Gift Ideas for Baby Showers
It can be just as exciting for you when your loved one has a bundle of joy on the horizon. You get to celebrate their news, be a guide and friend through the pregnancy, and pick out the perfect baby shower gift. For the parents, expecting a baby can be stressful and difficult, which is why it’s important to give them a personal, special gift that will reignite that anticipation and happiness. From essential baby care items to unique DIY projects, here you’ll find all the ideas you need to pick the perfect baby shower gift.
Practical and Essential Gifts
If perhaps you’re not as close with the parents, practical gifts are certainly the way to go. Even if you are, things like diapers and bottles will always be appreciated, as a newborn can go through many of those items, and your gift will make it that much easier to complete their stash.
A diaper bag is a staple of a new mother’s wardrobe. The perfect classy but essential present, you’ll see it close by whenever you help take the baby on a fun outing. A “baby care starter kit” could also be stuffed inside the diaper bag, or a present all its own, with items like:
- Diapers
- Wipes
- Bottles
- Baby nail filers
- Burp cloths
- Pacifiers
- Bibs
Not to worry, these items will be just as exciting for the mother as any other.
Another newborn staple is the nursery, which you could help outfit with decor or organization items. Cloth tubs for books, clothes, and diapers keep these items out of sight and sorted for the parents’ ease.
If easy and convenient is your goal, an important consideration is whether or not the parents have a baby registry. They may have done all the work for you by compiling a list of exactly what they need for the baby, and possibly a few wishlist items. It’s always worth asking so you can be sure your gift is something that they can cross off their list in the lead up to the birth.
Speaking of wishlist items, if you know the parents well, a big-ticket gift can be a true relief. You’re sure to receive a monumental “thank you” if you purchase a:
- Stroller
- Crib
- Mattress
- Baby Bouncer or Swing
- Fancy Baby Monitor
If you still want to gift one of these items but don’t want to overstep or spend too much, you can always split the cost of these more expensive items with other people, such as your group of friends.
Personalized and Keepsake Gifts
If the parents are especially dear to you, you can never go wrong with a personalized gift that showcases the memories you’ve made together in anticipation of the many you’ll make with a new addition.
A customized baby blanket can be an adorable and still practical gift. A blanket printed with a specific pattern or photo, or stitched with the baby’s initials if you know them, will secure that blanket’s place as their favorite for a long time to come.
Other items that can be specified to your relationship with the parents are jewelry or silverware. You could get them engraved with the family’s name or initials, a symbol, or the baby’s birth date (if you wait to get the engraving done until after it’s happened)!
Another option that could be gifted either before or after the baby’s birth is a memory book or photo album. The album could highlight the parents’ relationship to look back on as a time before they had the baby, or it could be filled with photos from the baby’s early days of life. A memory book could be left blank, with spaces for the parents to fill out the baby’s first words, steps, trips, and more, or you could get it started for them with pictures and notes from the birth.
No less important as the baby develops are books. Colorful cardboard books for newborns or Dr. Seuss stories they can grow up with can become a reminder of you every bedtime. Inscribing the book with a note from you to the parents or baby is a great way to personalize books, immortalizing the exciting time before the baby arrives and your hopes for everything they’ll become.
Baby clothes are another gift that combines the personal and the essential. Shopping for little shoes, dresses, overalls, and more shows the thought you put into the baby’s needs, but also their style! Plus, it’ll be a blast for you to pick them out.
Fun and Unique Gifts
There are even more gifts that are fun for you and the parents. A baby clothes subscription box is one creative way to pick clothes out but have the excitement of more than one helpful gift being delivered to their doorstep. You could sign them up for a year’s subscription and give the gift of clothes for a rapidly-growing baby.
If you’re looking for something you can truly make and give them yourself, handmade or DIY items are the way to go. If you know how to sew, clothes and bibs designed by you will be a special memory every time the baby wears them. If you’re a bit handier with tools and materials, you could build a changing table or crib yourself.
But maybe these options don’t work for you, and you want to truly give the gift of fun. Baby shower games and activities are simple to put together but still show your effort and enthusiasm for celebrating the new baby. You could craft your own board game or come up with twists on traditional party games that will be a good time for the whole group to partake in.
Gift Ideas for New Parents
Showing that you understand the emotional, stressful period the parents will be going through with their first child is a gift in itself. It can be easy for them to forget that this time is supposed to be full of excitement, as there are many small details to remember and things to do.
A reminder to slow down and appreciate it all, or to take a break once in a while, can come in the form of a spa or self-care package. Treat them to a night or weekend away where they can recenter themselves, something especially important for the mother as her body recovers from the birth. Prioritize her with massages, skincare kits, and more.
Another gift that will make early parenthood a little easier for them are home-cooked meals, whether you make them yourself or order deliveries. Setting up a meal train for friends and family is a great way to take a simple burden off the parents so they can focus on the baby rather than what to feed themselves. Drop Off meals big enough for leftovers will be a great help. Even something as simple as DoorDash or UberEats gift cards can take one thing off their minds and treat them to their favorite meal at home. For chef-prepared meals delivered to their doorstep, Table & Twine is a local meal delivery service in Charleston that crafts quality meals with no prep time needed.
Lastly, a classic but necessary gift for new parents are parenting books, courses, and resources. Give the gift of knowledge and security that they’ll be able to handle everything that comes with a newborn.
Tips for Choosing the Right Baby Shower Gift
From personalized essentials for the baby to the needs of the parents, there are many options available for the right baby shower gift no matter how well you know them. The number one factor to consider is the parents’ preferences and needs. If they have a stroller already, be sure not to pool together your friends and all gift a stroller together. If they have a registry still full of items they picked themselves, they’ll be most appreciative of a gift that they already know they wanted.
Another critical but oft-forgotten consideration is the age range and safety of items you choose. A baby shower gift that they won’t be able to use until they’re a toddler is not the best option, and neither is a toy that could pose a choking hazard to a newborn.
You want your gift to actually be used – this also means choosing items with long-term value. Something that will break easily, be used up quickly, or not be of need to the parents or baby will simply go to waste. A quality gift means you’ll be able to see the excitement when the present is opened up at the shower.
Remember to Celebrate
Don’t spend all your time worrying about what gift to get. With these tips and recommendations, you’ll know for a fact you’re properly celebrating and supporting the parents with a thoughtful and helpful gift. Now you can think about preparing for the shower itself!
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