baby shower gift

[TooPatient]

Hey PS moms....

I've got a baby shower to go to and I'm looking for some suggestions. What am I missing? What do you find helpful to have around? What did you need but not have? What do you use all the time?


Here's what I'm thinking as a gift (did this for my aunt and she LOVED it):

diaper bag stuffed with the essentials (especially those that are usually overlooked) --
Ziploc bags
changing pad (preferably disposable)
wipes
onesies (infant, 3 month, 6 month sizes)
a few toys for infant to 3/6 month
hair/nail care set for infant
teething items
bibs (including up to 3/6 month sizes)

 

[Puppmom]

Toopatient, my favorite thing is the monthly onesie stickers! Not exactly *useful* but so much fun! (http://www.pickysticky.com/).

I also think the itzeen timer is fabulous and/or some sort of log for noting feeding, diapers etc.

 

[TooPatient]

Toopatient, my favorite thing is the monthly onesie stickers! Not exactly *useful* but so much fun! (http://www.pickysticky.com/).

I also think the itzeen timer is fabulous and/or some sort of log for noting feeding, diapers etc.

Those stickers are so cute!

A log for everything is a wonderful idea. I know she and her DH are computer people but I'd be willing to bet she'll be too tired to go to the computer to log everything when she gets up in the night...

 

[Loves Vintage]

Toopatient - This is the Itzbeen: http://www.itzbeen.com/ They come highly recommended by the ladies here. I plan to get one too!

Puppmom - Off to go look at the onesie stickers. What would I do without this place?

 

[TooPatient]

Toopatient - This is the Itzbeen: http://www.itzbeen.com/ They come highly recommended by the ladies here. I plan to get one too!

Puppmom - Off to go look at the onesie stickers. What would I do without this place?

OOOOoooo!
You ladies know about the coolest things!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

My cousin is expecting her first baby and this is what I got her:

- Vera Bradley "Baby Bag" stashed with:
- 1 package of Size 1 Pampers diapers
- Desitin
- Johnson&Johnson bedtime baby bath (the purple kind)
- Johnson&Johnson bedtime baby lotion
- Three pack of Pampers Thick Care wipes

The bag was pricey, but I doubt my sister will be having kids anytime soon so I feel like I have to spoil someone! She also loves Vera Bradley designs so it's a perfect fit for her (even though I have the same bag in a different pattern). The other items are things that I loved and love to use.

For baby showers I tend to stick with practical gifts rather than cutesy stuff, especially clothes, because babies grow at different rates and I know that with my son we got clothes that he never wore because people thought they were helpful by getting larger sizes - that turned out to be weather inappropriate by the time DS was big enough for them. I'd rather get lots of the basics and not have to spend the money on them! We got so much Johnson&Johnson baby wash that we've never had to buy any - and DS is now 2!

 

[swimmer]

Check to see if she registered at Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby, or whatever you have locally. I wish more people had given us what we needed instead of cute but pointless baby clothes. We were given more onesies than he could wear before growing out of all newborn-3 month and I gave tons and tons away. Diaperbags are kind of personal things, so she might have one picked out and I believe they all come with a diaper pad or they are just a bag.

I love my "breastfriend" so much and hard books are always great. I will now give everyone some sort of swaddle. Its like giving the gift of sleep

 

[Puppmom]

I second what Swimmer said re:clothes. Don't buy anything newborn! Even though DS was a peanut at 6lbs9oz, he outgrew newborn stuff in about two weeks!

 

[somethingshiny]

My standard baby shower gift:

some sort of bag, laundry basket, etc stuffed with
qtips
rubbing alcohol
wipes
diapers
disposable washcloths
disposable changing pads
Mylicon (I can't stress this enough!!!)
baby toiletries kit (clippers, scissors, combs, nasal aspirator, baby syringe for medicine, etc)
thermometer (no problem if you have more than one because you can't find it when you need it!)
diaper rash ointment
vaseline (I swear by this. I have my second baby and she's never had a rash, JT only had 1.)
Baby bath and lotion. I usually do the J&J nighttime bath but just a really good lotion that's non-fragranced. However with my recent infatuation with Burts Bees Baby products, I'll be switching to those!)
burp cloths (I like the diapers)
roll of plastic baggies (they come in a duck roller thing, for wet stuff, dirty diapers, etc)
and usually 1-2 little toys to hook onto a stroller, car seat etc.


With Lily I didn't get gifts because she's my second and I can honestly say, I really miss having loads of necessities on hand that you get at baby showers.


A nicer gift that I give to closer family/friends is a set of silver keepsake boxes for baby's first tooth, curl, etc.

 

[swingirl]

nice suggestions. Some babies are born at the 3 month size so getting things in larger sizes is always a good idea. That way they can enjoy the new items for longer than 3 or 6 months.

 

[Pandora II]

I buy the following gift for friends having babies:

Tot's Bot's hooded bamboo baby towel - http://www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk/vmchk/tots-bots/bamboo-hooded-towel-by-tots-bots.html
Nature's Purest bamboo blanket http://www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk/natures-purest/natures-purest-bamboo-blanket.html
Jelly Cat Skiddadle toy http://www.johnlewis.com/230475776/Product.aspx

Bamboo is fabulous - it feels like silk, is antibacterial, is lovely and warm, eco-friendly and best of all you can stick it through the washing machine and it still feels amazing.

Other suggestions:

- Burt's Bee's Baby Bee products are lovely and also Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate free, Paraben free and Phthalate free (which J&J products are not).
-Aden Anais swaddling clothes

I wouldn't do a diaper bag as they're a really personal item.

 

[charbie]

Something I've started to do is make the "baby diaper cake" that TGal showed a video for. You get around 100 diapers (useful) and it still has some novelty. They are actually quite easy to make, and I've bought enough ribbon to make quite a few. I then get some wipes, usually stick a stuffed animal on top, and buy a set of kimono onesies to put on the animal, and everyone loves it. I am happy bc then I give a practical gift that is still gonna get the "oooos and awwww!"

 

[Puppmom]

Yes to the diaper cake! We haven't had to buy size 2 diapers at all yet thanks to the diaper cake my SIL made for me. She also attached a few goodies like toys, toothpaste and toothbrush and baby wash etc.

I would check with the person organizing the shower because I've noticed that it's been used as decoration at a few showers I've been too so they may already be making one.

 

[Mara]

re: onesies, we LOVED the kimono onesies and tshirts for the first 3+ months of J's life, makes dressing and undressing super easy and nothing goes over the head. i wish they made them in bigger sizes actually...he is still wearing some of the carters ones in 9mo but they only make them in 'cute' patterns, nothing basic. and only til 9mo.

my staple shower gifts:
newborn diapers (because no one got us these and no one buys them because they all get size 1+ and we needed them for a month!)
kimono t-shirts from gerber or carters (gerber get 0-3mo as that is really newborn size for them, carters are bigger and will last longer)
butt paste
a few cute outfits (i am a sucker for baby clothes)
bibs (J had reflux so these were priceless)
cloth diapers as burp clothes (pack of 12 for $9)

also ditto the itzbeen, LOVED ours. and i love the grobag temperature egg. we still use it at 8mo and plan to keep using it. i also loved having it on our room before baby too, just fun.

 

[partgypsy]

The only advice I would give is don't give baby clothes. So many people buy clothes, even off the list, and there is only so many clothes a baby can wear, even cute clothes.

Mara I loved the little kimono shirts too! I was going through old clothes in the attic and found some of them and just went aww, because they were the first things my babies wore.