Good shower gifts for first time moms?

[NCSUchick27]

I have a really close friend who is due at the end of July with her first child (a boy). I don''t have any kids so I don''t really know what would be useful to her. She has a registry, but there isn''t much on it. What do you wish people had given you at your baby shower? What, if anything did you not end up needing or using?

 

[jewelz617]

Diapers, recieving blankets (babies like to be wrapped up like little burritos), night lights, or if you want to be SUPER awesome, a gift card to a place that has a great baby selection, like Target or Babies R' Us.

What is your budget for a gift?

I got a ton of stuffed animals at my baby shower, and little pillows. And while they are cute, they were impractical and went without use. My daughter was too young to play with toys and stuffed animals in the crib are a no-no.

 

[NCSUchick27]

Budget is probably around $50.

 

[jewelz617]

I''d go for a $50 gift card. I was so frazzled when I brought my daughter home it was nice to have funds to pick stuff up when I needed it. There''s a lot you get beforehand, but there''s always that odds and ends stuff you need later that you didn''t know about.

 

[anchor31]

If you want to give her something really useful, I recommend 5-packs of onesies in as many sizes as you can. Receiving blankets are great, I also love my diaper bag and the musical mobile.

ETA: I agree with jcrow, stay away from blankets (at least the big, fluffy ones). I got half a dozen and they are mostly useless.

 

[jcrow]

honestly? i''d get something from the registry. a lot of the items we received not off ours were returned so that we could purchase things not bought off our registry. we received too many blankets, too. or if you don''t care to get her any of the items from her registry, i''d get a gift card to the place she registered for.

 

[upgrade]

No blankets!! I got 15 of them between 2 baby showers for my first... I ended up keeping those that were handmade and donating the rest because I had more than I could ever use!

The best shower gift I was given was a basket with all the little things that every mom needs but doesn''t think to buy: Infant Tylenol, gripe water, baby Orajel, nail clippers, Vit D drops (don''t know where you live but here in the great white north, breastfed newborns all get them), diaper cream, baby shampoo, baby powder, etc... It was a lifesaver and every single item got used!

 

[qtiekiki]

Diapers are my favorite. If you don''t want to give a box of diaper, then get or make a diaper cake - cute and practical.

I also like a basket filled with goodies. I did that for our friend. I put mostly useful/practical things with a few cute things.

 

[cellososweet]

I just did a post on my blog about this! This is a copy and paste of the essentials. A basket for bath/diaper time or a basket with clothes, etc. would be great and easy to do. Here were my suggestions!

Bath/Diaper time:
Washcloths
Hooded Towels
2-in-1 hair and bodywash (I love Mustela products)
Baby lotion (Once again, Mustela)
No-rinse fluid for dirty diapers at times when a bath is not feasible (Mustela Physiobebe is great)
Diapers (Pampers Swaddlers in newborn sized are great)
Wipes (Pampers Sensitive are a favorite, but whatever you like is good, just make it unscented)
Diaper Rash Cream

2 dozen Green Mountain orange edge prefolds with 6-8 newborn/x-small covers if she is cloth diapering makes an awesome gift on it''s own!
Clothes they’ll actually use:
Onesies (some in newborn and some in 0-3 with the mitts for little hands)
Side-snap t-shirts (kimono style)
Gowns for sleeping (ones that snap down are awesome for middle of the night clothes changes)
All-in-one footed sleepers with hoods are great for first outings
Hats and socks
Nursery/Etc:
Waffle-weave receiving blankets (Gerber makes the best ones for swaddling at a reasonable price)
6-ply cloth diapers (for burp cloths, to lay down on the changing table, etc.)
A few good books (this’ll be great once they are older and will encourage bonding with Mom and Dad and an interest in books. I like “I’m Thankful for Each Day-PK Hallihan,” and anything by Eric Carle, Margaret Wise Brown, and Sandra Boynton)
A notebook or planner that has hours on it for recording diaper changes, feedings, etc.

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 3/26/2010 10:56:21 PM
Author: PinkAsscher678
I''d go for a $50 gift card. I was so frazzled when I brought my daughter home it was nice to have funds to pick stuff up when I needed it. There''s a lot you get beforehand, but there''s always that odds and ends stuff you need later that you didn''t know about.

Ditto. To a store like Target or Babies R Us (or where she''s registered).

 

[waxing lyrical]

Woombie or some other swaddle blanket. If she plans to breastfeed, lansinoh. Bamboo sleeping gown. I love, love bamboo fabric/clothing. SOO soft and yummy.

 

[Mara]

ITA with upgrade re the things you will need but dont really know to buy. One of my friends gave me gas drops, tylenol, diaper cream, aveeno shampoo body wash etc. Priceless!!

Barring something like that I'd say a gift card to a useful store, and a few small things like a hooded towel and washcloth, maybe some onesies, real swaddling blankets.

We got SO many fleecy blankets at our showers, I have like 10 of them and we don't use them AT ALL. The only blankets we are using are thin knitted ones my Mom made for us and the Aden & Adais swaddling muslin wraps (I have . I love the A&A blankets because they can be blankets, swaddling wraps, carseat covers, etc. They are awesome, so multipurpose. The fleece blankets are all in a bag to be regifted. Oh and same with cute outfits for 0-3 months, the kid hasn't worn a REAL outfit the entire time he's been out, all he wears are onesies, kimono tshirts and gowns right now. Oh and things with mitts were a total necessity for us, we didn't have that many so we just kept washing and rewearing the ones he did. Now he is 2 months and we don't use mitts anymore.

Oh the other thing we got and don't use is any type of stuffed animal. We got about 8 diff ones and they are just cute nursery props so far.

 

[Sabine]

Our most used products that might be good shower gifts are the Homedics Sound Spa Lullabye Machine (plays music or white noise and has a projector...we use it EVERY NIGHT and for EVERY NAP, you can get at bed, bath and beyond), the Fisher Price Soothe and Glow Seahorse, again use every time he''s sleeping, and Aden and Anais swaddle blankets. These were the only blankets we used, and they are expensive, but worth every freaking penny. The miracle blanket would be good too, I know a lot of people use that.

But I also loved gift cards, and go to Target more than BRU.

 

[fieryred33143]

BIG ditto to the Homedics Lullaby Sound and Spa Machine

I also really appreciated diapers in size 2 since most people give newborn and size 1. If she doesn''t have a swing or bouncer on her registry then I suggest it. We registered for a bouncer but not a swing. We hardly ever used the bouncers we received. Someone gave us a cheap, no frills evenflo swing and it saved our lives lol. The day she was too big for the swing was a sad day.

I''m trying to think of things I''ve had to purchase. Maybe some season appropriate onesies in sizes 3-6, 6-9months? My DD is a july baby and she received a lot of tank tops and beautiful dresses that we were grateful for. The problem is that they were size 3-6 and 6-9. She moved into 3-6 clothing in October and 6-9 in December. We had an unusually cool winter so all of those dresses are still in tags in the closet. So sad. We have purchased a lot of onesies in those sizes.

Ditto a swaddle specific blanket.

Moby wrap is something that a lot of mamas love.

 

[NovemberBride]

My best advice would be to get whatever you want (there have been some good suggestions on here), but to give a gift receipt. Every mom and every baby is different. For instance, a lot of people have suggested swaddle blankets. Well, I got a ton of those and my baby hated to be swaddled. I live in the Northeast and my DD was born in November, so those lightweight blankets were useless to me because they weren''t heavy enough to use in the car or out and about, I actually used the heavy fleece blankets others are complaining about. Gift cards are great, but I know some people prefer to give an actual gift.

 

[NCSUchick27]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I have a really good idea of what to get her now. We also had a movie/baking party at her house the other night while her husband and my SO went on a guy's camping trip and she gave me some good ideas. The shower is in a few weeks and she is due on August 2nd.

I will probably get her a swaddling blanket, onesies, and a few other small essentials that she has on her registry. My mom is going to get her a couple of packs of diapers and wipes.

I also think that these shoes are really cute, but I don't know if they are practical. She said the nursery is going to have an outer space theme.

 

[Mara]

IMO... about buying things that the baby can''t use up front... we have a lot of things like toys, shoes and socks that are like 3 or 6 months + and i honestly can''t keep track of where i put that stuff. with the clothes at least i can hang them in the closet but the little stuff is getting lost. try to keep only stuff i can use ''right now'' in his immediate drawers and in areas i actually frequent, but there are all these little ''stashes'' of things that people gave us for ''later'' that i have a really hard time organizing for. it might just be me but we got so much STUFF. i just don''t want to be finding stuff 3 or 6 months later going ''crap i missed the ''window'' for this''. i''d say, if you want to get shoes or something that the baby can use at a certain age, is to buy them for the baby later, aka when it''s time for him to use it. that way mom doesn''t have to worry about storing it in a place where she''ll remember it.

one example is we found some pacifiers that are 3 months + and i was like where do i put these so i can remember to pull them out at 3m?? its just a weird kind of thing.

re swaddling, a bunch of people i know swear by the miracle blanket but it''s swaddle specific. the thing i love about the A&A wraps is that they are blankets but they are thin and breathable. so even if the kid doesn''t like being swaddled, you can use them as a blanket, or as a car seat cover (we toss one over the carseat when we take it out in the sun or in public/restaurants to keep him covered lightly) or whatever.

the one thing i will always buy moms moving fwd is the A&A blankets...it''s crazy but i just love them. and people are always asking me about them and where i got them. BRU had buy one get one 1/2 off when i bought them so i bought a bunch for friends.

OH and other random thing we totally use is the Itzbeen timer. target has it and BRU does. it came in sooo handy at first and we still use it. basically you beep it when you diaper change, feed, the baby sleeps etc. it helps you if you are keeping a log of what the baby is doing because you can just look at it and go ''oh 2 hours since last feed, time to feed''...or ''he slept 5 hours that time!''. i wasn''t sure how much we''d use it but we totally use it all the time and it was priceless in the first month when our brains were frazzled. now that he is 2 months i am not as obsessed with ''when did i last feed him'' since our schedule is more solidified.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

My standard shower gift is a basket (laundry basket or something similar), filled with little odds and ends. Most of this stuff is stuff that the mom puts off buying or doesn't realize she'll need. Like Mylecon or baby Tylenol. It's got a little of everything. Usually the gift runs about $100, but baby showers are the one event I love shopping for and have no problem dropping cash on. I also make a point to put in something for just the mom, like some bath gel/lotion or a gift certificate for a massage (for better friends).

ETA: I just did one of these baskets the other weekend. Here's what it contained. I shopped at TJMax, Marshall's and Babies R Us.

Deep Fabric Basket-12"x16"x12" or so
Baby Tylenol
Mylecon
Gripe Water
Budreau's Butt Paste
Oragel
Binkie (0-6 months)
3 Bibs
Binky clip
Soft blanket
What to Expect-The First Year
Clothes hangers
Book
Spoons-off registry
Insulated bottle bag-to hang off stroller
Infant mittens
Onesies
Sassy teething feeder bags and refills-off registry
Baby wash
Baby lotion
For mom and dad in a separate bag-bottle of wine, chocolate, a gift certificate to a restaurant and an open invitation to babysit.

Dishwasher basket

 

[Jas12]

HH- that is a great basket of goodies!!!!

I do something similar. My recent basket (for a very close friend, so i spent a bit more) included a copy of the baby whisperer book, a miracle blanket, paci, gripe water and tylenol, bum paste, jumbo extra thick/long sanitary pads, nursing pads, nursing tank and lots of good chocolate for mom. I also put a sticky note on each with a funny description of why she''ll need it. (e.g. "Toblerone bar for day 4 of motherhood...just wait, you''ll see why. Eat this then call gramma for back-up" )
My girlfriend said she used everything in the first week.

mara--thanks for the aidan and anais blanket tip. i just went and ordered some from ebay for myself b/c this babe is due in June and i know all my other blankets are too heavy for the summer weather. Plus, i lurved my miracle blanket & was an avid swaddler, but it just isn''t practical for leaving the house, nor cute, so those are a good compromise.

 

[steph72276]

I love getting cute pjs and a blanket for the baby and then doing something for the mom....pedicure gift card or gift card to her favorite store so she can get a few thing since if she''s like most women, it will take a bit before she''s back into her reg. size.