A friend of mine asked me to come up with some ideas for baby shower gifts and so today I had a little look around to see what I can find. These items are all on the lower end price-wise but would make lovely gifts for any lucky soon-to-be-mum....
For baby
I am of the opinion that by the time most preggers ladies are having their baby showers, they probably already have a number of outfits for the newborn or will be receiving many from visitors and friends and family. Because of this, I tend to think ahead a little and look at gifts that the baby can grow in to and will have a little more longevity. Here's what I've come up with...
1. is a lullaby sound spa from Homedics. I have this one myself after it was recommended by a friend. It plays a few different lullabies as well as having other sound options such as white noise. As well as the noises, it also has a little projector on top that you can angle on to a wall. 3 little discs feature various colourful creatures and themes and I found this especially useful when Milo was ill. Available from Amazon, $36,99
2. Milo was given his own set of stacking boxes when he was very little and still to this day we have fun with them. There are all sorts of stacking boxes out there but I especially love these colourful vintage style alphabet stacking boxes from little baby company, £12,95
3. I love the idea of giving a baby it's first money box and of course putting the first penny (or fiver or whatever you fancy) in to the box to get it started. A nice little personal idea I reckon and this cute little club house tin money box would be perfect...from Belle & Boo, £3,50
4. Swaddling is much loved and appreciated by many parents. It can be a good tool to help your baby sleep in its first few months and the gro company have this gorgeous 'Woodland friends Gro-swaddle' available... from the gro store, £12,50
5. Another craze among parents, you will spot this Sophie the Giraffe teether in many a parents/child's hand! I even have one for baby No. 2 and can't wait to use it from Toysrus, £12,99
6. Why not support the handmade movement and buy some reversible burp cloths for your friends little one. Burp clothes are always handy for those post-feed, on the shoulder moments and hey, you can even make use of them when you go over to your friends for a cuddle with the little one from WeThreeBees, €14,08
7. I love books and so does my little boy so I'd be a fool not to add a few books to this selection. Why not help start the babies own little collection with some classics. Make sure to purchase board-books as these are less likely to be destroyed by an over-zealous, mouth-crazed baby. Some of my top picks include: The Gruffalo, That's not my lion..., Goodnight Moon
For mum
This is actually far more difficult than 'for baby'. The kind of presents to buy your friend of course need to depend a little on them and their needs but I like a combination of useful items such as the food delivery vouchers below, along with a treat here and there
2. I can't recommend this book enough. Funny but also informative, this will help aid a sleep-deprived mum in so many ways. Most importantly, it will likely bring a smile to their face and that's not half bad! The Girlfriend's Guide to the first year from Amazon, from £2,80
3. There are many types of baby-carriers, slings and wraps out there and what a mum wants to use really depends on them. Here is a carrier that is both affordable and receives good reviews but make sure you speak with the mum-to-be first to see if she has any preferences carrier-wise. Moby wrap carrier from Amazon, £36,99
4. A humorous take on the popular 'That's not my...' children's books, this one is aimed at parents. Good for a chuckle and relateable to many a parent! OMG That's not my child...he's sharing from The Book Depository, £8,76
5. When breast-feeding you can very quickly lose track of which breast you last fed on. These bands can help make that a problem of the past, all you have to do is swap the band around to remind yourself. Milk bands nursing bracelets from The Baby Shower Shop, $8,95
6. Cooking with a newborn is a tiring and often impossible task. Why not ease the pressure and buy a gift voucher for a website that you can order home deliveries from. One example in the UK is 'Hungry House'. Make sure they deliver to where your friend lives first though. Gift Voucher (food delivery) from Hungry House, £5-£75
7. Many new parents take more photos of their new baby then they know what to do with. Often many of these photos don't get printed so a gift voucher for a company that produces photobooks, photo-calenders, mugs etc makes a great gift. Albelli are my favourite of the various photobook providers I've used. Their software is easy to use and comes with lots of options for the more creative of parents. from Albelli, £15,£25 or £50
8. Zulily is a website that offers daily deals for mums, babies and kids and is a great way to buy some gorgeous baby/children's products at a good discount. from Zulily, your choice of amount
Did you have a baby shower? What would you have liked to receive at your baby shower? What did you get that you found most of use? Do you have a standard baby shower gift you often bring?
Nb. I have received no payment of any kind for this post, each item and shop has been chosen personally by me without any form of sponsorship, money or payment-in-kind. I just like the stuff!
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Nice ideas. I particularly like the 'OMG! That's not my child' book, having read the rest of the series...
ReplyDeleteI thought you might like that one. I really need to read that book!
DeleteI'm guessing you didn't see the article about how Sophie the Giraffe is out-gassing way more poisonous stuff than is allowed? It was hanging at our pediatrician's a while back, but here's a sum up of it: http://www.tagesspiegel.de/wirtschaft/verbraucher/kult-spielzeug-giraffe-vom-aussterben-bedroht/5867562.html We had one too. :(
ReplyDeleteNo I didn't so thanks for sharing it. I will take a look but doesn't sound like good news!!!
DeleteI'll be sure to pin the gifts for mom on pinterest. You have some pretty good ideas in that image with the girlfriends guide and all. Thanks for the share.
ReplyDeleteThank you and thanks for the pin, that would be great. Feel free to check out my Pinterest page: http://pinterest.com/workberlinmum/
DeleteLove the idea of the OMG, That's Not My Child book :-D
ReplyDeleteNobody I know has had a baby shower, but I always buy a gift for the birth so it's good to hear a mother's perspective on what are good gifts! I always buy clothes for either age 3 months or age 6 months (depending on which size I find nice things in) becasue I assume they'll get enough new born stuff from everyone else, plus if it's a big baby he/she may never actually fit into new born stuff! Buying something slightly bigger usually means it does at least get worn!
Living in Germany gives me an advantage because it means I can buy my English friends baby gifts that nobody else will, simply because of the different products here ;-)
It definitely seems to be a hit. Would make a great present for most parents I reckon! All parents will relate to it at some point.
DeleteThat's perfect that you buy clothes for 3 months plus, definitely a good thing to do. I also found that my boy got to 1 and suddenly there were no clothes left. How good this is for parents depends on how much space they have to store clothing ahead of time however.
That's a good point about living abroad. I feel that way about buying clothes in the UK and then wearing them here. Primark having moved to Germany has cancelled out one of those options though ;)
I also love books and loving reading those happy ending stories to my kids. Great list of baby gift ideas and hope to see more from you. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you, there will likely be more recommendations coming up :)
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