How to Start Selling Baby Printables on Etsy (Even If You’re Not a Designer)

If you’re a mom looking for a flexible side hustle you can do during nap times or after bedtime, creating and selling baby printables on Etsy could be your perfect fit. The best part? You don’t need to be a professional designer to get started. With the right tools and a bit of creativity, you can build a shop that brings in extra income while letting you explore your creative side. In this blog post you'll find free baby clipart as well as a tutorial so you can try out this kind of creative side hustle - for free. You also need to download Affinity Designer from the Serif website, there is a free trial!

Why Baby Printables Are a Great Side Hustle

Baby-related products are evergreen. Every year, thousands of parents celebrate baby showers, first birthdays, and monthly milestones. That means there’s always demand for:

• Baby shower invitations
• Printable party games
• Nursery wall art
• Monthly milestone cards
• Birthday decorations

Unlike physical products, printables are digital downloads. You create them once, and they can sell again and again without extra effort. That’s what makes them such a powerful passive income stream.

Step 1: Pick Your Niche

The world of baby printables is wide, so it helps to narrow your focus. Some profitable niches include:

• Baby showers (games, invitations, signs)
• Nursery decor (watercolor animals, safari themes, dinosaurs)
• Milestone cards (monthly baby photos, first year)
• Birthday party printables (cake toppers, banners, thank-you cards)

Example: My cute dinosaur theme can work across baby showers, nurseries, and birthdays — giving you plenty of products from one design set.

Step 2: Gather Your Tools

You don’t need fancy software to get started. Here are beginner-friendly tools:

• Affinity Designer (free trial available) – follow along in my workshops to get your first printables done
• Safari Lounge Designer Classes – affordable source to get clipart bundles (all in the same style!), templates and workshops

That's it!

Step 3: Create Your First Product

Start simple! A great beginner product is a baby shower game bundle or a set of milestone cards. For example:

• Baby Shower Bingo
• Guess the Sweets
• Monthly “1–12 Months” cards

Keep the design consistent with your chosen theme (e.g., dinosaurs, safari animals, or woodland animals, you can find all inside the Safari Lounge Designer Class - and samples for FREE in the Library). Add easy-to-read text and fun illustrations. Make sure your files are high-quality (300 DPI, PDF or PNG with transparent background, ready to print).

Step 4: Set Up Your Etsy Shop

• Open your Etsy seller account.
• Create a shop name that reflects your niche (e.g., “Tiny Dino Printables” or “Safari Baby Co.”).
• Upload your designs with clear product photos/mockups (use styled nursery mockups to make them look real). Here is a GREAT course to learn more about creating mockups*, saves 100s of Dollars and many headaches to find the right ones!
• Write a clear, keyword-rich title (e.g., “Dinosaur Baby Shower Games – Cute Printable Bingo & Party Bundle”).
• Add 13 optimised tags (think: “baby shower game,” “printable bingo,” “dino birthday”).

Step 5: Market With Freebies

Step 6: Grow Your Business

Over time, your shop can grow into a steady income stream — even while you’re busy raising little ones.

Final Thoughts

Selling baby printables on Etsy is one of the most beginner-friendly side hustles for moms. You don’t need to be a professional artist — you just need an eye for cute, on-trend designs (and if you don't already have them, you can definitely learn that in the Safari Lounge!) and the willingness to learn. With tools like Affinity Designer, affordable clipart from the Safari Lounge Designer Classes, and platforms like Etsy, you can start small and grow into a thriving creative business.

 Want to see how easy it is? Download my free Dinosaur Birthday Printable to inspire your first design — and imagine how many moms would love your creations too!