The best baby shower favors are small, useful, and on theme, the kind guests actually take home instead of leaving on the table. Think candles, mini succulents, seed packets, local honey or jam, chocolate, or soaps. Favors are a nice touch, not a requirement, so skip them without guilt if the budget is tight.
Favors are the little thank-you gifts guests take with them, and the trick is choosing something people genuinely want. The best baby shower favors are consumable or practical, tie into your theme, and cost only a few dollars each. This guide covers what to give, what to skip, budget and DIY options, and how many to make.
Do You Need Baby Shower Favors?
No, favors are optional. They are a warm gesture that says thank you for coming, but no guest expects one, and a lovely shower works perfectly well without them. If your budget is tight, put the money toward food or a nicer venue instead. When you do want favors, spend a little on something useful rather than a lot on a trinket that ends up in a drawer.
Baby Shower Favors People Actually Want
The favors that get taken home are consumable or practical, small treats guests can eat, use, or plant. Steer away from single-use trinkets and personalized knick-knacks that only suit the host. Here are reliably popular options across budgets.
| Budget | Favor ideas |
|---|---|
| Low | Seed packets, tea bags, a single wrapped chocolate or cookie, mini soaps |
| Mid | Small candles, mini succulents, local honey or jam jars, lip balm, bath salts |
| Higher | Small potted plants, artisan chocolate boxes, personalized cookies, mini bottles of olive oil |
Edible and plantable favors almost always win because they get used. A tiny jar of honey with a "sweet as can be" tag, a candle, or a succulent that lives on a windowsill all feel thoughtful without being wasteful.
Budget and DIY Baby Shower Favors in Bulk
Making favors yourself is the cheapest route, and buying components in bulk keeps the per-guest cost low. A few reliable DIY favors: fill small jars with candy or a hot-cocoa mix, bag homemade cookies or trail mix, pot succulent cuttings into mini terracotta pots, or wrap a bar of nice soap with twine and a tag. Assemble them the day before in an assembly line to save time.
Whatever you choose, favors are a small slice of the overall budget. See where they fit alongside food and decor in our baby shower cost guide, and use the free budget calculator in our planning tools to keep the per-guest total in check.
Baby Shower Favors to Skip
A few favor types look cute on the table but end up abandoned or thrown away, so save your money. Skip anything single-use and purely decorative, or heavily personalized to the host rather than useful to the guest.
- Personalized trinkets with the parents’ names and the date, which only mean something to the host.
- Cheap plastic knick-knacks and keychains that head straight to a drawer.
- Anything fragile or messy to carry home, like unwrapped baked goods without a bag.
- Novelty items no one uses, such as themed bottle openers or branded stress balls.
The test is simple: would you be glad to receive it? If not, either upgrade to something consumable or skip favors entirely and put the budget elsewhere.
Match Favors to Your Theme
Favors look intentional when they echo your palette or theme. A botanical or greenery shower pairs with succulents and seed packets; a "sweet" theme suits honey, jam, or candy; a cozy autumn shower fits small candles or cocoa mix. Coordinate the packaging and tag color with your baby shower theme and decorations so the favor table reads as part of the design.
How Many Favors and How to Present Them
Make one favor per guest, plus a few extras for last-minute plus-ones. Presentation does a lot of the work: line the favors up on a small dedicated table with a simple "thank you for coming" sign, or set one at each place setting. A tied tag or ribbon in your color instantly makes an inexpensive favor look finished. Thoughtful baby shower favors are less about spending more and more about choosing something guests are happy to take home.