Baby shower gifts: what to give a mother-to-be before the baby arrives
A baby shower celebrates the mother, not yet the baby. Here is how to choose a gift for a child who may not even have a name yet, how to make the mother feel seen, and what to avoid.
Updated September 14, 2026
Baby showers arrived in Türkiye fairly recently, but they settled in fast: usually in the seventh or eighth month, the mother-to-be’s friends gather, play games, cut a cake and open presents. What sets it apart from the other baby days is simple — the person being celebrated is the mother, not the baby. Choose the gift accordingly.
The mother is the guest of honour
After the birth, the attention paid to a mother fades quickly; the shower is the last day that is entirely hers. So the gifts that land best are the ones aimed at her: a rest kit, small things thought out for the hospital bag, a soft gesture that will matter in the first days. If you buy something for the baby, balance it with something that touches the mother.
If the name is known
If the family has shared the baby’s name, you are in luck: a gift with the name on it is the most photographed present at any shower. A sign for the nursery door, a label stitched onto the blanket, a soft light for the room — it moves into the nursery before the baby does, and waits there every time the mother walks in.
If the name isn’t known
If the name hasn’t been shared or decided, don’t press; names are the most delicate subject in a family. You then have two routes: choose something without a name that can be added later, or give a gift note the family will redeem for a personalised keepsake after the birth. The second often brings more joy — once the baby is here and the name is certain, the mother chooses herself.
Worth avoiding
Books full of pregnancy “advice” and size-dependent clothes are risky. Steer clear of scented products and anything that could be an allergen. If a gift list was shared, follow it; chipping in as a group for one substantial gift is increasingly common.
A small tradition to suggest
Set out a box of cards at the shower and ask each guest to write a short wish to the baby. A box to be opened on the child’s eighteenth birthday outlives every sweet handed out at the party.
A breath for the mother before the baby arrives
A small kit that helps in the first days and remembers the mother — the gift that sits best on a baby shower table.
Keepsakes that fit this occasion
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