I’m an aunt again, my brother and his wife had a baby boy last night. I’m asking advice on what to get the new tyke. Moms, what would you like? After Christmas shopping my brain is all shopped out, but I’m going to visit them today at the hospital and would like some ideas. They have a lot of baby stuff already (this is their third) and I’d like some new ideas.
Thanks.
Go to Sam’s Club and get a 24-pack of white washcloths.
My brother had twins. We got them 2 packs (4 dozen washcloths). At the baby shower they were, like, “Yay. Washcloths.” Then the babies arrived… and it was “YAY!!! WASHCLOTHS!!!”
One of those mirrors that clips to your sun visor in your car so you can see the kid in the back seat.
oops. third kid, huh? they probably got these covered…
Babysitting certificates.
Shoe certificates.
Undershirts. (They get sooooo yukky very quickly.)
Diapers. Lots of diapers.
Speaking as a new mom here…
I’d get Mom something just for her. Maybe some nice-smelling bubble bath and book or gift certificate for Bath and Body Works, and your baby-sitting services so she can enjoy it.
Baby gift: Some clothes in a larger size. (like, say, 6-9 months or 12 months.)
Robin
Gift certificate for a manicure? (If and when she has time to have hubby watch the baby)
Perhaps a massage gift certificate? Pedicure? Facial?
My “standard” baby gift (since I know nothing about what’s good baby stuff) is the book Mama, If You Had a Wish, written by Jeanne Modesitt and beautifully illustrated by Robin Spowart in luscious pastels. It’s a simple story in which a mama rabbit reassures her (gender-neutral) child that she will always love her baby, no matter what. It’s REALLY sweet – and will make for great bedtime reading.
Everybody will be buying newborn-sized clothing. You’ll score points by buying some stuff for the 6 to 9 month old. Kids grow fast.
I got her a plant, I know :rolleyes: , but I didn’t have time to do much else. They have a ton of baby stuff already, plus she does garage sales so she has baby stuff up the wazoo.
That book sounds neat, I wish I would have had time to go and get it.
And I babysit often anyways, for free, no certificates. They know that I will do it anytime. She rarely leaves her kids, I watched them a few weeks ago when they went to a movie - they don’t do that often.
Thanks for all the ideas, they’re planning on one more, so I can use them for next time!
I always get size 2 or 3 diapers. EVERY grandma/aunt or whatever thinks they will be smart and get diapers for the new baby, but they always get newborn or 1’s. So you end up with 2046 newborn diapers when you only need maybe 1807. The clothes in sizes 6-9 months is good for the same reasons.
A fruit tree to plant in the yard. By the time the kiddy is old enough to appreciate “his” or “her” tree it will be producing fruit.
Diapers. Nothing says thoughful like a Case of Diapers. When my wife and I had our first kid, the ensuing baby shower produced enough diapers to last nearly three months.
The best gift we received after our 1st baby was born was a big tray of lasagne. We didn’t have to worry about cooking for a week. I can’t overstate how much we appreciated that!
Gotta go with time and anything that helps with time. Some of the things above help in that regard. For example, the tray of lasagna helps save time in cooking. Babysitting helps Mom to make time for herself or the other kids. Time spent taking the other kids out somewhere might give Mom some downtime. Ask her if there are any small chores which she just hasn’t had time to get to that you can help with. I’ve never met a mother who felt like she had too much time on her hands with a newborn. Unless she has good relatives/friends around like you to help out!
(Card)board books for the baby.
It’s never too early to start reading to your baby. : )
Sandra Boynton books are really cute.
The best gift for a new mother is something to serve as reminder of the woman she is/was. I would have LOVED a gift certificate to any bookstore as I love to read. If she liked/likes movies- a video store, clothes/clothing store, etc. She’s not just a new mom, or a mom again but still a woman.
As for the kid, wait a few years and buy a $10-$20 bottle of Port ( as it ages very well) from the year of birth of the child and save it for their 21st birthday. (Or my less socially acceptable gift for the future-if it’s a boy, get a years subscription to Playboy from the birthyear to be given at 16 or 17, or when you decide is best appreciated, if the parents will not be offended by the gesture.) Most gifts given at birth are…for the most part forgotten. The only thing I treasured that I got was from my step-father. He got me a stuffed animal stork with a baby in a blanket suspended from it’s beak. It also had a music box and played “Rock-a-bye-baby” as it’s neck rocked the baby-in-a-sling when the music box was wound. If I managed to keep it these eight years so far is a mystery though. I would have liked the bookstore thing more, for me, or the Port thing (or magazine thing) more I think, in the long run or even now. What I’ve given for women I don’t know well is a few hair elastics and a butt-load of cloth diapers. Seems to cover all bases pretty well. If it’s an experienced mom, it’s usually a bottle of booze and maybe a bottle of aspirin.
Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium It’s a music box/visual stimulation thing that goes on the side of the crib. My own “baby” will be 3 next week, but we still have to turn on the music box at bed time, and whenever we travel, we have to take it with us. There have been times when it was the ONLY thing that would lull her to sleep. It’s not just me, I’ve heard this from lots of moms. Anyone who gives one of these as a shower gift will be loved for years! If you’re really thoughtful, and money is not a huge issue, include about 20 AA batteries with it, cuz it goes through batteries like a mad bastard. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been replacing batteries at bedtime! I think she may sleep with it til she’s 20! (Oh, well, my sisters 43, and she still sleeps with her blankie when she’s sick).
Boppy pillow. Can’t go wrong.
An "Baby’s First Christmas’ ornament. One that you can put a photo of mother & baby into.
Or a stocking with the baby’s name on it.
I am extremely sentimental, so here goes my idea.
Thomas Kinkade has these books, Mother’s memories to her child, and for almost every other family member, too. (father, grandfather, grandmother)
These books really let the child know a side of their relative they may never talk about. You can find them at amazon.com, any christian bookstore, and most barnes and noble stores. The questions are about how their mother (or other family member) grew up, first school attended, how they met their spouse, etc.
If yall aren’t religious and Thomas Kinkade is out, the C.R. Gibson book company has these same books, they just aren’t geared in a religious direction. Google can help you find C.R. Gibson. I’m willing to bet, alot of other companies have these too, if you check your local bookstore.