Gift ideas for colleagues going on maternity or parental leave

Your colleague is about to go on maternity leave or start her parental leave, and suddenly the whole team is asking the big question: what do we give her? Is a classic bouquet of flowers enough, or should it be something more personal? So that you don’t have to spend hours scrolling through online shops, we have put together a list of gift ideas that really go down well – from practical helpers for the first weeks with the baby to small gestures that show the whole team is thinking of her. And at the end we show you how a shared greeting card makes it easy for everyone on the team to leave a personal message.

Maternity leave or parental leave – what’s the difference?

Before we get to the gift ideas, a quick bit of context: in Germany, maternity protection (Mutterschutz) is the statutory protection period of usually six weeks before and eight weeks after the birth, during which the expectant or new mum is not allowed to work. Parental leave follows on from this – or is taken by fathers at the same time – and can last much longer, up to three years per child. For your team gift, this doesn’t really matter much: what counts is that you make her farewell from the workplace a nice one, whether it is officially the first day of maternity leave or already the start of parental leave.

Why a joint maternity leave gift goes down so well

The last working day before maternity leave is a pretty emotional moment for many mums-to-be: saying goodbye to the team and the familiar routine – and starting a completely new phase of life that often lasts months or years. A thoughtful gift from the team shows that she won’t be forgotten during her parental leave and makes saying goodbye a little easier. The person organising it is usually her best friend at the office, the team lead or simply whoever happens to be in charge – the important thing is to let everyone know in good time so that really everyone can take part.

Practical gifts for the baby and the family

In our experience, practical gifts almost always go down well because they are genuinely needed in the hectic everyday life with a baby:

• A high-quality starter set (bodysuits, little hats, swaddle) in neutral colours
• A voucher for a newborn photo shoot
• A comfortable nursing or changing stool for the living room
• A baby monitor or smart baby camera
• A changing bag that still works as an everyday bag after parental leave
• A first-aid kit specially for babies, including a thermometer
• A voucher for a baby store, in case you don’t know what she already has

Gifts that are good for the mum-to-be herself

As well as gifts for the baby, it is worth thinking about the mum herself – after all, her body and everyday life are being turned upside down right now:

• A voucher for a massage or a spa day, to be redeemed after parental leave
• High-quality care products for stretch marks or postnatal recovery
• Comfortable loungewear or nursing tops
• A small book bundle for quiet nursing and cuddling moments
• A voucher for a meal delivery service for the first exhausting weeks after the birth
• A beauty box for pampering on days when there’s simply no time for a bath

Personal gifts from the whole team

Sometimes it isn’t the gift itself that matters most, but the words that come with it:

• A photo book or memory album with messages and photos from all colleagues
• A small “care box” to take home on her last working day, filled with little treats from different colleagues
• A personalised mug or shirt with a team in-joke
• And, almost a classic but rightly so: a shared greeting card on which everyone on the team writes a few personal lines

The shared greeting card: words from all colleagues in one place

Especially in larger teams or when working from home, a classic paper card passed around the office is often impractical: someone is on holiday, someone is out with a client, and in the end only the people who happen to be in the office sign it. With Teamkarte you can create a digital group card instead, on which everyone on the team – whether in the office, remote or at another branch – can leave their own message, a photo or even a little GIF. All contributions are automatically combined into a single, lovingly designed card, which you then send to your colleague at exactly the right moment, for example on her last working day before maternity leave. That way she not only gets a lovely gift, but also lots of personal words from colleagues she might never have reached individually.

How to collect money for the gift without any hassle

Especially for bigger gifts such as a spa voucher or a high-quality changing bag, it is worth pooling money as a team. Instead of a cash envelope that laboriously makes the rounds of the office, Teamkarte makes it easy online: in the same group card in which you leave your messages, everyone on the team can also chip in an amount via PayPal. So you don’t need to keep a second list or ask around for cash separately – greetings and the collection come together in one step, without spreadsheets or WhatsApp chaos.

When is the best time to hand over the gift?

Traditionally, the gift is handed over on the last working day before maternity leave, often at a small farewell with cake or a glass of bubbly. If you would rather wait until the baby has arrived – for example to create a personalised gift with the baby’s name – you can simply leave the digital group card open until all contributions are in and then send it after the birth. Both work; the important thing is that you agree briefly as a team.

Conclusion

Whether practical, personal or pampering: with the right mix of gift and heartfelt words, you can make the farewell into maternity leave a really lovely moment. And with a digital group card from Teamkarte, organising it as a team takes just a few minutes – including personal messages from all colleagues and, if you like, an easy money collection for the joint gift.