Baby shower gift ideas

If you're hosting a baby shower, mother blessing, push party or babyq to celebrate the arrival of a baby, there is high chance someone will bring along a present. Rather than say no gifts to avoid the waste and plastic, I generally find it easier to offer family and friends options, because there are people that want to give. It's in their nature. I say work with them, not against. Not only does it stop me from receiving something I don't want, it's also another way to share the zero waste and plastic-free lifestyle too ;)

My pregnancy nausea prevented us from hosting a babyq (bbq for the baby...get it? Very popular atm). We did begin the planning of a special day. The Builder saw sense pointing out that it would not be overly joyful if I'm laying on the couch for most of the party or randomly vomiting because someone smelt weird. This happened more than I like to remember. Had we ended up hosting our baby shindig, we would have kept it zero waste by choosing food in bulk, making things from scratch where needed or purchasing in our usual reusable containers, borrow decorations, use real plates and glasses, no plastic straws and compost our food scraps. It would not have been too different from any other event we had hosted.

This list of zero waste baby gift ideas was carefully picked to help ease parents, like us, as we stumbled into the new role. Since we were able to acquire most of our baby's needs like clothes, wraps, blankets, prams and furniture from family and friends, we did not need anything specifically for the baby. This list revolves more around the parents. Perhaps I should have given the blog post a different title... anyway, let's begin before said baby wakes up from his nap ;)

Food

Cooked food that can be heated up in a pinch is a new parents ultimate gift. It's so important a breastfeeding woman eats and not skip meals. They are required to up their calorie intake even more than pregnancy. A fun gift would be to put together a menu option or food tickets so the parents can call them in. Like an UberEats, but by family and friends. Think simple dishes full of roasted root vegetables, slow cooked meals, soups, rice, fruit and desserts. I'd advise against anything that could cause colic (gas) if mum is breastfeeding. For inspiration, look up anti-colic diets. Food can be divided up in glass jars as individual meals, ready for the freezer.

Nappy cleaning services

If you know parents that are doing reusable nappies, also known as MCN's (modern cloth nappies), this gift would be AMAZING. Dirty nappies are picked up, washed, dried and dropped back to the tired parents. This is the kind of gift that could woo parents into trying cloth nappies too. Many of the services offer gift vouchers. If this is a gift that you think would be a hit (I can guarantee it would!), do double check what detergent the nappies are washed in. Us eco mama's don't want anything too harsh that will end up close to our baby's bottoms.

Cleaning essential wipes

If they are using cloth nappies, chances are cloth wipes will be on the agenda too. Cleaning Essentials have put together a glass jar for making zero waste, safe and effective eco-conscious DIY reusable wipes. I love that the instructions are on the jar, meaning there is no risk of ever losing them. The jar has three sets of instructions ranging from gentle, all purpose and heavy duty. Once the jar is not needed to make the baby wipes (gentle), it can be transformed for use in the home (all purpose or heavy duty). It's easy and compact, making the jar ideal for parents to take out of the house with them.

Toilet Paper

The gift of toilet paper? Am I that sleep deprived to make a crazy statement? Maybe, but hear me out. Toilet paper is right up there with food as an essential item for new parents. The focus for the first year is on a new tiny human, not keeping the toilet holder stocked. Day to day chores like buying toilet paper is going to be far down the list of things to remember. And if a parent can save some extra time not shopping for an essential item like toilet paper, that is a gift in itself. Now i'm not suggesting you run off to the supermarket to buy a trolley full of loo rolls. There is a far smarter and discreet option called toilet paper delivery.

Who Gives A Crap sell a box of 48 rolls for $48 made of either recycled paper (post-consumer waste, like texts books) or bamboo (tree free!). Each rolls is individually wrapped in fun, reusable paper (a law requirement they are individually wrapped). 50% of all profits are donated to Wateraid to build toilets and improve sanitation in developing countries. Who Gives a Crap are one of only a small handful of companies (another one is Pure Planet) that sell toilet paper plastic-free. Those paper wrapped toilet rolls by Safe found at the supermarket has a thin layer of plastic. Gift vouchers are also available.

Use this link to receive $10 off your first order.

Hand cream

If the parents have committed to cloth nappies, they will be rinsing and washing often, potentially resulting in dry hands. I love to take five minutes once bub has goes down for his evening sleep, to rub a decadent smelling moisturiser over my hands to keep them soft. It's a nice ritual and helps me relax. Etsy offers beautiful ready made options, like this lemon myrtle cream. Get more personal by creating a DIY blend using ingredients from Biome. In each Biome store, or via their online store, you can buy the ingredients in handy reusable glass jars. If you are lucky to live close to their Balmoral store, all ingredients can be picked up in bulk from the naked beauty bar. All of Biome's products are 100% palm oil free too.

Massage

I have yet to meet a mum that does not have a crick in their neck and ache on the body either left over from pregnancy or bending over and picking up baby all day. While those babies start off small in weight, they grow quickly and pretty soon you're carrying around 8kg. Taking a break for an hour to relieve the aches and pains will not only be good for the body but also for the mind.

Photo frame

I didn't think we'd be taking as many photos as we have been. I plan to be in the moment but then part of me wants to record everything because they grow so quickly. Sometimes I wonder if we even took enough photos in the first week! Lucky, second hand stores have plenty of photo frames to put the memories into. 

Offer your time

Offering services like cleaning dishes, vacuuming, going for a walk with the new parents or just visiting to watch baby while either mum or dad can have a shower, meal or nap is a thoughtful gift. The parents will also appreciate the chance to have an adult conversation. I know it helps me.

Put together a hamper

Pick up a secondhand basket from the local charity store and begin filling up with items from the list above. Before leaving the charity store choose some children's books and clothes that the new parents might like too. You could even tuck a list of baby friendly cafes in their neighbourhood into the hamper. Baby friendly = space for prams and comfortable seating to feed in (ie, seats with a back on them). Cafes won't actually turn a parent away! Don't forget to add in some hankies for the new parents too. You can read why I think they are a wonderful zero waste gift to pass along here.


Looking after the wellbeing of a new parent is important. It might feel more traditional to lavish the baby with gifts, but honestly their needs are primarily the parents. If the parents are doing well physically and mentally, the baby will be well looked after. I look forward to reading other gift ideas you may have in the comments below. Tifl has not woken yet from his nap, so i'm going to tempt fate by making a cup of tea...