Baby Shower gift advice

[monarch64]

OK, I need advice from anyone who might have an opinion on the subject of baby shower gifts! I''m going to a baby shower for an acquaintance next week, and am debating about the right gift to give. She''s registered at Babies R Us and Target. I don''t have children yet and am utterly lost at BRU, and while I like shopping at Target, I have shopped registries there before and been baffled after not being able to find anything listed on the registry, especially when shopping for baby items. SO, I noticed that on her BRU registry, she has a Mustela gift set, but it says the item is not available online currently. I know Von Maur and Nordstrom both carry the line, and I am much, much more comfortable shopping at those stores...I would rather get her that set as well as a few supplemental Mustela items and maybe a great classic nursery book or something.

My question is really this: as an expecting mommy, would you rather get all of the items off your registry, or would you rather receive some of those "luxury" items you maybe scanned on a whim...or is there a way for me to do both? Only a few of the items on either registry show up as purchased a week out from the shower. My budget is $75-100...she is not a close friend, but there is some guilt involved here on my part as we were invited to her wedding but could not go and only gave a shower gift but not a wedding gift (they were not invited to our wedding, which took place 2 yrs. before theirs). Also, I hear her husband isn''t currently working and I am torn between getting them a. one thing in the $100 range, b. a couple "fun" things, like the Mustela, or c. a ton of necessities. (But necessities are BORING.)

What do you think? What would you prefer to receive? I would call other friends or ask around, but I don''t know anyone who''s really close to her or who I would be comfortable asking! Thanks for any input...

 

[sumbride]

If her husband isn''t working, she probably most needs the necessities. Can you make it fun? Like a basket? or a big bundle tied in a diaper, in the mouth of a stuffed stork? Or maybe a diaper cake with little important things tucked inside?

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 2/10/2007 9:05:50 AM
Author: sumbride
If her husband isn''t working, she probably most needs the necessities. Can you make it fun? Like a basket? or a big bundle tied in a diaper, in the mouth of a stuffed stork? Or maybe a diaper cake with little important things tucked inside?

I like sumbride''s idea. A beautiful basket with maybe a gingham bow in either pink or blue. Very cute!!!
Maybe a little something for the mom too. You are so sweet Monarch wanting to make something nice for her!!! What a good heart you have

 

[KimberlyH]

I would stick to the registry. If she''s asked for a diaper bag (and it hasn''t been purchased yet) you could buy that and fill it with: diapers, baby powder, baby soap, baby shampoo, a stuffed animal, etc.

I did that for an aquaintance and she absolutely loved it.

 

[Ellen]

I like the idea of both. If the diaper bag hasn''t been bought, buy that, and then put a nice luxury item inside.

 

[IrishEyes]

Expectant mommy weighing in here!!

personally, I would stick to the registry. I too am registered at Target and BRU, and I spent a great deal of time and put much thought into my registries. For my shower next month, I am REALLY hoping people stick to the registries, as I have a good mix of necessities and luxury items that I would really like. Not that I won''t appreciate any gift that I get, but what I registered for is truly what I would like.

Hope this helps, but in the end, go with what you can afford and what you really want to do!!

 

[Lorelei]

COOEE IRISH my pal!!!

 

[monarch64]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I love all of your ideas. I can''t use all of them, but will file them away in my "idea section" of my brain for future reference, as I''m sure there will be lots more baby showers in my future!

I found the diaper bag on her BRU registry...I forgot to mention in my original post that they don''t know the sex of the baby so everything is yellow, green, neutral, etc. So the bag hasn''t been purchased yet (or so the registry says but I never trust those) and it is only $50, so that still leaves me room to get the Mustela products she wanted and maybe some other little goodies off the registry. I think I can make some fun yellow ribbon bows for the diaper bag itself, and it will be fun to stuff!

Oh, and I had one other idea...I love to give children books. I was thinking to tie in with the French Mustela products, I would get her a hardcover edition of The Little Prince (translated in English, obviously). It has such a great message, I just love that book. But is that overkill? Or fun? She''s an elementary school teacher, so I was thinking she''d appreciate the thought...

 

[KimberlyH]

I think the book is a great idea, Monarch. For my friend''s baby shower I had each guest bring a copy of their favorite childhood book with a message for the baby written inside. (Alright, she coerced me into doing so, actually demanded that I include the request on the invite, but the end result was cool, a library had already been built for her when she was born).

 

[Ellen]

I also think the book is a great idea, and I do think she''ll appreciate it.

 

[VegasAngel]

I would want what was on my registry. Unlike a lot of women, I had only the necessities on my registry. There were no novelty items that I didnt need or was never going to use. I only received 3 things from my registry. I got tons of blankets/receiving blankets (Good lord how many do you need?) Lots of dressy clothes which are nice but not really practical for daily wear plus a lot were say a sweater set for size 6 months when it was going to be summer & 115 degrees. Of course no one had to buy my daughter anything so I was appreciative of what I got.

 

[Skippy123]

I love the little prince! Great idea!!!!!!!

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 2/10/2007 12:47:28 PM
Author: IrishEyes
Expectant mommy weighing in here!!

personally, I would stick to the registry. I too am registered at Target and BRU, and I spent a great deal of time and put much thought into my registries. For my shower next month, I am REALLY hoping people stick to the registries, as I have a good mix of necessities and luxury items that I would really like. Not that I won''t appreciate any gift that I get, but what I registered for is truly what I would like.

Hope this helps, but in the end, go with what you can afford and what you really want to do!!

As another expectant mother, I couldn''t agree more! We haven''t told anyone the sex of our baby (except all of you on here!) because we don''t want to get tons of clothes--we''d rather have the necessities that are on our registry. I will be thrilled with any gift, of course, but for new parents I think it helps to get them things that they want and will use. BTW, I love the Mustela products and have them on my registry and I love the book idea. You can''t go wrong!!

 

[ephemery1]

Sounds like your gift will be perfect, Monarch! And I love the idea of a book as an extra... very cute.

Also had to agree with Curlygirl's comment about keeping clothing gifts to a minimum... when my FI's cousins found out they'd be adopting a little girl, people BOMBARDED them with baby clothes. They had two entire closets and one dresser filled before the baby was even born, and many were never used... babies grow too fast! Every gift was appreciated, but at one point I remember them saying "What we'd really love is for someone to give us some formula!!" I think people (me included!) get so excited about having an excuse to buy those cute little outfits, that we don't always stop and think about what is actually going to be most appreciated by the receiver of the gift! It's just so hard to resist...

 

[Finding_Neverland]

Sounds like you have a good plan, Monarch!!

The Book and throwing in something nice for Mom are great ideas.

Just a CYA suggestion for you on the diaper bag,.......... If the Registry does prove to be wrong and your GF gets multiple bags, get a gift receipt so Mom can exchange for other things she might need and does not get.

Gift receipts worked great for me. Not that I didn't appreciate the gifts people selected, but some outfits were cut small.

It's like the clothing manufacturers haven't changed their sizing as babies have gotten bigger. Used to be a "newborn" was 5-6 pounds. Now it's nothing for a newborn to be 8+ pounds or more. Doesn't sound like much, on paper, but sure makes a difference in the size of the clothes Baby needs.

You are a dear, kind soul, Monarch!! To put so much thought and care into this gift!!

 

[Mara]

i typically get mostly functional baby gifts...and i always go way overboard! for people i hardly even know, aka coworkers i always spend almost $100 and i almost always go to target since they have such an awesome collection for babies and lots of brand names i am familiar with like gerber etc...i get so nuts in the stores. i love getting functional things like lots of basic onesies, and bibs, and hats, and booties and also things like the hooded towel and washcloths for bathing. when my sister was born when i was 16 i remember all those things coming in so handy and they always just stuck in my head. and then i typically get something like a cute picture frame (for the office of the mom or dad or whatever) and a cute stuffed toy.

for me, the one thing about giving super cutesy outfits is that you don't really know how fast the baby will grow and so it's hard to gauge when she/he will be able to wear something. aka if they are a fast grower, born in november and you give a winter super warm looking 3 month old outfit, maybe by feb they might be wearing 6 months clothes! and esp since babies are born larger now it's really hard to gauge what size they will wear when. so i try to stay away from the cute outfits even though they are so tempting.

i love going to baby showers!

 

[monarch64]

OMG, I had quite a shopping experience today! First I went to BRU to get the diaper bag on the registry there, and of course they did not have it at that particular store. So I thought, I''ll get the backpack type diaper bag she registered for at Target, no problem, and I picked up some misc. items like Desitin, diaper Genie II refill, and a little Johnson & Johnson travel kit (all of which were on the registry). Then I went to the bookstore and found the hardcover edition of The Little Prince, no prob. Then I went to a dept. store to get the Mustela newborn kit she registered for at BRU (but again, they didn''t have), got that, along with some Mustela facial wipes and some free samples, which are always a nice bonus. While there, I fell in love with some really cutesy Ju Ju diaper bags that were marked down to $79...ALMOST got one but then decided to be practical as you ladies had suggested, so I didn''t buy one.

On to Target...which turned out to be totally fruitless. I hadn''t printed out the registry before I went, thinking I would just use their registry center to print one out and it would be most up to date, since it is Saturday and I figured a lot of other people would be shopping for her also. Well, wouldn''t you know, their registry computers weren''t working and I couldn''t remember the exact diaper bag she wanted from there. I even called DH to see if he could look it up on our computer for me, but he was in the middle of installing a new monitor downstairs and doesn''t know how to start up my laptop, etc. Yeesh.

So, now I have a Mustela newborn kit, a few misc. little things, the book, and nothing to put them in! I think I will try Target one more time, and if I can''t get a diaper bag I will go with the basket idea, get some yellow tulle and a big bow from the fabric store, wrap it all up in the basket and call it a day.

 

[Skippy123]

Too bad about the diapar bag but otherwise it sound like you did a wonderful job!!! I bet she will be so happy and grateful!!!!

 

[Ellen]

Monarch, one other thought. Did she have a baby bath tub listed? you could put your stuff in there also. Then tie it up with cellophane and ribbon.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 2/10/2007 10:45:56 PM
Author: Ellen
Monarch, one other thought. Did she have a baby bath tub listed? you could put your stuff in there also. Then tie it up with cellophane and ribbon.

I thought of that too, but I searched through both registries and no baby bath tub to be found. Maybe she already has one? Good idea, though--thanks!

Skippy, you are too sweet. Every time I read your posts it''s like you''re smiling as you type!

Thought: can you have more than one Boppy? She registered for a Boppy with a Honeybee patterned cover ($59.99), but I noticed there was a "naked" Boppy at Target for $19.99...I thought maybe that might be a possible "fill-in" basket gift in case you need more than one...I wish I''d just gotten the Honeybee patterned one at BRU. Too far to drive back out there again tomorrow, but Target has the "naked" ones, and I could get a neutral colored cover for it as well.

Can you all tell I love giving? I love to put thought and effort into gifts, and I really, really love a great presentation as far as gift wrap, baskets, whatever. I know I could''ve spent my whole budget on one bigger ticket item, wrapped it in yellow paper, slapped a bow on it and been done, but the pure joy of shopping and putting together something that required a little more effort is just more ME. Ya know?

Thanks again for all your help! Hopefully I can get this thing together by tomorrow afternoon and have it wrapped up, ready to go, and take a pic to post for posterity, LOL.

 

[Ellen]

OK, I give. WHAT is a naked "boppy"??

Or boppy for that matter....lol

 

[diamondsrock]

how funny this thread popped up! I was at Babies r Us and Target yesterday looking for a shower gift.
I absolutley love buying baby gifts! It is by far the most fun gift go give. So much cute stuff!
I bought a sleeper, one outfit, and a bib but stopped there. I plan on giving a larger gift as well, like a highchair, but I''m waiting for them to register.
I can''t believe the selection of baby stuff compared to when my son was born almost 14 years ago. It has multipled x10! There were no babies r us back then so there wasn''t much to pick from except what was at Toys R Us.
I think registering is the way to go because then people don''t get duplicates. I remember I got 2 strollers at my baby shower because there were no baby registries back then. It was really awkward!

 

[sumbride]

I went to a baby shower yesterday for a close friend and I bought the mobile off her registry, and a "Linus blanket" from Urban Outfitters that I bought months ago. I thought it would be a little blue blanket but it ended up being Mom-sized! She was thrilled that she can wrap up in it too and it turns out that her nursery theme is "baby snoopy". worked out very wel!

She registered for a Diaper Genie 2. She got both that one and the original one that she didn''t want, and that person didn''t attach a gift receipt so she was thankful but I could tell she was annoyed because now she had to figure out what to do with the unwanted one. So stick to the registry, particularly for expensive stuff!! No sense stressing out a pregnant lady!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 2/11/2007 7:27:29 AM
Author: Ellen
OK, I give. WHAT is a naked ''boppy''??

Or boppy for that matter....lol

A boppy is a cloth pillow of sorts. It''s cresent shaped and fits around the stomach so the baby can be laid on it for breast feeding as opposed to having to hold the baby the whole time. A naked boppy is missing it''s pillow case.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 2/11/2007 10:53:24 AM
Author: KimberlyH

A boppy is a cloth pillow of sorts. It''s cresent shaped and fits around the stomach so the baby can be laid on it for breast feeding as opposed to having to hold the baby the whole time. A naked boppy is missing it''s pillow case.

Thanks Kimberly!

They didn''t have those when I had kids, at least that I know of. So many new things, you guys are lucky to have some of these new gadgets. Like, wet wipe warmers. I just held one in my hand while I undressed the baby and took the diaper off.

*sigh* I feel even older now, if that''s possible.

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 2/11/2007 10:16:42 AM
Author: sumbride
I went to a baby shower yesterday for a close friend and I bought the mobile off her registry, and a ''Linus blanket'' from Urban Outfitters that I bought months ago. I thought it would be a little blue blanket but it ended up being Mom-sized! She was thrilled that she can wrap up in it too and it turns out that her nursery theme is ''baby snoopy''. worked out very wel!

She registered for a Diaper Genie 2. She got both that one and the original one that she didn''t want, and that person didn''t attach a gift receipt so she was thankful but I could tell she was annoyed because now she had to figure out what to do with the unwanted one. So stick to the registry, particularly for expensive stuff!! No sense stressing out a pregnant lady!

If it is one that Walmart sells she can return it there and get something else she needs. You dont need a receipt at Walmart for returns. Just an idea.

 

[sumbride]

Date: 2/11/2007 11:05:54 AM
Author: VegasAngel

If it is one that Walmart sells she can return it there and get something else she needs. You dont need a receipt at Walmart for returns. Just an idea.

Thank you!! I''ll let her know!

 

[indecisive]

It sounds like you are doing great but is there any way you can get the Mustela newborn kit taken off the BRU registry? You said you bought it at a department store so someone else could buy it off the registry thinking it hasn''t been bought now. I know she can just return one but doing that with a newborn would be a hassle. Just a thought!

 

[Skippy123]

I had a similar problem; Target won't do that. I bet if she gets 2 it won't got to waste. That is something that someone needs.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I never buy people blankets or stuffed animals because it seems like everyone else does that and I ended up with more of each than I ever could use.... clothes, people end up with tons of clothes but most moms love having lots of outfits so its no biggie really - 6/9 month size is a nice size if you plan for a season that is about 4-8 mos after the birth. 12T is a good size also - and if you want, they wont'' stay in it long but I found the tiny sizes like 3/6 to be overlooked.

Other than that you can see what they''re registered for. And there''s always little toys - just little chewy type toys.... it''s sometimes fun to add one to the outside of the package in lieu of a bow.