Quick answer: Plan one favor per guest plus about 10% spare for plus-ones. For a 25-guest shower, make around 28. If the favor doubles as a place card or centerpiece, you only need one per person. Seed packets, hot chocolate or tea bags, wrapped cookies, mini honey jars, lip balm and candy bags all come in under $2 each when you buy the packaging in bulk and print your own tags.
The best baby shower favors are the ones that do not end up in the bin on the drive home — something guests will genuinely eat, light, plant or use.
Here are 30 baby shower favors that work at any budget, from $1 DIY bags to a few gorgeous splurges — plus how many to make and when to hand them out. 🎀
How Many Baby Shower Favors Do You Need?
Make one favor per guest, then add about 10% spare for last-minute plus-ones and the odd guest who takes two. For a 25-person shower that means roughly 28 favors.
If your favor doubles as a place card or table decoration, count it once — it is doing two jobs, which is the cheapest kind of decor there is.
Budget Baby Shower Favors Under $2
These land well and cost very little per guest:
- Seed packets or a mini succulent with a ‘watch me grow’ tag
- Hot chocolate or coffee bags with a ‘a baby is brewing’ label
- Mini honey jars — ‘a little sweet one is on the way’
- Lip balm or a small hand cream with a printed sticker
- Wrapped cookies or a decorated sugar cookie in a cello bag
- Tea bags in a kraft envelope with a thank you tag
Making them yourself brings the cost down further — see our DIY baby shower gift ideas for tools and templates you can reuse.
Edible Baby Shower Party Favors
Edible favors have the highest ‘actually used’ rate of anything on this list, because nobody leaves food behind:
- Iced cookies shaped like onesies, rattles or clouds
- Chocolate-dipped pretzels in pink, blue or neutral drizzle
- Macarons boxed in twos with a ribbon
- Popcorn bags — ‘ready to pop!’
- Candy jars in your theme colors
- Mini jam or maple syrup jars
If you are building a dessert table too, keep the favor flavors different from the main spread — our baby shower food ideas cover the full menu.
Mini Bottle & Drink Favors
Mini prosecco, sparkling cider or a small bottle of bubbles with a ‘pop when baby arrives!’ tag is one of the most photographed favors on Pinterest, and it doubles as a place setting.
Tie the tag with twine in your theme color, and stand the bottles in a shallow crate or basket by the door so guests physically pick one up on the way out.
Jar, Candle & Keepsake Favors
If you want the favor to last, these are the ones people keep:
- Small soy candles with a custom label
- Painted mason jars with baby’s breath — favor and centerpiece in one
- Bath salts or a bath bomb in a kraft tube
- Wooden keyrings or bookmarks with the baby’s name
- Matchboxes with a ‘the perfect match’ label
Painted jars pull double duty as table decor — there are more of these in our baby shower centerpiece ideas.
Thank You Tags & Packaging
Packaging is what turns a cheap item into a favor. Keep it to three elements: a bag or jar, a ribbon or twine, and a printed tag.
- “Thank you for showering us with love” — the safe classic
- “A baby is brewing” — for coffee, tea or cocoa
- “Ready to pop!” — for popcorn or bottles
- “Thanks for popping by to celebrate with us”
- “A little sweet one is on the way” — for anything sugary
Match the tag font and color to your invitations so the whole day looks designed — see our baby shower invitation ideas.
Favors by Theme
Let the theme choose the favor and it will always look intentional:
- Boho — dried pampas mini bunches or terracotta pots
- Woodland — seed packets, acorn soaps, honey jars
- Little pumpkin — mini pumpkins or cinnamon cocoa bags
- Twinkle little star — star cookies or gold candles
- Gender neutral — kraft, cream and sage with wooden tags
Pick your theme first if you have not yet — our baby shower themes guide has 35 to choose from.
When to Hand Out Favors
Put favors by the exit or at each place setting rather than handing them out individually — it saves you a job and guarantees nobody is missed.
A small sign that says “thank you, please take one” is enough. If you are running a prize game, keep game prizes separate from favors so every guest still goes home with something.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good baby shower favors?
The best baby shower favors are consumable or useful — cookies, candles, mini honey jars, seed packets, lip balm or mini bottles. Guests actually take these home and use them, unlike novelty trinkets.
How many baby shower favors do I need?
Plan one favor per guest plus about 10% spare for plus-ones. For a 25-guest shower, make around 28. If the favor doubles as a place card or centerpiece, you only need one per person.
What are cheap baby shower favors under $2?
Seed packets, hot chocolate or tea bags, wrapped cookies, mini honey jars, lip balm and candy bags all come in under $2 each when you buy the packaging in bulk and print your own tags.
Do you have to give favors at a baby shower?
No — favors are a nice touch, not a rule. If the budget is tight, skip them and put the money into food, or give one shared favor like a cookie at each place setting.
Final Thoughts
Choose favors guests will eat, light or plant, keep the packaging to a bag, a ribbon and a tag, and set them by the door so nobody leaves empty-handed.
Keep planning with our baby shower themes and centerpiece ideas. 💕
Love It? Pin It for Later
Planning takes more than one sitting. Save this guide to your baby shower board so it is waiting for you when you start buying and building:
