Made from the baby's photoHow it works
Tell us about them
Their name, their age, one thing you love.
Read it before you pay
The whole story and the cover. Change any line.
We make the book
A person checks every page. Hardcover, to your door.
Five baby gifts that get kept
Typical Australian prices, ranked by how often the gift outlasts the first clear-out.
| Gift | Typical price (A$) | How long it's kept | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picture book about the baby (Paperlake) | $99 hardcover, $119 Keepsake, delivered | Years. Read at bedtime, kept on the shelf | Showers, newborns, first birthdays |
| Engraved silver keepsake | $80 to $300 | Decades. Polished and displayed | Christenings, naming days, godparents |
| Wooden name puzzle | $25 to $50 | Years. A toy, then decor | Baby showers, smaller budgets |
| Custom birth print | $20 to $60 | Years on the wall | The nursery wall |
| Engraved baby jewellery | $90 to $400 | A lifetime. Often passed to the child | A parent or grandparent keepsake |
| Personalised blanket | $30 to $80 | 6 to 18 months of use | The newborn stage |
- Typical price (A$)
- $99 hardcover, $119 Keepsake, delivered
- How long it's kept
- Years. Read at bedtime, kept on the shelf
- Best for
- Showers, newborns, first birthdays
- Typical price (A$)
- $80 to $300
- How long it's kept
- Decades. Polished and displayed
- Best for
- Christenings, naming days, godparents
- Typical price (A$)
- $25 to $50
- How long it's kept
- Years. A toy, then decor
- Best for
- Baby showers, smaller budgets
- Typical price (A$)
- $20 to $60
- How long it's kept
- Years on the wall
- Best for
- The nursery wall
- Typical price (A$)
- $90 to $400
- How long it's kept
- A lifetime. Often passed to the child
- Best for
- A parent or grandparent keepsake
- Typical price (A$)
- $30 to $80
- How long it's kept
- 6 to 18 months of use
- Best for
- The newborn stage
Baby shower or after the birth?
Up to 3 days to make, then up to 10 business days in the post. It needs the baby’s photo.
Name not settled
Bring a promise card. Order once the baby arrives.
Something on the day
Use the surname or due date, or gift the parents.
For the first month
Order after the birth; it arrives while visitors still come.
The “another blanket” problem
Personalised blankets dominate Australian baby gifts for good reasons: they are useful from day one, they photograph well, and every retailer makes one. The catch is that they have become the default, so the baby gets four of them.
If most people give a blanket, the gift that is remembered is the one that isn’t. A simple test: if you can describe the gift without mentioning the personalisation, it is a generic item with a name added. If the personalisation is what makes the gift exist (a story about the baby, a puzzle of their name, a print of their birth details), it is in the keep-it category.
Five personalised baby gifts that aren’t another blanket
Best for: Baby showers, newborns, first birthdays, christenings
A hardcover picture book about the baby, with pictures made from their photo. The people around them go in too. You read the whole story before you pay. The Keepsake adds a 6-photo album and an online copy. Up to 3 days to make, then up to 10 business days.
Best for: Christenings, naming days, formal gift moments
A silver cup, spoon, rattle or photo frame engraved with the baby's name and birth date. The traditional grandparent and godparent gift. Australian jewellers such as Hardy Brothers and Najo make these. Lasts for ever and looks better with age.
Best for: Baby shower gifts that double as nursery decor
A wooden puzzle spelling the baby's name, each letter a removable piece. Looks good on a nursery shelf from day one and becomes a toy around 18 months. Many Australian Etsy makers sell them.
Best for: A practical gift for the nursery wall
A framed print with the baby's name, birth date, weight, time and length. Simple designs suit modern nurseries, and it is easy to frame yourself to save.
Best for: Sentimental gifts from a parent or grandparent
A pendant or bracelet engraved with the birth date, often given to a parent to keep until the child is older, or a small sterling ID bracelet for the baby.
Prices are typical Australian ranges, not quotes; check each maker before you order.
Why a book lasts longer than a blanket
The baby grows into the book and out of the blanket. Here is the case, including where it breaks.
- Lifespan. A blanket sees heavy use for 6 to 12 months and then mostly stops. A book gets opened more as the baby grows, most of all from about 2 to 5.
- Where it lives. A blanket goes into a drawer. A book sits on a shelf at eye height, where grandparents pick it up and read it.
- How personal it is. A blanket has a name stitched on and would work for any baby. A book about the baby, with their face and their people, works for no one else.
- At the end. Most blankets end up in a charity bag. A hardcover book about the baby tends to go into a memory box.
Where personalised baby blankets actually do win
- The newborn stage. A soft cotton or bamboo blanket is used from the hospital bag onward. A book waits for bedtime routines to start.
- Hospital photos. The first photos almost always feature a blanket, and a stitched name gives them a centrepiece.
- Second babies. If the older sibling already has a book about them, a blanket gives the new arrival their own thing without doubling up.
- Tight budgets. A good embroidered blanket starts around $30; our hardcover is $99. Under $50, a blanket from a small maker is honest value.
Often the right answer is both: a blanket for the first six months, a book for the next ten years.
Ordering personalised gifts before the baby arrives
The usual hook for a personalised baby gift, the first name, often isn’t settled until after the birth. A book made from the baby’s photo has to wait for the baby. Three approaches work:
- Use what is already known. The surname, the due date, the family monogram or “Baby [Surname]”. A monogrammed nappy bag or a print of the due date can be given on the day.
- A promise card, then order after the birth. Bring a card at the shower describing the gift, such as “a book about [baby], coming home with you in the first month”, and order once the baby has arrived. Pair it with a small practical gift if you want something to unwrap.
- Gift the parents. A personalised hospital bag, a journal for the new parent, or a hamper with mum’s name on the tag. Useful, and no name guessing.
The rule of thumb: if the gift needs the baby’s first name or photo, order it after the birth. If it works with a surname, a monogram or a due date, bring it on the day. About 292,000 births were registered in Australia in 2024 (ABS), so parents-to-be receive a lot of similar gifts. Most of the table is nappies and onesies; the keepsakes are what parents remember.
Which gift fits which moment
- Baby shower. A name puzzle, a birth print with the date to come, or a promise card for a book once the baby is here.
- Newborn arrival. Birth details are confirmed, so engraved silver, a birth print or a book about the baby all work. Order in the first weeks to arrive with the first wave of visitors.
- Christening or naming day. Engraved silver is traditional, often from godparents or grandparents; a book about the baby pairs well from another guest. See our christening gift ideas.
- First birthday and first Christmas. A blanket is past its best by now; a book about the toddler is the strongest fit. See our first birthday book and Christmas books.
Which gift fits which giver
- Close family and close friends. A keepsake: a book about the baby, an embroidered quilt or a framed birth print. Family tends to spend $80 to $200, friends $50 to $120. Add something small from the registry and both bases are covered.
- Workmates and extended family. Often a pooled budget. Milestone cards, a monogrammed nappy bag, or a group gift towards a bigger keepsake.
- The host, or someone gifting mum. A hamper with her name on the tag, or a small piece of jewellery with the due date or an initial.
What to avoid as a personalised baby shower gift
- A guessed name. A wrap embroidered with the wrong name ends up at the back of a cupboard.
- Personalised consumables. Named bibs, burp cloths and onesies fade in the wash and are outgrown in weeks. Put the budget into one keepsake.
- Overseas delivery on a tight timeline. Check a service’s delivery promise against the shower date, and add making time on top of the post.
We make one of these gifts and publish this guide, so we have said where the others win. How we compare is on the methodology page.
Sources
- ABS Births, Australia (2024, released October 2025): 292,318 births registered in 2024
