A friend of mine is about to pop in a couple months and we’re throwing her a baby shower. Actually, I hesitate to call it that because it’s more of a lunch than a ‘shower’. We’re meeting at a restaurant to celebrate the little fellow’s arrival.
Gifts are NOT expected. Really. But I still want to give her something because hey, a baby! Babies are awesome.
My friend will be recycling all the doodads from her first spawn so she doesn’t need baby gear. Also, she’s a new friend; more than an acquaintance, but the new friend smell hasn’t worn off yet. So I don’t really have the motivation to spend a lot.
Baby book
Diapers
Gift certificate for shoes…it’s amazing how fast their little Fred Flintstone feet grow!
Diapers
Onesies
Diapers
Gift certificate for professional baby photos
Diapers
Coupons for free babysitting from the gang
Diapers
Receiving blankets…you can’t have too many
Diapers
Walmart gift card
You can’t really go wrong with a nice book for the baby. “Good Night Moon,” or “Oh The Places You’ll Go” or (my favorite, because my daughter and I shared it so often) “Guess How Much I Love You.” Even the most well-equipped Mommy will enjoy books to share with the baby.
Other ideas: A donation to a charity (March of Dimes, maybe, or the local public library) in the giftee’s name, a restaurant gift certificate for new mommy and daddy who haven’t slept well enough to cook/eat properly lately, a babysitting gift certificate (directly from yourself, if you’re the sort who does well with babies, or from a well-respected service if you’re not,) or even a Netflix subscription to help amuse Mommy. When I was a new mom, I certainly appreciated gifts that benefited the sprog, but it was nice, on occasion, to receive something just for me: a manicure, a movie, a day out, just anything that helped me remember that I was an adult with an identity separate from the child/husband/family.
Good, non-greasy, rapidly absorbed, moisturising hand cream. It’s what I always give and it’s always well received - a new mother’s hands are in and out of water so much, the skin really suffers. It’s practical and it’s something just for her, not the baby. I usually give Molton Brown.
I agree that gift certificates and babysitting offers for Mom & Dad are a great idea.
Also, when second, third and subsequent babies are born they tend to get hand-me-downs from their siblings. Sometimes I like to give gifts that are unique to the baby, i.e. a monogrammed piggy bank or a scrapbook, or a book with an inscription just for them. I know the baby doesn’t care, but I always hope when they get older they’ll appreciate the thought behind it.
A bottle of whiskey. To rub on baby’s gums when the little dear is teething. You can include a pacifier or teething ring to make it clear what the whiskey is for.
As the parent of a four-month-old, the #1 item that we got was a Miracle Blanket. It’s the world’s best swaddle. We liked it so much that we went out and got 2 more, so we’d always have one clean and at hand. I’m still using it.
You could start his college fund–open a savings account with $20 or something in it. It’s something that can really easily get lost in the shuffle when things get crazy with the advent of the second kid.
I’ll third diapers. And wipes, desitin, and other diaper-changing necessities. You don’t have to worry if they’ll get used, and even if the mom-to-be isn’t thrilled with the gift (diapers being less fun than cute clothes) when Junior is collicky at 3AM and she hasn’t slept for days and she’s down to the last diaper (or so she thinks), she’ll remember your gift and be forever grateful.
Also, blankets. You can never have enough blankets, if you’re swaddling a newborn constantly they tend to spit up on them often and you go through blankets like crazy.
Wow, thank you all! For various reasons that I completely forgot to mention in the OP, I’m leaning towards the baby book for this particular friend. But I do love the other ideas and they will totally be used at the next baby shower I have to attend!
Forget receiving blankets, there is something better. Kiddopotamus Swaddler. All the baby stores carry them. I have a 9 month old and I got 2 of them at my shower, best gift ever. It’s a ready made swaddler and looks like a little burrito wrapping. And they are not expensive, about $15.
Diapers, diapers, diapers
and did I mention diapers?
I don’t have children, but I know so many women who do who say: “Omg!! the expense of diapers!”
Do they still have those diaper disposal thingies that turn the diaper into a little snausage of plastic wrapped less stinkiness?
When my best friend from High School had her child (this was over 15 years ago), I got her that. She was all preggie and she bawled–“This is what I wanted the most!”
Clearly diapers are the way to go if I ever attend a Doper baby shower.
‘Useful’ items are frankly out for this friend as she’s feelthy steenkin’ rich and just doesn’t need them. Some things like the Miracle Blanket and Kiddopotamus look tempting but I have no clue what her philosophy on swaddling is, so I’ll lay off those. Still, lots of great ideas in this thread that I can use directly or modify a bit.
There should be no “philosophy” on swaddling. I have never seen a newborn who didn’t much prefer a proper swaddle over being unswaddled. That startle reflex is strong!
Um…in response to everyone who is saying diapers – do you know whether she’s doing disposables or cloth? Maybe I just have crunchy granola friends, but there’s a lot of my friends who would have had no use for packs and packs of Pampers (and who are picky about the cloth brand they use, particularly if they’ve already had one kid).
ETA: And even among my friends who do disposables, by the time they get to the second kid they can be very picky about brands they like.
A really nice, un-tacky baby book is my go-to shower gift if I’m not sure what the mom needs or prefers. My favorite is the *Guess How Much I Love You *one.
I’m with **LilyoftheValley **- packs of disposable diapers (in size 1, not newborn, b/c everyone else will give newborn size) would be great, but only if they’re doing disposables.
In a similar vein, I got a ton of baby wash, shampoo, lotion, etc. from a very sweet and well-meaning friend, and I appreciate the thought. But I never used any of it, as it was all perfumed. Fragrances are unnecessary irritants, and my kids have sensitive skin like me. Plus where there is fragrance, there may be plasticizers which can act as hormone disruptors, which I don’t want to smear on my developing infants.
Having my second baby now, I’d say a nice gift is a gift certificate to a portrait studio they like. I feel a bit guilty that we have so few pics of the second one, compared to the first, and a GC is a good motivator to get out and get some photos taken.
