Baby shower etiquette in Australia is more relaxed than the American version you see on television, and a lot of the worry people have about registries comes from those imported rules. Nobody here expects a three-tier cake or a gift-opening ceremony. What people do expect is to be told, quietly, what would help, and to be thanked afterwards.
This guide is for both sides. Parents-to-be get the rules on sharing a registry, asking for cash and handling the guest who ignores the list. Guests get the numbers on how much to give, whether cash is fine, and what to do if the thing you wanted to buy is already taken. If you have not set the registry up yet, start with how to create a baby registry in Australia; if you are deciding what goes on it, see what to put on a baby registry.
For parents: is a registry expected?
Not expected, but welcome. The people around you are going to buy something anyway, and without a list they will guess. Guessing produces eleven newborn outfits and no car seat.
Where Australians still hesitate is the feeling that a list is a demand. It isn't, provided you follow two rules: the registry is offered, never pushed, and buying from it is always optional. Everything below flows from those two.
A registry also does something for guests that people forget: it removes the fear of getting it wrong. Your aunt in Perth would much rather put money towards the exact pram you want than post a pram you have to return.
Still choosing where to host it? Our best baby registry in Australia comparison covers the single-store and universal options.
How to share the registry without being pushy
Let the host mention it. If someone else is throwing the shower, the registry line belongs on their invitation, not in a message from you. One sentence at the bottom is the convention: "For anyone who has asked, Mia and Josh have a registry at [link]." Our baby shower invitation wording post has full invitations with that line in place, and registry invitation wording has more versions of the sentence itself.
Answer the question when it is asked. "What do you need?" is your cue to send the link. Sending it in reply is never rude.
Post it once. One message in the family or friends group chat with the link and a thank-you. No reposts, no reminders, no "just bumping this".
Don't put it on social media. A public post reads as a request to everyone you have ever met. Keep it to the people who are invited or who have asked.
Say the list is a guide. A welcome note on the registry itself along the lines of "this is just to help if you're stuck for ideas, and anything or nothing is fine" takes the pressure off the guest who was going to knit something.
Asking for cash or group gifts politely
Cash is common at Australian baby showers now, especially for the pram, the car seat and the cot, and for second babies. The etiquette is about wording, not about whether you are allowed.
Name what it is for. "Towards the pram" or "for the first three months of nappies" turns money into a gift. A bare "cash please" does not.
Keep gifts optional and visible. Put the cash fund on the registry next to normal items, so a guest who wants to wrap a present still can. A registry with nothing on it but a bank account number feels like an invoice.
Never state a target or an amount on the invitation. Suggested amounts belong inside a group-gift organiser's message, not on the invite. The exception is a friend who is organising a group present and asks you directly what the pram costs; tell them.
Let items be shared. On EasyRegistry every item can take contributions from more than one guest, so three colleagues can cover the car seat between them without anyone organising a whip-around. If a group wants to run it themselves, our guide to how much to chip in for a group gift has the message they can copy.
Two or three lines of wording are enough. For examples, see the baby shower wishing well wording guide.
For guests: how much to give at a baby shower in Australia
Baby shower gifts here are more modest than wedding gifts, and more practical. A share of the pram or two things off the registry is the normal gift. Using the ranges in EasyRegistry's how much to give for a baby shower guide:
- Immediate family: A$50 to A$150, and grandparents often go higher on one big item.
- Extended family: A$40 to A$100.
- Close friend: A$50 to A$100.
- Friend: A$30 to A$70.
- Colleague or acquaintance: A$20 to A$50.
- A share of a group gift: whatever the group agrees, often A$30 to A$60 each.
For a sense of what people actually do rather than what guides suggest, the median contribution to a baby registry on EasyRegistry was $40 in August 2026. That is the middle of the range, not a minimum. Our blog post on how much to give for a baby shower has worked examples by situation.
A few rules that sit alongside the numbers:
- Second babies get less, and that is fine. A "sprinkle" for a second or third baby is lower-key. Consumables, a meal, or a treat for the older sibling all go down well.
- Give what you can. A small gift with a good card is never wrong. A big gift given resentfully is.
- The gift is for the baby, the card is for the parents. Write the card to them. Our baby card message post has wording if you are stuck.
Cash, gift card, or something off the list?
All three are fine. Here is how they land.
Something off the registry. The safest choice. It is exactly what the parents asked for, and it is the one gift you know will not be a duplicate. If the item you want is a big one, put in part of it; on EasyRegistry a guest can contribute any amount towards a gift and other guests make up the rest.
Cash. Welcome, particularly for the big-ticket items or a named fund. Put it through the registry rather than handing over an envelope, so the parents have a record of who gave what for the thank-you notes. If you do give cash on the day, a card with a line about what it is for ("towards the cot") makes it a gift rather than a transaction.
A gift card. Good for the relative who does not want to transfer money online, and for parents who have said they would rather choose things after the birth. Pick a store the parents actually use. Our guide to making a gift card personal covers the note that goes with it, and a group can pool onto one card rather than giving five small ones.
Something not on the list. Only if you know the parents well and are sure they will use it. The handmade blanket from a grandmother is a treasure. The novelty outfit in size 000 from an acquaintance will be worn once for the photo.
Group gifts at a baby shower
Group gifts are the norm for the expensive items, and the etiquette is simple.
As the organiser: decide the item, ask people once with a suggested amount framed as a guide, give a deadline, and make it clear joining in is optional. Don't post who has paid. If the total falls short, buy a smaller version or add a gift card for the balance. Don't send a second round of asks. The full playbook is in how much to chip in for a group gift, and group gift etiquette covers the general rules.
As a contributor: give roughly what you would have spent on your own gift, or a bit less if you are also bringing something small. Send your card message to the organiser so it makes it into the card. It is fine to say no.
As the parents: thank the group as a group and each person individually if you can see who contributed. On EasyRegistry the contribution list shows every guest, their amount and their message, so nobody gets missed.
At the shower itself
Opening gifts in front of everyone is optional. Some Australian showers do it, plenty don't. If you do, keep it brisk, and thank each person as you go. If you don't, say so on the invitation or at the start so guests know to leave gifts on the table.
Nobody should bring a gift and a contribution. If a guest has already put money towards the pram online, they do not need a wrapped present on the day. Say this in the welcome note so people don't double up.
Guests who couldn't come still count. Interstate family and friends who contributed online get the same thank-you as the people in the room.
For the planning side, from timing to games, our baby shower guide for Australia has the whole day covered.
Thank-you notes: the part everyone forgets
Send them. Within a few weeks of the shower is the convention, and if the baby arrives first, after the birth with a photo is a lovely alternative.
Three lines is enough: name the gift, say how you will use it, and thank them for coming or for thinking of you. For cash or a share of a group gift, say what it went towards: "Your contribution went straight into the pram, which has already done its first lap of the park."
Text or email is fine for friends. A card is nicer for grandparents and older relatives. Our thank you messages for a baby shower post has wording for every situation, and newborn thank you cards covers the after-the-birth version.
Common questions
Is it rude to have a baby shower registry in Australia?
No. It is common and most guests prefer it. The rules are that it is offered rather than pushed (one line on the host's invitation, sent when people ask), and that buying from it is always optional.
How much should I give for a baby shower gift?
Friends usually give A$30 to A$70 and immediate family A$50 to A$150, with colleagues and acquaintances around A$20 to A$50. The median contribution to a baby registry on EasyRegistry was $40 in August 2026. Give what suits your budget and your relationship with the parents.
Is it okay to ask for cash for a baby shower?
Yes, when it is worded warmly, named for something specific (the pram, a nappy fund), and sits alongside optional gifts. Never put a target or amount on the invitation.
Should I bring a gift if I already contributed online?
No. Your contribution is your gift. A card on the day is a nice touch but not required.
Do you give a gift for a second baby shower?
Usually something smaller, and often consumables or a meal rather than gear. Second-baby showers are lower-key and the parents already own the big items.
Who sends the thank-you notes?
The parents, within a few weeks of the shower or after the birth. If the registry records each contribution and message, that list is the thank-you list.
Setting up your own? EasyRegistry lets you add gifts from any store, take contributions towards the big items from more than one guest, and see every name, amount and message in one list for the thank-yous. Free to create. Start a baby registry, or read the baby registry checklist first.