what are some atypical baby shower gifts (you wouldn’t necessarily expect to be on a registry) under $100 that make nice gifts (given by a man).
Do you want practical or wonderful to have? If the expectant parents are 23 and living on his salary down at the chicken factory and her tips from the Waffle house, it’s a different situation than if the expectant parents are professionals in their mid-30s.
A gift certificate for housecleaning. My SIL said it was the best present they got.
Well, I got diaper service for a few months. I guess that’s a pretty typical gift, but BOY did I appreciate it. The downside, of course, is that it wasn’t something that I could keep, it was something that I used up. But how many onesies can parents keep, anyway, after the baby has outgrown them?
Unless it’s something really personal and handmade (I got an amazing toddler rocking chair), get whatever they ask for.
I’ve always given something handmade (cause I’m crafty), a small thing they asked for, and then get stuff for the mom. I mean, she’s the one doing all the work right now. I figure she has enough onesies. 
I made an exception with my best friend’s second child…went a little nutso…but she’s a hot tot with the cutest wittow baby butt ever. I also made her baby clothes…but that’s my future daughter in law I’m talking about.
BUT – you’re a dude. Just get whatever they need, unless they have enough money to cover it all. You could always go for something tech-ish. Gift card/certificate for a great local (read: not JCPoopy) photographer is great.
I went in with the other attorney that my paralegal supports to get her a freezer. She was wanting to do a bunch of make-ahead meals, but did not have space to keep them. But a gift certificate to Dream Dinners is a great idea, if you have one in your area, and I think that can be in pretty much any price range. Or just make a batch of ahead-of-time meals yourself. It’s a little awkward to wrap and present, but you can probably coordinate with her husband to sneak them into the freezer and then give her a card telling her about them. I like this cookbook, but there are others.
Some atypical things in my “to get” list are : smoke detectors (we have 2, but with a baby, I want to upgrade), new fire extinguishers (the one we have is ancient), ear-protector things like you get in a machine shop (someone suggested they really help with frustration when you are tending a colicy baby, not, obviously, just to tune out and ignore said baby).
On the “nice” list, I would honestly, at this point, appreciate a nice bottle of wine for after the baby is born. What with one thing or another, by the birth it’ll be over a year since I had a drink and closer to three since I had TWO drinks in a sitting. Obviously, with breastfeeding my drinking will still be modified after the baby gets here, but I will have some options.
I’ve also been known to give very good friends a 3-pack of condoms to stick in a drawer just in case sex happens before they reestablish BC. Yes, I do have two siblings 12 months apart, why do you ask?
I love this idea! Really great. I still haven’t done a photo session with my son because it’s so damn expensive, though I think I’ll fork over some money for his 1 year pics.
A nice bottle of wine or liquor is great if mom and dad drink, I know I had a beer after I got home because I missed a good heffewiezen so much.
One thing you can offer is a gift card or certificate for groceries or other consumables. Maybe to PeaPod or another delivery service. The house cleaning service certificate would be much appreciated as well. Things get way out of organization in the first 3 weeks or so.
If you are looking for cool “things” to give instead, this is a really great gift: Baby Briefcase.
They are going to come home with crazy amounts of paperwork and instructions and birth records and need someplace to put them ASAP so they don’t get lost.
Then the SS card will come in the mail in first month. Having an item like that already there and set aside for baby’s paperwork is invaluable and help them not have to go hunting around their messy house when trying to find baby’s SS card for signing him up for insurance and stuff.
ETA stuff I forgot: Baby proofing items. Babies go from rolling over to sitting to suddenly crawling and cruising in what seems like a blink–they’ll be happy to have some items on hand to cover the corners of things and close up cabinets. We are making a dash to the hardware store this weekend to get this stuff all at once, it’d be nice to have had some on hand already!
I’m giving my SIL a series of books to start a bookshelf with. Some of my earliest memories with my dad are of him reading Dr. Seuss and Serendipity books to my siblings and I, and I really think it fostered a love of reading in all of us.
If anyone has more ideas like this please share them. BTW, I like the certificate suggestions.
You could give them a voucher for a baby book - so they can make a hardcover book using photos they take in the first year.
I loved the handmade items we got - perhaps scout out Etsy for something crocheted or knitted like a baby blanket? We got one from a neighbour’s mum (and several little cardigans) which I was really touched by. I never got them myself but I really loved these cute slippers.
How about practical stuff - a reusable coffee cup and holder for a pram? I spent a lot of time walking around in the first few months and good to have somewhere safe to store a hot drink.
I also listened to lots of podcasts and audiobooks in the first months when I was nursing and didn’t have hands free - a gift voucher to iTunes or Audible books would have been very welcome. I didn’t have a lot of time to read otherwise but a magazine is something you can pick up and down - a subscription for one would be good too.
And vouchers for massages or pedicures would never go astray! Nursing in particular can cause a lot of strain to neck and shoulders which a massage would help with.
And gadget-wise - how about a Itzbeen? I had an app which did a similar thing (Total Baby), but it’s really helpful for knowing how long it’s been since you last fed, changed, how long they have slept etc since it can be quite hard to remember particularly in the first weeks.