Cute Baby Gift Wrapping Ideas For Eco-Friendly Showers & Birthdays

Welcoming baby! What more life-affirming reason to celebrate? At Wrappily Eco Gift Wrap Co, we take gift wrapping for the next generation to heart. Here are a few thoughts on gifting mindfully for your next baby shower, newborn gift, or baby’s first birthday. We want your gifts to be as sustainable and stylish as possible, so we asked gift wrapping professional Samantha Howard of Howard & Bow to share her best tips and advice on how to gift wrap beautiful gifts for new moms and new parents, and of course, how to gift wrap safely and sustainably for baby.

Saving the Future One Present At A Time

New parents—and the friends and family that love them—all want what’s best for baby, including a healthy environment for the little one to grow up in. They are juggling more decisions than ever: researching all the stuff they need for their newborn, reading reviews, then vetting the safety and sustainability of the materials they are made from. (Not to mention weighing the generational impact these choices will have on the environment!)

It requires a ton of thought and effort, and Wrappily is here to support by providing an easy, eco-friendly solution when it’s time to wrap your carefully selected gift. All our wrapping paper and gift ribbons are compostable, recyclable, and sustainably sourced—after all, it’s a real disconnect to welcome a new life with a celebration that results in a bunch conventional, glossy gift wrap getting thrown to the landfill adding up to over 4 million tons of trash each year year!

At Wrappily, we believe you can wrap a cute gift that mom and baby will love and give an even greater gift to future generations at the same time.

“Whenever I wrap a baby gift, I try to capture all the joy in celebrating new life,” says professional gift wrapper, Samantha Howard, of Howard & Bow (and a mother of four, herself!) 

We know you will love Samantha’s creative gift wrapping tips to #GiftHappily with mom and baby in mind.

  Shop the Look

Gift Wrapping For Baby Showers

“Every child and new parent deserves to feel celebrated,” declares Samantha. For expecting parents, it is all about the anticipation and envisioning who the child will be when they arrive. "Unwrapping a baby shower gift is akin to this same experience… what wonderful surprise awaits me inside?" 

Basics: Whether or not there’s been a gender reveal, a palette of soft hues in an array of colors will always be appropriate for baby shower gifts. Traditional blue and pink are options, but no longer mandatory. Samantha’s selection of Wrappily papers includes a modern aesthetic of patterns depicting nature, whimsical scenes, and bright, happy color themes that can be paired at will. All our wrapping papers offer double-sided patterns, great for coordinating on a theme. She often chooses her gift wrapping to be aligned with the parents' personalities or a particular shower party theme rather than just the baby’s gender.

“As a mother myself, any gift I receive for my baby is also a gift for me. Receiving a gift that is wrapped thoughtfully and with intention shows this love,” says Samantha.

Special Touch: For wow-effect and making a big first visual impression, Samantha loves to embellish her baby shower gifts with a special removable gift topper that can saved as a keepsake, such as an oversized folded origami or a crafted paper flower. Not only is it a clever way to use wrap cut-offs and scrap pieces, a crafted paper topper can be enjoyed beyond the party and used again, attached to a magnet, or even saved in a memory box. (Brilliant!) It might even become a gift-giving tradition that gets passed from friend to friend.

We love this adorable and memorable paper boat Samantha fashioned to pair with Wrappily Whales & Anchor wrapping paper!

Gift Wrapping Ideas For Baby Showers and Baby’s First Birthday

What is more fun (and totally heart-bursting) than watching a teeny human just freshly aware of their own fingertips work to open a gift. Cognitive synapsis fire as baby tries to establish what to do with this new paper covered box …do I shake it? …do I eat it? …can I smash it? …does it make sound?

With babies, regardless of what’s in the box, it’s the actual present itself that is first thoroughly enjoyed. The innocence of this sweetly inquisitive response is unique only to this age. Savor these precious moments with Samantha’s clever and unique gift wrapping tips for baby and baby showers:

Use a toy gift toppers:

Samantha loves to plop something fun and enticing right to the outside, especially since it can take awhile before the actual present is revealed. Baby hasn’t learned that there is more to a gift than what they can see (object permanence isn’t really a thing for them yet). Depending on the age, teethers, plushies or soft toys bigger than a fist size provide baby visual excitement and something immediate to play with.

Build a sensory experience:

Little data collecting machines that they are, babies naturally approach every new experience looking for multiple sensory input. Samantha adds layers of textures for a sensory stimulation: Wrappily’s uncoated newsprint paper naturally offers a pleasing toothy touch, layer with crinkly crepe paper ribbon for extra crunchy sound, tie-on tactilely pleasing toys or soft felt balls—all fun input for baby’s developing brain.

Give baby something to grab onto with pleated folds:

Everyone likes to be set up for success, which is why we think Samantha’s suggestion to use pleated folding is particularly brilliant for baby and toddler gifting. As building fine motor skills is still squarely on the to-do list, all the bumps and ridges offer ample grab-ability for little ones. Comparatively, finding a finger hold on a regularly wrapped box is much trickier. Squeals of delight will ensue with dramatic paper rips and the big reveal… Oh, the joy of gifting!

Meet the Gift Wrap Artist: Samantha Howard, Howard & Bow

"I am Samantha, a self-taught gift wrapper who loves to gift beautifully. I minored in art in college, and have combined my love of art, people, and celebrations to create Howard & Bow. I love seeing the gifting vision of a generous giver and helping them make it come true. Creating an experience is my purpose. Gift wrapping is my passion!

I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in a colorful culture that celebrates pretty much everything! We celebrate life, love, and each other. You never need a reason to party in PR! When I’m not wrapping, I help students in special populations, such as teen parents, foster youth, unaccompanied minors, and undocumented students, pursue higher education."

Professional Photography
Tia Wright, Four Little Hooligans Photography

Authors
Sara Smith & Stacey Johnston, Wrappily