Earlier this week, I shared some photos from my sister’s baby shower and it got me thinking about baby shower gifts! Back when I was pregnant with Henry and trying to figure out what to register for for my own shower, I read tons of blogs for advice. Overall, I was pretty happy with the things I chose and we were really blessed by all the lovely gifts we received from friends and family. But now that I’m almost 18 months into this mom gig and getting ready to go for round two, I definitely have a much better idea about what (I think) makes a great baby shower gift!
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| This photo was from the Momma Bear Mag pop-up photo shoot here in Portland earlier this month, my friend Mary is so talented! Except I totally didn’t realize how sheer my shirt was and you can totally see the belly panel of my maternity jeans through my shirt…whoops! No shame though because maternity pants are the BEST 🙂 |
When it comes to a baby shower gift, you can’t go wrong with sticking to the registry. After all, the mom-to-be has spent time picking out things she’d like and so it’s nice to respect her wishes. However, I feel like when it comes to baby showers, it’s also OK to go off registry too! Often, the registry may include more big ticket items, as I think many expectant parents sort of assume that people are going to use their own discretion for things like clothes and other more personal items. Plus, I guarantee that no matter how many blogs and reviews she’s read, a mom who is pregnant with her first baby doesn’t really know everything she’ll need for a baby. So if you already have kids, feel free to let your experience influence what you choose to give as I’m sure she’ll appreciate it!
Here are a few of my personal tried and true favorites when it comes to baby items that would make great shower gifts, so hopefully this list might be helpful to any of you looking for ideas!
(Also, this post is not sponsored at all, it’s just a list of things I wanted to share!)
1. Books – Henry is in a big book loving phase right now and so I can definitely attest to the fact that they make great shower gifts! Plus, wall book shelves like we have in Henry’s nursery are super popular right now, so chances are a new mom might be looking to build her baby’s library. Given Henry’s age, I’m partial to suggest board books (here are a few of his favorites!), but I think that any book that is either special to you or you think would be meaningful to the new parents is great!
2. Swaddle Blankets -These seem to be a popular gift item for baby showers and for good reason – you use them for everything, especially in the beginning! Aden + Anais seem to be the most popular; they sell them at lots of different stores and they have so many adorable patterns! They’re what we registered for (and I mentioned them in my 0-3 Favorites) and they’ve held up really well. But there are also SO many other companies out there that make really unique swaddles – Modern Burlap has so many cool graphic black & white options (I have this one), Milkbarn has lots of really sweet animal prints made from organic cotton, and Spearmint Love has so many beautiful designs.
3. Solly Baby Wrap – There is nothing sweeter than wearing your new baby in a wrap and I think that Solly Baby makes the best ones. I got this striped one for a shower gift and used it all the time when Henry was small, and I actually got my sister this one for her baby shower 🙂
4. Zutano Booties – I first came across Zutano booties on Amazon (which was one of the places we registered) and they had good reviews so I decided to add them to ours. We ended getting a TON of use out of them and I ended up ordering more pairs as Henry’s feet grew. When babies are small, shoes are a joke and socks don’t always stay on their feet. These booties are the best because they’re super easy to get on, they stay on, and they’re the perfect thing for when your baby isn’t wearing footie PJs. They have tons of colors and patterns and come in both cotton and fleece.
5. Park Blanket – This was an item I registered for on a whim, but was pleasantly surprised by how much we ended up using it. (I also have this one) It’s awesome for the park or beach and it’s great to keep in your car. It also makes a perfect gift for a shower where you don’t know the baby’s gender 🙂
6. Zip PJs – We got lots of cute outfits for our shower, but as for the things that we got the most use out of, I’d have to say zip PJs hands down! They’re awesome for diaper changes and so much easier than messing with snaps. The Hanna Andersson zip PJs are my favorites – they have so many adorable patterns and they wash really well – definitely a perfect shower gift!
7. Velcro Swaddles/Sleep Sacks – Even though we used swaddle blankets a lot when Henry younger, we didn’t really end up using them for swaddling – he’d bust out of them easily and it was too much of a pain to try re-swaddle him in the middle of the night. The velcro swaddles are so much easier to deal with and it wasn’t too long before we transitioned Henry in to sleep sacks. Halo is my favorite brand and they make tons of different options for both swaddles and sleep sacks.
8. Multipurpose Nursing Cover – This is something a mom-to-be may not think to register for, but it’s such a useful gift! Not only can it be used as a nursing cover, you can also use it as a car seat cover or shopping cart cover too. Covered Goods and Milk Snob both have cute options!
9. Size 12 month (and larger!) clothes – Even though it’s so tempting to buy tiny newborn clothes, I think it’s really nice to gift clothes in bigger sizes! Babies grow out of those clothes really fast and it’s nice to be able to have some things for down the road. However, since sizing varies from brand to brand and it’s hard to know just how fast babies will grow, I would suggest buying larger size clothing items that will work for multiple seasons like onesies/sleepers/jeans/etc vs. jackets/super seasonal pieces.
10. Gift Cards/Gift Certificates – I know some people feel like gift cards are impersonal, but I think they are a perfect baby shower gift! You’re inevitably going to need additional things down the road as your baby grows, so it’s nice to have gift cards to put towards those items. Plus, diapers/wipes aren’t going to buy themselves! I’m pretty sure I can vouch for 99% of moms when I say that I’d love if someone gave me a Target gift card 🙂 And beyond gift cards, gift certificates for things like meal delivery services like Blue Apron (which I actually haven’t tried yet but I’ve heard great things about!) or for a house cleaning service would be awesome for a mom-to-be!
So there you have it, some of my favorite ideas to gift for baby because they’re all things I love! Hopefully this list comes in handy for those of you with showers to attend this summer 🙂
