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Gift guide by the ages: Newborn/baby shower
Birthdays. Everybody has one. They also have holidays and all sorts of special occasions where it seems a gift is needed. If you're anything like me, it is easy to get overwhelmed and just want to run out and get a gift card. While I certainly like to get the gift of a gift card, I prefer to give something tangible.
That's why I started thinking about good gifts to give by ages.
How many times have I been to a baby shower, only to see the mom-to-be get swamped with onesies (newborn, usually) and really cute stuffed animals? Too many. While every mom and dad-to-be really do appreciate a room full of plush toys, they also like things that are, ahem, practical.
So, when I head to a gift shower, I always like to bring along a pack or two of diapers. (If they're not using disposables and are using cloth, then I get really excited and bring along a few of those.) Another choice that a parent might not consider is one of those fancy ear thermometers or, even better, a "necessity" gift basket full of the medicines they'll end up needing but won't realize until the middle of the night.
Honestly, with two little ones, I can't even think back to what we needed after our first child was born. Most likely, we needed everything. Anything you wished someone had given you?
That's why I started thinking about good gifts to give by ages.
How many times have I been to a baby shower, only to see the mom-to-be get swamped with onesies (newborn, usually) and really cute stuffed animals? Too many. While every mom and dad-to-be really do appreciate a room full of plush toys, they also like things that are, ahem, practical.
So, when I head to a gift shower, I always like to bring along a pack or two of diapers. (If they're not using disposables and are using cloth, then I get really excited and bring along a few of those.) Another choice that a parent might not consider is one of those fancy ear thermometers or, even better, a "necessity" gift basket full of the medicines they'll end up needing but won't realize until the middle of the night.
Honestly, with two little ones, I can't even think back to what we needed after our first child was born. Most likely, we needed everything. Anything you wished someone had given you?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-26-2007 @ 1:39PM
Mammacheryl said...I loved getting a variety of diaper sizes. When we thought that Ben might fit better in the next size up, we didn't have to go out and buy a new pack... we just pulled out one of the packs we got as shower gifts. Having extra diapers on hand was a blessing. I also loved getting baby wipes. When Ben was a newborn, we had about six boxes in storage so we didn't run out. Now that he's older, we still try to keep a stash of those on hand.
Ditto on the infant medicines. I'd buy baby tylenol, mylicon, a good diaper cream, lotrimin for yeast rashes, and pediacare for coughs.
If I know the mom is going to breastfeed or pump, I'll buy some lanolin, breast shields, and those cool presses for cracked nipples.
Cheryl at http://redpens-diapers.blogspot.com
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6-26-2007 @ 1:45PM
Stephanie said...Diapers, wipes and meals! I would have done anything for those items when we first brought my son home. Instead we received about 30 outfits that he quickly outgrew. One of my other favorite gifts were books. I think it is a great gift that the child can enjoy for years.
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6-26-2007 @ 2:23PM
Maya said...My husband brings batteries & and a battery charger to all the baby showers now! He got so sick of everything needing them and heading out to the store to keep gettting more... ;)
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6-26-2007 @ 2:28PM
Julie said...I usually give the expectant mom cloth diapers as well. Even if they've decided to use disposable diapers, the cloth ones can be used as spit-up clothes, face wipes, ect. Our son now uses the cloth diapers (which were not used as diapers in the traditional sense) as his blankie - which means that we never loose/leave them anywhere.
Also include baby Tylenol, baby gas drops and 2 or 3 pairs of baby nail clippers (we were ALWAYS misplacing ours).
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6-26-2007 @ 3:06PM
Kelly said...Great post and ideas! One of my favorite gifts was a bottle of rum to be consumed post-birth. One thing that I've sworn to buy for mom-to-be's is a salon pedicure as I regret not buying one for myself because I couldn't justify the expense.
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6-26-2007 @ 3:19PM
MamaChristy said...I wished that I had gotten some baby hats. Even though my boy was born in July - in South Texas, no less - he needed a hat to help him regulate his body temperature. His baby sock-hat from the hospital had to get washed sometime! I had NO IDEA that this would be something I would need for a summer baby! As fun as it was to nurse my week old boy in the freezing nursing room at Babies R Us, I think I'd have rather stayed home. So, now that I have learned to crochet, every baby I know is getting a hat as well as something else useful - wipes, diapers, and all of the other great things mentioned above.
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6-26-2007 @ 4:40PM
Mammacheryl said...I forgot to mention... my sister had her first baby within a year of my son's birth, so I was very "with it" as far as what new moms need. I sent her several care packages during her pregnancy. When I finally found nuks that we loved, I bought several for my sister as well. Lots of cloth diapers to use as burp rags. Lots of little fleece blankets. Long-sleeve onesies that are surprisingly tough to find. Our favorite brand of baby soap, lotion and diaper cream. I wrote little notes telling her why I liked them, what I used them for, where I got them, etc., and taped them to each bundle.
It was a very practical group of gifts that ended up being her favorite presents because I added such a personal touch with the notes. Even though we don't live near each other, I still got to give her sisterly advice on stuff like that.
Cheryl at http://redpens-diapers.blogspot.com
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6-27-2007 @ 11:42AM
christine said...Right. It was my shower a couple of weeks ago and I got tonnes of stuff I won't use/really dislike. Since I don't know the sex of the baby, I got tonnes of really ugly yellow baby clothes - and barely anything that would work on a summer newborn. I would have greatly appreciated food gift certificates, medicines/infant care items, and more burp rags/receiving blankets.
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7-28-2007 @ 8:24PM
Belinda said...I am pregnant with our second child and friends have been asking what we need. I just say diapers. But I like gift cards (to Wal-Mart because that is the only place I shop and all my friends know that) just as much because it lets me get things I need that didn't know I needed.
As for the "ear thermometers" my doctor told me NOT to get them because they are NOT accurate in infants and that is not good. We already had one and tested what she said, our daughter had a fever and we took it in her ear and it said 97 degrees, rectally and her temp was 101, BIG DIFFERENCE!!
Also a "necessity" gift basket full of the medicines are not good either because I looked at that and most of them I would have NEVER used and plus you do NOT give medicines to infants without talking to a doctor first!! All those medicines say for ages TWO and up so why would you get that for someone having a baby??
Gift cards are AWSOME as long as it a place you would normally shop and diapers seem to do great.
But then again, isn't that was GIFT REGISTRIES are for to tell people what you need or want?? Just about EVERY store have them!!
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7-29-2007 @ 4:58PM
rebecca Biernesser said...A friend of mine is pregnant with her first baby and just had small shower for neighbors. (she already had a big one) I looked at her gift guides and knowing what she already had and was at a lost. I started thinking about how I felt when I had my first and went back to work, blah, blah, blah. My mom and I finally decided to go in half and get a lot of gift cards to various restuarants/fast food places in town. I put them in a little scrapbook and made a story out of them. SHe loved them and it gives her a few meals that she doesn't have worry about with a new baby.
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