Best Handmade Baby Gifts to DIY | Baby Shower Gift Guide

Some of our favorite baby gifts have been handmade baby gifts from thoughtful friends and relatives, especially the ones we never expected. Yes, a handmade baby blanket from a star knitter is always a treat — but even if you’re not a crafting genius, you can put together a DIY baby gift that’s handmade with love.

Check our carefully curated list for handmade gift ideas that are sure to become keepsakes.

Above: Sunshine Cross-Stitch Pattern from The Stitch Patterns

All gifts have been editorially determined by our staff. Just the stuff we love! This post contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission from certain purchases to help support our work at no additional cost to you.

Our Favorite Handmade Baby Gifts You Can DIY:
Ideas for Any Skill Level

Handmade French-Knit Word Art

(DIY Tutorial at Love Crafts)
Whatever you’re good at — painting, collage, printing stuff off the internet (ha), you can find a special handmade baby gift idea. We like this fairly easy handmade word art tutorial from Christine Leech of Sew Yeah UK that you can make in about 3 hours. A smaller one might also be framed in a shadow box horizontally. So many ideas!

Enameled First Aid Box for a DIY Baby Medicine Cabinet

For a cool twist on a baby gift basket, make your own ultimate first-aid “cabinet” to help keep new parents prepared. To get you started, consider some of our favorite baby first aid items from Amazon or your local pharmacy:

Handmade Baby Bibs from Old Shirts

(DIY at A Little Tipsy)
Terrific step-by-step tutorial for making an up cycled bib out of an old tee or men’s button-up shirt. So cool!

Homemade Lactation Cookies

(Recipe at How Sweet Eats)
Handmade baby gifts don’t just have to be for the baby, right? These dark chocolate-oatmeal lactation cookies are just for Mom, thanks to a recipe developed by cookbook author Jessica Merchant. Just make sure to label them clearly, ahem.

Handmade Taggie Sensory Toy

(DIY at Handmade Charlotte)
So easy and adorable, and such a unique alternative to a traditional doll. If you have fabric scraps, ribbons and stuffing, you’re all set.

A Handmade Baby Softbook

(DIY at A Beautiful Mess)
This hand-stitched soft book was made for Elsie’s own daughter, and it’s an incredibly meaningful gift for an adoptive family to send to their child while they wait to bring them home. It can be adapted with or without photos for any new baby– or just find inspiration in the adorable felt cover design. What a lovingly handmade baby gift!

Handmade Needlepoint or Cross-Stitch Art

($5/instant download, The Stitch Patterns)
There are lots of cross-stitch patterns on Etsy, but this makes for a beautiful handmade baby gift that goes with any nursery decor. Just choose your own colors. Also see her lovely sunshine cross-stitch at very top.

Also see: The Best Baby Gifts Under $15

A Modern DIY Diaper Cake

( DIY at Simply Sensible)
We’ve been on the fence about diaper cakes because, TBH, they can be a little…extra. But this fun, simple tutorial is fantastic! Her video helps a lot. And those baby Chuck Taylor All-Stars on top are a pretty cool baby gift when the diapers are done.

A Handmade Baby Blanket for the Nursery

(Easy knitting kit from $51, Wool & The Gang)
Yes, a handmade baby blanket may be the most traditional handmade baby gift idea of all, but the pattern doesn’t have to be.
Grab a ready-made kit from one of our favorite shops for crafters, or download one of their free blanket patterns if you already have supplies.

A Handmade Origami Crane Mobile

(Tutorial: 1 Dog Woof)
This clever photo-mobile hack transforms into a stunning handmade baby mobile that soars when a breeze comes through the window.

Handmade Lavender Bath Salts For the New Mom

(Tutorial: Food.com, Image: Wholefully)
Not all handmade baby gifts have to be for the baby! French canning jars make them look elegant, and we’re big fans of Aura Cacia lavender essential oil. Use this tutorial for lavender bath salts — the one from Wholefully is no longer online, but they still have the PDF for free printable tags. Perfect!