How Much to Give at a Baby Shower in Australia
You've been invited to a baby shower, the card is in your hand, and you're stuck on the only question that really matters: how much to give at a baby shower without going too low or blowing the budget. It's one of the most-searched gifting questions in Australia, and there's no single right number — but there is a comfortable range for every kind of guest.
The short answer: most Australians give between $30 and $100 at a baby shower, with close friends and family sitting at the higher end and colleagues or acquaintances at the lower end. Whether you're giving cash, a voucher, or contributing to an online wishing well, this guide walks you through the norms without judgement.
If the parents-to-be have set up a baby shower wishing well page, giving is even simpler — you pick an amount, add a message, and you're done. We'll cover that too.
Last updated: July 2026.
Key takeaways
- Typical baby shower gift amount in Australia: $30–$100, depending on how close you are to the parents.
- Close friends and immediate family usually give $80–$150+; colleagues and acquaintances give $20–$50.
- A baby shower money gift is completely acceptable in Australia — cash, a gift card, or an online contribution are all warmly received.
- If you're attending as a couple, it's normal to give a little more (roughly 1.5x a solo gift), not double.
- Your presence and a kind message matter more than the dollar figure — never stretch beyond what's comfortable.
What this guide covers
- How much to give at a baby shower by relationship
- Cash, voucher or online: what to give at a baby shower
- What changes the right amount
- Baby shower money gift etiquette
- Giving through an online wishing well
- Frequently asked questions
How much to give at a baby shower by relationship
The single biggest factor in how much to give is your relationship to the parents-to-be. Closer relationship, higher gift — that's the gift-amount norm by relationship tier that most Aussies follow without ever writing it down.
Here's a practical baby shower gift amount guide for Australia:
| Your relationship | Typical gift amount (AUD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate family (sister, brother, parent) | $100–$200 | Often a bigger gift or a group contribution |
| Close friend | $80–$150 | The person you'd help at 2am |
| Cousin / extended family | $50–$100 | Depends on how close you are |
| Friend or regular catch-up mate | $40–$80 | The most common band |
| Colleague / coworker | $30–$50 | Often pooled into a group gift |
| Acquaintance / plus-one | $20–$40 | A voucher or small money gift is perfect |
These ranges reflect real gifting patterns seen across PocketWell wishing wells, alongside broadly published Australian gift-etiquette norms. They're a starting point, not a rule — adjust for your own budget and closeness.
Quick benchmark: if you're a close friend and genuinely unsure, $100 is a safe, generous middle. For a colleague, $30–$50 into a shared collection is spot on.
For relationship-specific breakdowns, we've got detailed guides on how much to give a friend at a baby shower and how much to give your sister at a baby shower.
Cash, voucher or online: what to give at a baby shower
A baby shower money gift is entirely normal and appreciated in Australia. New parents face a wave of expenses — prams, car seats, cots — and cash gives them the freedom to spend where it counts. Government guidance from Moneysmart (ASIC) highlights just how quickly baby costs add up, which is part of why cash gifts have become so practical.
You have three easy options:
- Cash in a card. Traditional, personal, and always welcome. Pop it in a nice card with a handwritten note.
- A gift card or voucher. Baby retailers, department stores, or a supermarket card all work well and feel a touch more considered than loose notes.
- An online contribution. If the hosts have set up a digital wishing well, you can send money from your phone in under a minute — no card, no cash to organise on the day.
There's no ranking here. What to give at a baby shower comes down to what suits you and what the parents have asked for. Many Australian families now list a wishing well precisely because it lets guests give any amount comfortably, from $20 to $200.
If you can't decide between a physical present and cash, cash wins for practicality — new parents almost always have a longer shopping list than a single gift can cover.
What changes the right amount
A few factors nudge the number up or down. Keep these in mind before you settle on a figure.
Whether you're attending as a couple. If you and a partner both go, it's normal to give a bit more — around 1.5 times a solo gift rather than a straight double. Two guests, one shared gift is perfectly acceptable.
Is it a second (or third) baby? Etiquette for a "sprinkle" — the lighter, second-baby version of a shower — is more relaxed. A smaller money gift of $30–$60 is completely fine. If you're unsure whether a gift is even expected, our guide on second baby shower etiquette walks through it.
Group gifting. If your friend group or office is doing group-gift pooling — everyone chipping into one larger present — you generally contribute your relationship-appropriate amount ($30–$80 is typical) and the total lands as one generous gift.
Your own budget. This is the one that matters most. Baby shower gift-giving is never meant to cause financial stress. A thoughtful $30 gift with a warm card is worth more than a $150 gift you can't afford.
City and cost of living play a small role too — guests in Sydney and Melbourne sometimes give slightly more than the national average, but the relationship tier still drives the number far more than the postcode.
Baby shower money gift etiquette
Giving money at a baby shower is polite, practical and expected in modern Australia — the days of a cash gift feeling impersonal are well behind us. A few small touches keep it gracious.
Always include a message. Whether it's a card or an online note, a few warm words turn a transaction into a gift. "So excited to meet the little one — with all our love" does the job beautifully.
Round to a tidy figure. $50, $75, $100 — clean amounts feel intentional. There's no need to overthink the exact cents.
Don't announce the amount. How much you give is between you and the parents. Baby shower gift amounts in Australia are private, and no one should feel compared.
Give within a comfortable window. For a physical shower, give on the day or send it in the week around the event. For an online wishing well, you can contribute any time the page is open — before or after the shower is fine.
Across the events run through PocketWell, gift contributions have averaged roughly $130–$175 in recent months across all celebration types, with weddings pulling that figure up; individual baby shower gifts typically sit a little below that band, right in line with the $40–$100 range above. It's a useful reality check when you're second-guessing yourself.
Giving through an online wishing well
An online wishing well is simply a digital page where guests send a monetary gift and a message instead of buying a physical present. It's the modern version of the physical "wishing well" bucket you've seen at showers and weddings — same idea, no envelopes to collect.
If the parents-to-be have shared a link or a QR code, giving takes about a minute:
- Open the page (tap the link or scan the QR-code activation on the invite).
- Choose your amount — you're in full control, from a small gift to a generous one.
- Pay securely with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a debit/credit card.
- Leave a message for the parents.
For hosts, platforms like PocketWell are free to use — parents receive 100% of the gift amount, while guests cover a small platform fee (3.5% as of 2026) plus standard payment processing, always shown before you pay. Payouts to the parents are sent weekly on Tuesdays via Stripe, so there's no cash to count or bank on the day. You can read the full breakdown on the PocketWell FAQ.
Not sure what figure to send? The free baby shower wishing well calculator suggests a comfortable amount based on your relationship and budget.
Thinking of setting up a wishing well for your own baby shower? Create a free baby shower page in minutes and let guests give from their phones.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How much money do you give at a baby shower in Australia?
A: Most Australians give between $30 and $100 at a baby shower, and the right figure depends on your relationship to the parents. Close friends and immediate family typically give $80–$150 or more, regular friends land around $40–$80, and colleagues or acquaintances usually give $20–$50. If you're contributing to a group gift or an online wishing well, your relationship-appropriate amount still applies. The most important rule is to give what's comfortable for your budget — a warm message and your presence count for far more than the exact dollar figure.
Q: Is it rude to give money at a baby shower?
A: Not at all — a baby shower money gift is completely normal and genuinely welcomed in Australia. New parents face big upfront costs like prams, cots and car seats, and cash lets them spend where they need it most. To keep it gracious, always tuck the money into a card with a handwritten note, or add a message if you're giving through an online wishing well. Round, tidy amounts feel intentional, and there's no need to disclose how much you gave — gift amounts are private between you and the parents.
Q: How much should a coworker give at a baby shower?
A: A colleague or coworker typically gives $30–$50 at a baby shower, and it's very common for a workplace to pool everyone's contributions into one larger group gift. If your office is running a collection, chipping in $30–$50 is the norm and takes the guesswork out of it. If you're closer to the parent-to-be than a typical colleague, feel free to give a little more. The tidiest way to coordinate a workplace gift is a shared online collection where everyone adds their bit to a single page — no chasing cash around the office.
Q: What should I give at a second baby shower?
A: For a second (or third) baby — sometimes called a "sprinkle" — expectations are more relaxed, and a smaller money gift of $30–$60 is completely acceptable. Parents already have much of the big gear from the first baby, so contributions often go towards nappies, clothes or a treat for mum. In some circles a gift isn't strictly expected at all for a subsequent baby, so don't feel obliged to match a first-shower amount. If you're unsure, our guide on second baby shower etiquette helps you read the situation.
Q: How much do you give if you can't attend the baby shower?
A: If you're invited but can't make it, a smaller gift or money contribution — around $20–$50 — is a lovely gesture, though it's not obligatory for a baby shower the way it often is for a wedding. Close friends and family may choose to give their full relationship-appropriate amount regardless of attendance. An online wishing well makes this easy: you can send a gift and a message from anywhere, any time the page is open, without posting cash or dropping off a present.
Q: Do you give a gift and money at a baby shower?
A: You don't need to give both — one thoughtful gift is plenty. Many guests choose either a physical present (from a registry or the parents' wishlist) or a money gift, not both. If you'd like to do a little of each, a small practical item plus a modest cash contribution works nicely, but there's no expectation to double up. If the parents have listed a wishing well, that's a strong signal they'd prefer a monetary gift, so a single contribution in your relationship range is exactly right.
Q: How much should you put in a baby shower wishing well?
A: The same relationship-based ranges apply to a wishing well as to any baby shower gift: around $40–$80 for a friend, $80–$150 for a close friend or family member, and $20–$50 for a colleague or acquaintance. The advantage of a wishing well is that you choose any amount that suits you and add a personal message in the same step. For a fuller breakdown of contribution norms, see our guide on how much to put in a wishing well in Australia.
The bottom line
There's no magic number for how much to give at a baby shower — but between $30 and $100 covers almost every guest, with your relationship to the parents doing most of the deciding. Give within your budget, add a warm message, and you've done exactly the right thing.
If you're the one hosting, an online wishing well takes the awkwardness out of gifting entirely and lets every guest give comfortably.
Ready to make gifting easy for your guests? Set up a free baby shower wishing well — it's free for hosts, takes minutes, and your guests can give any amount straight from their phone.