Ready to throw an unforgettable baby shower without emptying your wallet? These DIY baby shower favors combine charm with creativity, giving your guests something special to remember the celebration. Each idea costs under $3 per favor, proving you don’t need deep pockets to create magical memories.
But here’s the thing—your guests secretly judge the favors. They do! That little gift at their place setting sets the entire tone for your event. Make it count.
Sweet Treat Favors That Steal Hearts
1. Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Storks
Who knew pretzels could be this cute? Transform ordinary pretzel rods into adorable storks carrying sweet bundles of joy. Melt white chocolate, dip those pretzels, and add a tiny candy “bundle” with a drop of melted chocolate. Your crafty aunt Karen will demand the recipe. These take 30 minutes for 25 favors, costing about $1.50 each.
2. “Ready to Pop” Popcorn Bags
Popcorn favors hit different at baby showers. Fill clear cellophane bags with caramel corn or flavored popcorn. Slap on those punny “Ready to Pop” labels you’ll print at home. Suddenly, you’re the host who “gets it.” Each bag runs about 75 cents when you pop corn yourself. Your budget stays intact while guests munch happily.
3. Mini Honey Bear Bottles
Nothing says “sweet baby” quite like these mini honey bears. Order bulk mini bottles online, fill with local honey, and attach tags reading “Sweet as Can Bee.” The pun alone makes guests smile. At $2 per bear, you’re giving something useful that won’t collect dust. Plus, honey never expires—unlike those Jordan almonds nobody eats.
Practical Favors Parents Actually Keep
4. Succulent Baby Booties
Tiny succulents in bootie-shaped planters? Genius. These living favors grow alongside baby memories. Hit up your local dollar store for mini planters, paint them bootie-pink or blue, and pop in a succulent cutting. Water once, and they’re basically immortal. Cost per favor: $2.50. Environmental guilt: zero.
5. DIY Lip Balm Tubes
Chapped lips don’t discriminate—everyone needs lip balm. Melt beeswax, coconut oil, and a drop of vanilla. Pour into tubes. Add custom labels. Boom—you’re basically a cosmetics entrepreneur now. Each tube costs about $1 to make, and guests will actually use them instead of shoving them in junk drawers.
6. Bath Salt Test Tubes
Test tubes aren’t just for science class anymore. Layer colored bath salts (Epsom salt plus food coloring) for an Instagram-worthy favor. Cork the top, add a tiny rubber ducky, and watch guests lose their minds over the cuteness. Materials cost $1.75 per tube. The compliments? Priceless.
Keepsake Treasures Under $3
7. Photo Bookmark Baby Announcements
Laminate ultrasound photos or newborn pics into bookmarks. Add a tassel. Done. Every time guests crack open their beach read, they’ll remember your special day. Costs 50 cents per bookmark at most. Emotional value? Through the roof. Even your teenage cousin who “doesn’t read” will keep this.
8. Personalized Seed Packets
“Watch Our Love Grow” seed packets make hearts melt faster than ice cream in July. Print custom packets, fill with wildflower or sunflower seeds. Guests plant them and think of your bundle of joy every time flowers bloom. Cost: $1 per packet. Metaphorical value: infinite. Your mother-in-law might actually cry.
9. Mini Picture Frame Magnets
Hot glue magnets to dollar store mini frames. Insert a thank-you note or ultrasound pic. Guests stick these on fridges and see your baby’s first photo daily. At $1.50 each, you’re creating permanent real estate on everyone’s appliances. That’s marketing genius disguised as party favors.
DIY Candle Creations
10. Teacup Soy Candles
Thrift store teacups plus soy wax equals favor magic. Each unique cup tells a story while providing ambient lighting for bubble baths. Hunt for cups at 50 cents each, add $1 of wax and wick. Your eco-conscious friends will worship your sustainability game. Plus, nobody else will have matching favors—you’re too original for that.
11. Baby Food Jar Votives
Save those baby food jars (or raid your neighbor’s recycling). Clean them, fill with wax, wrap with burlap and lace. You’ve just turned trash into treasure for 75 cents per jar. Guests will Pinterest this idea immediately. You’ll become the friend everyone asks for DIY advice.
12. Wax Melt Shapes
Silicone molds work overtime here. Pour scented wax into baby-themed shapes: booties, rattles, and onesies. Package in cellophane bags with ribbons. Each bag of melts costs $2 to create, but it looks like you spent $10 at a fancy boutique. Your secret’s safe with us.
Edible Favors Beyond Basic
13. Cookie Mix Mason Jars
Layer cookie ingredients in mini mason jars like you’re auditioning for Pinterest fame. Flour, sugar, chocolate chips—create those Insta-worthy stripes. Attach recipe cards with ribbon. Jars cost $1, ingredients another $1.50. Guests make cookies later and remember your shower with every bite. Delayed gratification never tasted better.
14. Custom Tea Blend Packets
Mix chamomile with dried fruit for “Sleepy Time Baby Blend.” Package in muslin bags, add clever labels. New parents desperately need calming tea—you’re basically providing a public service. Cost per packet: $1.25. Sanity saved: immeasurable. Even coffee addicts will appreciate the gesture.
15. Cake Pop Rattles
Cake pops masquerading as rattles? Your dessert game just peaked. Bake cake, crumble, mix with frosting, shape into balls. Dip in colored chocolate, add sprinkles, tie ribbon around the stick. $1.50 per pop, but guests will think you hired a baker. Let them wonder.
Paper Crafts That Impress
16. Origami Onesie Gift Cards
Fold dollar bills into tiny origami onesies. Yes, you’re literally giving money, but make it fashion. Each “onesie” costs exactly $1 (obviously), but the presentation makes guests feel like you’re a creative genius. Include folding instructions—someone always wants to learn.
17. Lottery Ticket Holders
“We’re Lucky to Have You” scratch-off holders turn $1 lottery tickets into hope-filled favors. Someone might win big and name their yacht after your baby. Probably not, but the possibility adds excitement. Cardholders cost 50 cents to print. Dreams of fortune: included free.
18. Paper Flower Seed Bombs
Blend recycled paper with wildflower seeds, shape into flowers. Guests plant the whole thing—paper biodegrades, flowers grow. You’re saving the planet one favor at a time. Materials cost $1 per bomb. Environmental warrior status: achieved. Your hippie sister finally approves of something you’ve done.
Practical Pampering Gifts
19. Sugar Scrub Jars
Sugar plus coconut oil equals spa luxury for $1.50. Add lavender for exhausted parents-to-be. Package in tiny jars with labels reading “Smooth as a Baby’s Bottom.” The joke writes itself. Guests exfoliate away stress while thinking fondly of your shower. Multi-tasking at its finest.
20. Nail Polish Favor Sets
Mini nail polishes in shower colors create instant joy. Buy bulk bottles for $1 each, add tags saying “Tiny Fingers, Tiny Toes.” Every guest gets shower-matching nails for Instagram photos. You’re not just hosting—you’re creating a cohesive aesthetic experience. Fashion magazines could never.
21. Sleep Mask Kits
New parents need sleep more than gold. Sew simple sleep masks from soft fabric, add lavender sachets. Total cost: $2.50. Include tags reading “Sleeping for Two” or “Dream of Baby Cuddles.” Practical? Yes. Thoughtful? Absolutely. Your exhausted parent friends will build shrines to your wisdom.
Creative Memory Makers
22. Time Capsule Notes
Tiny containers hold notes for the baby’s future. Guests write predictions, advice, or wishes. Seal until the baby’s first birthday. Containers cost $1, memories are priceless. Parents ugly-cry reading these later. You’ve created future joy for less than a coffee costs.
23. Baby Prediction Scrolls
Roll prediction cards into scrolls, tie with ribbon. Guests guess birth date, weight, and hair color. The winner gets announced later via social media, keeping shower memories alive. Paper and ribbon: 50 cents. Extended engagement with your event: marketing genius. Corporate party planners take notes.
24. Photo Booth Prop Favors
Glue baby-themed cutouts to sticks: bottles, pacifiers, mustaches saying “I Mustache You to Babysit.” Guests use for photos then take home. Materials: $1.50 per prop. Instagram content: guaranteed. Your shower becomes the most documented event of the year.
25. Advice Card Booklets
Create mini booklets for parenting advice. Decorate covers, leave pages blank for guests to fill. Parents read these during 3 am feedings when they question everything. Cost: 75 cents per booklet. Sanity during newborn chaos: invaluable. You’re not giving favors—you’re providing survival guides.
Wrapping Up Your DIY Victory
You’ve just armed yourself with 25 favor ideas that’ll make guests think you spent hundreds when you barely broke $50 total. Mix and match these ideas based on your crowd—craft lovers get DIY supplies, foodies get edible treats, and practical friends get useful items.
Here’s your secret weapon: make favors a group activity. Host a crafting party the weekend before. Suddenly, favor-making becomes part of the celebration. You’re not just saving money—you’re creating memories before baby even arrives.
Your shower will be remembered not for how much you spent, but for the thought you put into every detail. Save these ideas now on Pinterest, because someone you know is always pregnant. You’ll be the friend with all the answers.
