That reminds me. Sometime so far in the distant past so that to me I’ve always had it, Grandma gave me a hand-knitted (crocheted? whatever) afghan. Standard twin size. I still have it at home and plan on taking it with me when I move out. When I went off to college, she made me one to fit an extra-long twin size in the school colors. It’s on my bed right now.
5 years ago, my oldest nephew was born 17 days before Christmas. I bought his parents bibs and binkies and the like, but I wanted to get him something, too. I probably should gone the savings bond route, but ended up buying him baseball cards. It’s become tradition now, so every year he gets more baseball cards. Since he’s only 5 and would surely destroy them, he doesn’t even know he owns them–his dad has them stashed. We’ve decided (his folks and I), that on his 13th birthday he and I will sit down and open the Cards From Christmas’s Past, and hopefully he’ll enjoy them. Also, hopefully he’ll find a few that are also worth a couple bucks, and maybe start a fun hobby. Just a thought.
She’s not going to be old enough to enjoy presents until she’s about 3* anyway and anything you get her now is just going to get lost in the jumble of the other gifts Mom & Dad will be receiving for her.
She does need Pat the Bunny, though!
My daughter was never impressed with this as a newborn, but a lot of babies like it. It comes with a velcro thingy attached so you can wrap it around the crib rails and it’ll stay put.
She also needs those plastic puffy books that she can chew on.
*That’s when Uncle Wes starts buying her the cool toys that Mom & Dad won’t get her, particularly noisy ones with lots of lights!
Another vote for savings bonds. I recently cashed in a couple which had been given to me a long time ago–I was grateful for the ‘free money’ I found, for sure. I would get the inflation-adjusted ones (I-bonds), as the returns seem to be higher than regular EE bonds, and they, of course, will adjust for future inflation.
Two things.
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If you’re crafty, you can make a scrapbook for the Mommy to read to the baby. I asked all of Mommy’s relatives to bring pictures and stories about when she was a little girl. I made a scrapbook with all of the contributions. It’s a wonderful gift that Mommy can read to Baby and Baby will have a sense of history.
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The other gift I’ve given that’s been greatly appreciated is Mommy Pampering Items. I made a gift basket full of lotion, soap, etc. Seems like everyone else forgets Mommy as they’re loading Baby up with crap s/he’ll never use.
- Oh, one more. I also gave a star to a baby once. It was that International Star Registry. It came with an astrological map and certificate that was very cool. When I presented it to Mommy, I told her that Baby will always have his own star to wish upon.
Picture frames are my default “new baby” gift. The parents and grandparents will be taking tons of photos, and even if they won’t use it at home, it’s the rare mommy or daddy who doesn’t have photos of their kids on their desks at work.
Ask the parents-to-be what supplies they might still need, and what brands they prefer if you are going to be practical and get diapers or bottle supplies. Things like fuzzy blanket sleepers (Gerber has good ones too.) and onesies (they come in patterns too) are a decent bet, as are socks, in more than one size. (They get lost lots, and are SO tiny, plus they grow so fast, they need new socks at lightening speed during the first years.) Something like this wouldn’t be a bad idea, to put the baby in so they don’t have to sit in a cold car seat.
Otherwise, maybe a memento, like a scrapbook as Ruby mentioned, or even a few children’s “classics” books, ranging in age, from the plastic “proof against drool” squeaky books, to board books with no words, to something like “Good Night Moon” or even A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, or Beatrix Potter. A good book will likely be loved by a child for a long time.
Something from here.
And baby towels. 5 dozen. Maybe a gross. No such thing as not enough baby towels.
The coolest baby shower I ever attended was an all-book shower. Every guest was asked to bring his or her favorite children’s book as a gift, and we had a fantastic time reminiscing about them all. The parents went home with a ready-made library of classics and quirky books, for ages 0-8. I almost always give books now, usually two at a time: one of my favorites, plus one that’s new or different or somehow fitting.
Be sure to include a note from UncaWes about why you loved this book so much when you were a kid.
Maisy
If the parents celebrate Xmas, there’s “Baby’s 1st Christmas” ornaments that will hold a photo of the newborn.
I’ll agree with all the suggestions for onsies. Cute ones and absorbent are best. Also, as has been said before: Do not buy the newborn sizes. They really only fit for a week. At most.
When the little one gets older there’s a GREAT and inexpensive gift you can give the infant that will make their day: A box of kleenex for their very own. :eek: 
Of course the parents may have issues with it, but it’s good fun for the child.
Go to Amazon and get one of those plaster hand print kits.
I was going to skip this post since I don’t have a clue what you’d buy a newborn, but the next thread title was just too good to pass up.
Sequential Thread Title Alert!
What kind of gift do you buy a newborn baby
Good PDA software?
Just had to share. 
My favourite baby-gift was a “showbag” of loot my SIL gave me … contained all sorts of random stuff … creams, nappy (diaper) supplies, bubble bath for me :), nail clippers and so on and so on. Mind you, she was a 3x mum already, so she KNEW what was best!
IMO never buy clothes of any sort for a baby before they’re born … it’s not just a matter of “they’ll grow out of the newborn stuff”, but even if you get a larger size, you can’t really be sure what time of year it will be by the time they fit. I got plenty of larger-sized clothes that the Small Girl never wore even once because they were thin clothes and it was the middle of winter when she fitted them (or vice versa)
I have to second (or third, or whatever…) board books or bath books. Things with lots of faces are great for young-ish babies … classic books like dangermom suggested if you want them to last a bit longer.
I knitted a blanket for a co-worker for her baby.
Another gift she got was a book on teaching sign language to the baby. This way, the baby is able to communicate its needs with hand gestures, and it also helps with quick language development. My daughter’s teacher last year knows sign language, and she taught it to her son. So he was able to tell her what he needed or wanted even though he couldn’t talk yet.
You might want to find out where they’ve registered for gifts. Moms vary so much in how they prepare for a new baby - some are persnickety about what they want, some laid-back. Your SIL might have thought of every detail, or they could still need something useful. Hooded towels, books and binkies are always excellent - newborn clothes, not so much.
If you wanted to try something different, there’s always this damn bee. My Mom bought it for our twins (at Kmart) for about $10 and they absolutely adore it. Babies don’t really “play” with toys for a few months, but by next summer your niece could be driving everyone batty with this one.
At the other end of the spectrum, you could look for some music. African lullabies in particular are wonderful. And there’s always good old W.A. Mozart for turning that little munchkin into a genius.
Finally, if your brother and his wife are newcomers to this baby business, make sure they know about The Happiest Baby on the Block (author’s last name Karp). Newborns scream. A lot. Some more than others. This Karp guy has wonderful tips for soothing babies - they worked beautifully for us, our relatives were amazed. Bring this knowledge to your brother’s attention & you could be his new hero.
Just saw this. Binkie used to be (may still be) a brand name for pacifier. It’s still used as a slang term for a pacifier, see definition two.
Another great book to give is “On the day you were born” by Debra Frasier.
I suggest getting the baby something s/he will use at the age of 18 months. That’s the time most of the other baby presents “run out” as an 18 month old is too old for the infant clothes/toys/accessories. A present I used more than most (and one that has always been a hit when given) is a toddler swing. They’re yellow and hang from a tree or swing set.
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh?
'Tis the season!