New Mom – This one includes postpartum care advice for mom.
You Will Rock As a Dad! – This one includes advice for new dads during pregnancy.
What NOT to gift:
❌ – Breastfeeding items if you aren’t sure the mom-to-be plans to breastfeed.
❌ – Newborn clothes. They will get a ton of them from others and a lot of babies don’t even fit into them when they’re born.
❌ – Clothes or pajamas with buttons or a ton of snaps. Zippered onesies for the win!
❌ – Stuffed animals. They’ll get a ton and they can’t be played with for awhile.
📌 Pin It. Save It. Share It.
If this helped you, it’ll help someone else, too!
Follow for more gift ideas and let us know what you purchased in the comments!
Leave a Reply