Maternity Leave Gift: what to buy for a colleague going on leave

Quick answer: The best maternity leave gifts are ones that acknowledge the person, not just the baby. Think comfort, choice, and something they can enjoy on their own terms - a voucher for a favourite restaurant, a self-care treat, or a gift card they can spend on whatever they need. On Huggg you set the budget and they pick, so you don’t have to guess.

Why maternity leave gifts matter (and why they’re tricky)

When a colleague announces they’re going on maternity leave, most teams want to do something thoughtful. A card gets passed around. Someone starts a collection. And then the inevitable question: what do we actually buy?

It should be simple. But maternity leave gifts come with more considerations than most workplace gifts. You’re navigating personal boundaries, varying comfort levels, and the fine line between thoughtful and presumptuous.

Get it right, and you send someone off feeling genuinely valued. Get it wrong, and you end up with a breast pump joke mug sitting in the office kitchen for the next three years.

What makes a good maternity leave gift?

The best maternity leave gifts share a few things in common. They’re personal without being too personal. They focus on the colleague, not just the baby. And they give the recipient some say in what they actually receive.

Focus on the person, not the pregnancy

This might sound counterintuitive, but the most thoughtful maternity leave gifts are often the ones that have nothing to do with babies.

Your colleague is about to go through one of the biggest changes of their life. Everyone else - family, friends, neighbours - will be buying baby grows and nappies. From their workplace, what often means the most is something that says: we see you, not just your new role as a parent.

Give them choice

You probably don’t know whether your colleague prefers a spa day or a supermarket shop. Whether they’d rather have flowers or a takeaway on their first Friday off. And that’s fine - you’re not supposed to.

A Huggg Gift with Choice lets the recipient pick something they’ll actually use, from a curated range of options. It takes the guesswork out of gifting without losing the thought behind it.

Keep it inclusive

Not every maternity leave is straightforward. Some colleagues may have had difficult pregnancies, fertility struggles, or mixed feelings about the change ahead. A gift that’s sensitive to this - one that doesn’t assume a specific emotional state - goes further than one covered in “yay baby!” messaging.

Maternity leave gift ideas that actually work

Here are some practical ideas, grouped by who’s buying and how much you’re looking to spend.

From the team (group collection)

When a team clubs together, you typically have a bit more to spend. These are good options for a pooled gift.

• Vouchers for restaurants or coffee shops - Something they can enjoy during maternity leave, whether that’s a lunch out with a friend or a quiet coffee on their own. Huggg gift cards cover a wide range of restaurants, coffee shops, and lunch spots.
• Supermarket or retail vouchers - Practical, flexible, and useful for anyone. A small amount goes a surprisingly long way when someone’s adjusting to a new routine.
• Experience vouchers - A cinema trip, spa day, or activity voucher. Good for giving them something to look forward to during leave.
• A hamper or treat box - Food hampers, chocolate boxes, or curated treat packages. Keep it general enough to account for dietary preferences and allergies.

From a manager or the business

If the gift is coming from the organisation or a direct manager, it carries a slightly different weight. It’s less about fun and more about recognition.

• A personal note with a gift card - A handwritten card from their manager with a gift card of their choice. Simple, but the personal note is what makes it memorable.
• Flowers - Classic and always appreciated - though check allergies and preferences first.
• A Huggg Gift with Choice - let the recipient decide what they’d like from a curated range. This works especially well when the business is gifting across multiple people going on different types of leave, because it removes the need to guess.
• A care package for the first few weeks - Think comfort food, a nice candle, and something indulgent. Not baby-themed.

On a smaller budget

Not every workplace gift needs to be big. A well-chosen smaller gift can be just as thoughtful.

• A coffee shop voucher - Even a £5-10 coffee voucher says “we’re thinking of you” without breaking the bank.
• A card signed by the team - Sometimes the simplest option is the best. A genuine, personal message from colleagues can mean more than any gift.
• A lunch voucher - A takeaway credit or restaurant voucher for a meal out (or in) during those early weeks.

What to avoid

Some gifts seem like good ideas but can miss the mark. Here’s what to steer clear of.

Baby-only gifts from the workplace

Unless you know your colleague really well, a pile of baby clothes from the office can feel impersonal. They’ll receive plenty of baby gifts from family and friends. From work, something for them is usually more meaningful.

Alcohol

Not everyone drinks, and someone about to give birth or who’s recently given birth may not be able to. A bottle of wine might sit untouched for months.

Anything too personal

Maternity leave is personal. Your colleague’s experience of it - physically and emotionally - is theirs. Gifts that assume how they’re feeling, or that reference their body, are best avoided.

Cash in an envelope

Even if the intention is good, handing someone cash feels transactional. A gift card or voucher achieves the same flexibility without the awkwardness.

What about when the baby arrives?

Everything above is about the send-off, the gift that marks a colleague going on leave. The arrival is a separate moment, and it’s the one where a baby gift finally makes sense. Family and friends will have covered the basics by then, so the useful thing from work is usually something for the household rather than another set of sleepsuits.

Huggg has a New Baby Gift with Choice built for exactly this. You set the budget, the new parent opens a link and picks from the curated new baby range on Huggg, and they enter their own delivery details. That last part matters more than usual here, because nobody is quite sure where they’ll be that week.

If you’re setting the approach for the whole team rather than buying a one-off, our guide to new baby gifts covers what to send, what to spend, and how to keep it consistent.

What about the tax side?

If you’re an HR or People team thinking about this more formally, it’s worth knowing that most small gifts can be given tax-free under the trivial benefits exemption. The key rules: the gift must cost £50 or less (including VAT), must not be cash or a cash equivalent, and must not be linked to performance. For more detail, read our full guide to employee gifts and tax implications.

How to make it easy with Huggg

If you’re responsible for gifting across your organisation, you’ll know the admin can stack up quickly - especially when there are multiple maternity, paternity, and adoption leave events throughout the year.

Huggg’s Gift with Choice lets you set a budget and send a link. The recipient chooses from a curated range of gifts - coffee, lunch, flowers, experiences, retail, or supermarket vouchers - and enters their own details. No guessing, no addresses, no awkward gift returns.

You can also set up recognition budgets so managers can send gifts at the right moment without needing to go through a procurement process first.

For businesses looking to build gifting into their wider recognition programme, maternity leave is one of the key life moments worth planning for. Our Employee Gifting Handbook covers how to map out these moments and build them into a strategy that’s consistent and scalable.

Explore our plans or start gifting for free.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good maternity leave gift for a colleague?

The best maternity leave gift for a colleague is something thoughtful that focuses on them, not just the baby. Vouchers for restaurants, coffee shops, or retail stores work well. A Gift with Choice lets the recipient pick something they’ll actually use. Avoid gifts that assume how they’re feeling or that are exclusively baby-themed.

How much should you spend on a maternity leave gift?

There’s no set rule, but most team collections aim for £20-50. A gift from a manager or the business typically falls in the £10-30 range. Even a small gesture - a coffee voucher or a handwritten card - can be meaningful. If you’re giving a business gift, keeping it under £50 (including VAT) means it can qualify as a tax-free trivial benefit.

Should a maternity leave gift be for the mum or the baby?

From the workplace, a gift for the person going on leave is usually more meaningful than a baby gift. Family and friends will cover baby items. A workplace gift that says “we value you” - rather than “congratulations on the baby” - tends to land better, especially when you don’t know the colleague’s personal situation well.

Is it appropriate to give a maternity leave gift from the company?

Yes. Acknowledging maternity leave with a thoughtful gift is a normal and appreciated part of workplace culture. It shows the business values the employee as a person, not just a role. Keep it inclusive and sensitive - avoid assumptions about how the person feels about their leave.

What about paternity and adoption leave gifts?

The same principles apply. Thoughtful, person-focused gifts work just as well for colleagues going on paternity or adoption leave. Inclusivity matters - if your organisation gifts for maternity leave, extend the same approach to all types of parental leave.

Can maternity leave gifts be given tax-free?

In the UK, gifts under £50 (including VAT) that are not cash or cash equivalents, not linked to performance, and not part of a contract can qualify as tax-free trivial benefits under HMRC rules. Read our full guide to employee gifts and tax implications for more detail. Huggg gifts are non-cash, so they qualify on that test as long as you keep the value under £50.