Ideas for Baby Shower Gift

Hi D.,
I started a business last year called Cute.sies. I hand-stamp children's apparel and make 'diaper cakes' (they are the "it" thing to give as a shower gift these days). Check out my website www.CUTEoneSIES.com to see what I do.
Good Luck!
Kim, SAHM of two girls

Hi D.,

I would stick to their baby shower list. That will be a good guide for you in choosing a gift and will allow you to see what has already been purchased. If it is Babies R Us, then that is good because their list will be of more variety to choose from. Yellow is usually a good color to go with if uncertain about the gender. You can access the list online or at the store at their digital kiosk. Have fun with it!

A.
Bothell, WA
Mother of one girl, Ashley, who will be 8 in April (can't believe it!!)

Give her the thing you couldn't have lived without. For me, that was either homeopathic colic and teething pills or my ring sling. If you don't have something that pops to mind, yes, follow her list. It may not be as personal but you can be sure that she is getting what she "thinks" she wants. Wink wink :-) Because we all had ideas on what we needed before hand but it wasn't until after the baby arrived that we figured out what we really needed!

I always get rave thank you's when I give this one...buy some sort of container, could be a bathtub/basket/laundry hamper (prefer off her list). Then, fill it with the total day one (boring) necessities: newborn diapers, sensitive skin wipes, your favorite diaper cream, plain white cloth diapers, infant tylenol, mylicon, etc. Most new Mom's only have a vague idea of what they will need...I also find that most have bought diapers that are too big, and the "cute" items forgetting the practical.

If you pick a container that is with her theme and/or on her list then you are really covering the bases!

K.

The best baby shower gift I ever participated in and received is a diaper cake. Its a 3 tiered peice of art, usually with a diaper genie as the base, and then a ton of diapers wrapped around it to look like a 3-tier cake. Then it is decorated with ribbon. You attached bibs, burp clothes, tattles, teethers, gift cards, whatever to it. It not only looks amazing, but its a nice gift of 3-4 packs of diapers and gifts. Good luck! S.Jones mom of 3 girls

Hi. Dont buy clothes! Or if you do get sizes of 12 months and up as everyone brings those cute little newborn cloithes and all babies just live in jammies mostly so those cute things are useless.
A bouncy chair, monitor, I swear my favorite gift for my first baby was a bag my friend put together of stuff I would need right after the baby was born. No one tells you about the bleeding , heart burn etc. and she made up a bag with big pads, tums, nipple cream, hemoroid pads, etc everything I was horrified to see at the time but was so grateful for when I had them all handy.
Great baby books are also a good gift.and a months worth of meals delivered or those dream dinners etc. that they can stock in their freezer. I just had twins a year ago and that was a great gift too!

Hi D.,

There is a reason we fill out baby registries... it's full of the items we really want. If the mother to be has filled one out, I would use it as a guide. :) I did a registry and hardly anyone used it. I ended up with multiples of the same items! Which meant me having to return a bunch of items. I also make the diaper cakes... they are great itmes to give as well. You could give a small item off of the registry and a cake. We can never have too many diapers! HAHA! Good luck and I hope you enjoy your first baby shower.

Hello D.,

Being from Holland myself I was also new to the baby shower phenomena. Key is to have your gift with you at the shower, because the gifts are unwrapped during the party (so take that into account when you order from the registry).

Whether it's good form here or not, I tend to like to get something for the mom, as so many gifts are for the baby already. Expect to spend at least $35 - up to $75 (or $100!) depending on how close you are to the person [American moms, please verify this].
Gift that I found most useful were: swaddle blanket, bibs (the really good thick ones), stroller blanket, bundleme (for in infant car seat) or the Sleep Sheep (makes soothing sounds). For the moms, I loved the Bella Materna nursing wear. If you rather not pick for her, they do have gift certificates online, and the website has the largest variety --although I only know of Village Maternity selling that brand in retail, U-Village. If you are a Seattle local, there's a fancy baby store with (expectedly overpriced) designer baby gear that's excellent for gifts: Tottini behind the REI on Yale.

Good luck shopping!
J