Baby showers remain a meaningful event for families, friends, and gift-givers. Recent figures from HomePage News, Babylist, The Bump, and MyRegistry describe who expects to participate, what guests prefer to give, how parents organize registries, and when key planning decisions happen. The figures below retain each source’s stated survey year, comparison period, geography where provided, and whether a number is an estimate, range, or reported preference.
Contents
- Participation and expectations
- Who is involved
- Gifts and shopping
- Invitations, showers, and activities
- Registry timing and reach
- Registry size and fulfillment
- Budgets and planning ranges
Participation and expectations
The HomePage News 2024 Occasions Report found that 27% of consumers expected a baby shower among family and friends during the next 12 months. The same report found that 13% expected to be involved with a baby shower themselves during that period. These are expectations reported in the 2024 survey, rather than a count of completed events.
Age made a substantial difference in the 2024 results. Among consumers aged 18–34, 44% expected a baby shower among family and friends, the highest cohort result reported. In that age group, 26% expected a baby shower in their own lives, also the highest cohort result. The youngest consumer group expected to purchase a home and housewares gift at a rate of 40%, giving it a 10-point advantage over the 35–44 cohort in planned baby shower housewares purchases.
The 2024 report also recorded different expectations by gender. Sixteen percent of men expected a baby shower among family and friends in the upcoming year, compared with 11% of women. These percentages describe the survey groups and should not be read as a forecast of the number of showers held in a wider population.
The HomePage News 2026 Occasions Report presents a separate survey-year comparison. In its 2026 survey, 8% of respondents were very likely to have their own baby shower in the next 12 months and 11% were somewhat likely. In the prior-year survey cited by that report, the corresponding figures were 6% very likely and 8% somewhat likely.
For attending a friends-and-family shower, 11% of respondents in the 2026 survey were very likely and 14% were somewhat likely. The prior-year comparison was 10% very likely and 16% somewhat likely. The report also found that urban consumers were five points more likely than the comparison group to anticipate a friends-and-family baby shower in the coming year.
Who is involved
The 2026 HomePage News report found that 36% of consumers aged 35–44 were involved in a baby shower with family or friends in the year ahead. Among consumers aged 18–35, the figure was 33%. Gen Z respondents reported a 15% likelihood of having their own baby shower in the next 12 months as very likely and 17% as somewhat likely.
Gen Z respondents also reported a relatively high likelihood of attending a friends-and-family shower in the 2026 survey: 17% were very likely and 20% were somewhat likely. Taken together, these figures describe anticipated involvement in the specific HomePage News survey and do not establish a national event count.
The 2026 report’s home-focused gift measures also show a year-over-year comparison. Twenty-two percent of respondents were very likely to purchase a home-focused baby shower gift and 21% were somewhat likely. In the prior-year survey, the figures were 10% and 14%, respectively. The report’s gift-category results offer more detail on what “home-focused” can mean in practice.
Gifts and shopping
In the HomePage News 2024 Occasions Report, 25% of respondents expected to purchase a baby shower gift from the home and housewares category. Among planned baby-shower housewares gifts, 12% were bathroom or personal care products, 11% were organization or home decor products, 10% were bedroom items, 7% were cleaning or home-environment products, and 5% were kitchen items.
Gift format was another clear preference in the 2024 survey. Sixty-five percent preferred to pick something personal for a baby shower gift, while 30% preferred gift cards. The 2026 HomePage News report measured the choice differently: 54% preferred to give a specific baby shower gift, up from 50% a year earlier, while 34% preferred gift cards, up from 26% a year earlier. Because the reports use different survey years and wording, the percentages are best treated as separate snapshots.
The 2026 gift-category results show the following reported selections for a likely baby shower gift:
| Category | 2026 survey | 2025 survey comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom and personal care | 38% | 31% |
| Bedroom items | 31% | 31% |
| Cleaning or home-environment | 27% | 25% |
| Organization or home decor | 27% | 25% |
These categories come from the HomePage News 2026 Occasions Report. The survey reported 38% selecting bathroom and personal care products, 31% selecting bedroom items, 27% selecting cleaning or home-environment products, and 27% selecting organization or home decor in 2026. The prior-year comparison was 31%, 31%, 25%, and 25%, respectively.
Invitations, showers, and activities
The Babylist 2026 etiquette survey found that 48% of Babylist users used paper invitations for baby showers, while 52% opted for digital invitations. Ten percent of expecting parents surveyed by Babylist invited guests by text. The three channels are not necessarily mutually exclusive, so the figures should not be combined into a single invitation total.
The same Babylist survey found that 28% of nearly 2,000 parents-to-be had more than one baby shower. About one-third of expecting parents in the survey skipped opening gifts at the shower. These figures describe the Babylist survey population and its reported practices.
The Bump baby shower games poll found that more than half of respondents preferred trivia-style games to active games. Creative activities, such as onesie decorating, were preferred by 31%, while 14% preferred challenge games such as blind diaper-changing. Almost one-third said eating was their favorite baby shower activity. The poll’s “more than half,” “almost one-third,” and percentage results are retained as reported rather than converted into unsupported exact values.
Registry timing and reach
Babylist’s registry FAQ says most expecting parents start a Babylist registry during the second trimester, around 16–20 weeks, and that more than 60% do so in that window. MyRegistry’s timing guide gives an ideal registry-start window of weeks 16–26 and also identifies weeks 20–26 as an ideal baby registry start window. The two MyRegistry ranges appear as separate guidance statements in the source material.
MyRegistry says baby shower invitations typically go out 4–8 weeks before the event. Its timing guide says a typical baby shower is held between weeks 28 and 36 of pregnancy, and that registries should be complete by weeks 24–28 at the latest. These are planning guidelines, not a record of every shower schedule.
Babylist says more than 9 million people shop with its service each year and more than 26 million parents read its guides each year. It also says users can add items from tens of thousands of retailers. More than 70% of items on Babylist registries are priced under $50, a useful indicator for guests who want lower-cost choices.
Babylist reports that its completion discount gives 15% off eligible items and can save up to $600 on up to $4,000 in purchases. The discount activates 60 days before the due date when the registry is at least 30 days old and remains active for 90 days afterward. Babylist also says its Hello Baby Box is valued at $100, requires a $30-or-more Babylist Shop purchase, and has $8.95 plus tax shipping. The service says free breast-pump eligibility is available through insurance.
Registry size and fulfillment
MyRegistry’s baby registry value guide says the average parent researches 4–8 baby brands before creating a registry. It says 70–80% of those researched brands are not available on Amazon or Target, and that a single-store registry captures approximately 30% of what parents researched. The same guide says the average parent needs items from at least six different retailers to complete an ideal registry.
The guide reports a 68–75% fulfillment rate for universal registries and a 58–65% fulfillment rate for fragmented multi-platform registries. It says registries with 60–80 items achieve the highest fulfillment rates, while registries under 40 items limit guest options and those over 120 items reduce per-item fulfillment rates. For a 20-person shower, MyRegistry says at least 20 items at appropriate price points are needed.
Price accessibility is part of the same guidance. MyRegistry says coworkers, acquaintances, and casual shower guests represent 20–30% of a typical guest list. It recommends keeping 8–10 items under $30 to capture the full range of baby shower guests. The guide also says a completion discount is commonly 10–20% after the shower and gives an example in which a 15% discount on a $500 balance saves $75.
Budgets and planning ranges
MyRegistry’s 2026 checklist guide says its baby registry checklist covers 10 categories and 60–80 items. It reports that baby registries with fund options receive $500–$1,500 in additional value. Its examples show how platform fees can affect larger funds: a $3,000 fund can have a $90 difference between 0% and 3% platform fees, while a $5,000 fund can have a $150 difference.
The guide gives these category budget ranges:
| Registry category | Reported budget range |
|---|---|
| Travel system | $200–$1,100 |
| Sleep essentials | $150–$1,500 |
| Feeding | $100–$600 |
| Diapering | $50–$300 |
| Baby-wearing | $40–$200 |
| Bathing | $40–$150 |
| Nursery | $300–$1,500 |
| Safety | $50–$300 |
| On-the-go | $30–$300 |
| Entertainment | $40–$300 |
These are MyRegistry planning ranges, not average spending amounts. The widest listed ranges are for sleep essentials, from $150 to $1,500, and nursery items, from $300 to $1,500. The lowest starting points are $30 for on-the-go items, $40 for baby-wearing and bathing, and $40 for entertainment.
For party planning, the figures point to several practical constraints: guests may prefer both specific gifts and gift cards; paper and digital invitations are both common among Babylist users; and a registry needs enough lower-priced choices for the 20–30% of guests described by MyRegistry as coworkers, acquaintances, or casual shower attendees. The timing guidance places registry completion before the typical weeks 28–36 shower window, with invitations generally sent 4–8 weeks before the event.