Baby Shower Favors Your Guests Will Actually Use

Succulents are super trendy right now, and for good reason: These hardy plants are gorgeous and easy to care for, even for someone without a green thumb. They also double as decor for the event, so it’s like a two-for-one deal! You can arrange them on tables or create a cute display near the door for guests to grab on their way out.

Visit your local nursery for the succulents and soil, and add these small white hexagon succulent planter pots to your cart for an adorable baby shower favor. Want even more charm? Add these “Watch me grow” wood markers for an extra touch.

Elastic hair ties come in all sorts of prints, but we love this set of 24 hair ties with gold and silver accents. They already come mounted on cardstock with a thank you message printed on the bottom, saving you time and energy. It’s a practical gift option that’s more affordable than many other favors, which is a huge win in our book. There are also pink and blue designs with baby feet if you want to keep the favors extra on-theme, but the neutral prints are a good way to go if you’d like your guests to use them again and again.

Grab an array of flowers and these vases from Amazon to create a DIY flower bar where guests can make their own floral arrangements to take home. It works as decor and a fun activity, plus each guest gets to take home something uniquely beautiful! We love these vases because of their size — at just over 5 inches in height, they’re perfect for a small bouquet. Not to mention, the gold-dip detail feels a bit more cheerful than a plain glass vase.

These Seed Bloom Wildflower Seed Gift Tags are the quintessential spring shower favor. Write a thank you note on the tags and tell loved ones to plant them and watch their flowers grow. It’s environmentally friendly and spreads a little joy, all in one gift. (Win-win!) They also come with planting instruction slips and perfectly sized envelopes, making them easy for guests to grab at the end of the shower. Your guests should eventually see flowers like daisies, foxgloves, petunias, poppies and snapdragons, making this a gift that lasts. One What to Expect community parent pointed out this favor works particularly well for virtual baby showers since they’re so easy to mail.

Just about everybody appreciates a good candle. These 4-ounce mason jar candles are sweet and simple, and would fit neatly in with any guest’s home decor. This set of 24 candles in particular offer a mild lavender scent and come with a 10 hour burn time. Customize it with a tag that says “Thanks for lighting up our lives!” or a simple “Thank you!” using round label stickers.

A travel-sized tube of lotion is a useful yet thoughtful baby shower favor idea. This set of 15 has a variety of scents, meaning guests can choose which scent sounds most appealing to them, from cherry blossom to green tea. They’re perfect for tossing into your bag, and guests will think of you and your baby every time they use it. Who wouldn’t appreciate a gift that’ll leave your mitts silky-soft and rejuvenated?

Another practical baby shower favor idea? Chapstick. You can never have too much lip balm — stick one in your purse, another in your car, one at your office desk, another tube in your bathroom — the list could go on. Burt’s Bees is one of the best, most universally loved picks on the market with its natural, refreshing scents. This value pack comes with four flavors, which is great for a shower since your guests can choose which one they’d like most. For bonus points, grab a custom label from Etsy to personalize the favor so your loved ones think of you and your sweet little one when they use it.

Baby showers and cookies go hand-in-hand. (They’re practically mandatory!) Get your loved ones together before the big day to whip up Grandma’s recipe, or try your own hand at creating something delicious. Once the sweet treats are ready, wrap the cookies in bags for your guests to take home. These polka-dot bags are adorable and self-adhesive, which means you don’t have to fumble with twist ties or tape. Plus, they come with sweet thank you stickers to make them feel more official.

How sweet are these theater-esque popcorn boxes? Stop by your local farmers market or grocery store to pick up some kennel corn and hand these out to your guests on their way out. Add a sticker or tag that says “ready to pop” or “thanks for popping by” and they’re guaranteed to be a huge hit. What’s more, popcorn is a widely loved snack food that can transform for any shower theme. You could add pink or blue melting chocolate and edible glitter for that extra punch of pizzaz, or go for classic butter, caramel or white cheddar flavors. Better yet, allow your guests to pick and choose their own popcorn flavors to ensure they’ll love it!

If you and your guests like to celebrate with a little bubbly, this baby-bottle-shaped opener is the perfect favor to send loved ones home with. “Poppin’ bottles” is a double entendre and sure to be a hit. On top of their clever design, these beautiful gold bottle openers come packed in a gift box already, making it a set-it-and-forget-it type of shower favor. (Yes, please!)

If you’re a self care fan, nail polish is the perfect favor to celebrate your upcoming bundle of joy. You can pick a color — literally any color under the rainbow — to match your baby shower theme, or a beautiful neutral that everyone will enjoy. The OPI brand is a solid choice thanks to its high-quality polish and sizable color selection. Add on a cute note that says “mani thanks” with a complementing ribbon and you’ve got yourself an adorable and practical favor idea.

A fancy soap is a great way to elevate your self-care routine, making it a great baby shower favor idea. These soaps will be the buzz of the party with their cute honeycomb features and delightful honey scent. It comes pre-packaged with a cute sticker that says “Mommy to Bee!” but you can take it to the next level by pairing it with a card that says, “From our shower to yours.” If you want to make your favor even bigger, let guests pick a little loofah or lotion for a whole set.

Loved ones will never forget your little honey is arriving soon when you send them home with a mini jar of honey! This set of 20 comes with everything you need for an adorable favor, including a 1.5 ounce glass jar, golden lid, wooden dipper, thank you tag, jute rope and a tiny bee charm. (Read: All you need is honey!)

They’ll look beautiful sitting on the table with a sign that says “A little honey is on the way.” These are extra-perfect for a bee-themed shower, a travel themed shower (tea and honey, anyone?) or a tea party shower.

A candy buffet is an awesome idea for a baby shower, especially if you have guests of many ages present. It also undergoes double (or rather, quadruple) duty as a baby shower activity, decor, food and favors. Throw in these candy wrappers for extra customization and you've got yourself a party! All you need to do is pick up a bag of mini candy bars from the grocery store (or add them to your Amazon order) and fold them up in the adorable wrappers. Add them to a tray or clear glass bowl for guests to enjoy during the party or take home when the celebration ends.

Gift your friends the gifts of green thumbs and their own vegetable gardens with these 4-inch peat pots. Just add soil and seeds, and they’ll have everything they need for a successful garden at home. Note what seeds are planted in each using one of the included labels, and add a sticker that says “watch me grow” for the perfect springtime baby shower favor. Even better? Save yourself some time and turn it into a fun shower activity where you and your guests plant the seeds together!

Giving back always feels good. Donating to a charity you love in lieu of favors will help you make a difference and even inspire your loved ones to donate. For instance, one What to Expect community parent-to-be made donations to &Mother and the Loveland Foundation on behalf of their baby shower guests. &Mother is dedicated to overcoming roadblocks that limit a woman’s choice to pursue and thrive in both her career and motherhood, while the Loveland Foundation is committed to showing up for and bringing opportunity and healing to communities of color, especially for Black women and girls.

You can put out a sign letting your guests know where you donated to and encourage them to give back as well.