A Non-Parents Guide to Buying Baby Shower Gifts

With spring and summer upon us (finally, Minnesota!) that usually means baby shower season. Buying a baby shower gift when you aren't a parent yourself can be an intimidating experience. I take pride in being a good gift giver myself, but looking back on some of the baby shower gifts I've given in the past, I've realized I may not have given the best gifts to help out new parents. It's easy to get sucked into the cute little baby clothes and trendy baby toys - while there's nothing wrong with giving those items as gifts (I know I received some that I really loved!) everyone else may be thinking the same thing. Shopping from a parent's registry is definitely a great place to start, but from my experience, I used my registry mostly for my big ticket items (great group gift idea!) to receive a discounted priced once my registry expired. I did get help from mom friends of mine to create my registry, but I still forgot items that I didn't even think I needed. Here are some ideas to keep in mind that will make the future parents lives easier and are fun to give!

Clothes

Everyone is excited to gift the parents with cute little newborn clothes. I found this to be especially true with older family members. While the cute little clothes are fun to give, you never know how long a newborn will fit in that size. I learned that baby clothes sizes are made to fit up to the monthly amount, not through that month, which is what I previously thought. For example, clothes marked 3 months, will only fit until the baby is three months old (in theory). In my case, I had a huge baby that only fit in newborn-3 month clothes for three weeks - so most of those clothes never got worn. I suggest finding clothes that are a little bit bigger 6-12 months (including socks with grippy bottoms!). By gifting clothes that are bigger, you are also able to shop the sale items that are out of season, saving yourself some cash. I don't recommend buying clothes bigger than 12 months (unless you have hand-me-downs) because you never know how fast a baby may grow and what season clothes they'll need. 

     

        

Shop clothes that are easy to put on and take off. If the clothes have a ton of buttons or parts to put together, you better believe they won't get much use. Babies are constantly needing to be changed out of their clothes. I remember one day Vela when through 10 outfits! Parents will quickly gravitate to clothes they find user-friendly. Bodysuits, sleepers with zippers, rompers, and pants with elastic bands will be super helpful and get a ton of use.

Make your own themed bundle

This is my favorite thing to do for baby showers - putting different products together with a cohesive theme for any occasion really, just takes gift giving to the next level. It's a great way to show you really took the time to pick out a present for that person. For baby showers, this is a great way to shop items from the registry, along with sneak in products or brands that the future parents might not have realized they needed. This will surely impress them with your baby product knowledge - life badge unlocked! Here are a few of my favorite themes:

Bathtime

Depending on your budget, or if you're going in with a few people, filling an infant bathtub with bathtime essentials is an amazing gift basket in itself. This pink tub is what we used and it's only $20! When it comes to baby shampoos and lotions, opting for a product for sensitive skin will ensure the baby doesn't have a bad reaction to it - Cetaphil is our go-to. You can never have enough of those products, so if other people give baby wash items, the parents will utilize the backups. Having thick and soft baby washcloths and hooded towels will get a lot more use than the super small and thin ones. I think we used those for the first few sponge baths only. A lot of new parents won't think of this, but once the baby is able to bathe in the tub itself, making sure the tub is safe by adding a spout guard (We love this whale one with the matching rinser) and a non-slip mat with mold resistants and washing machine safe will make life easier. You can tie everything together by adding a bath toy, these stackable boats will grow with the child. They're great to chew on during the teething phase, stacking and color coordination to develop their fine motor skills once they're a bit older and easy to wash - win! Wrap a few large ribbons around the body of the tub and tie at the top. Add a large bow and ta-da!

Diaper Bundle

Anything you can give a parent to help them with changing diapers will get a ton of use. This bundle is always the safest because I don't think you can have enough of any of these items. You can use a storage bin to hold all the items for a nice DIY gift basket with a purpose. This storage bin is collapsible and travels well, so it can be used for anything. Picking out diapers of different sizes will ensure that the diapers will get used eventually. We love the Huggies brand because the leg holes are the most flexible for bigger babies. Adding in diaper wipes with a traveling wipes bag will be easy to grab on the go. A good diaper cream is a must, and this diaper cream by Boudreaux is great for a diaper rash and using a little each diaper change for preventative care. Changing table liners are a must, and can be used on any surface you change your baby on. I even keep one in my diaper bag for changing Vela in public restrooms. Speaking of changing Vela in public, I was given these dirty diaper containing bags as a baby shower gift, and it's gotten a ton of use. The stinkiest of diapers will not smell through one of these bags, perfect when your visiting friends or out in public.

Meal Time

I had plans to exclusively breastfeed, so I didn't add much from this category to my registry. Luckily, mom friends of mine filled my diaper bag with mealtime essentials, some of which we still use now. I don't recommend buying bottles, formula, or breastfeeding supplies unless it's on the registry. Those items you want to make sure are right for the family but if it's on the registry, those items would make the perfect addition to this gift bundle. 

You wouldn't think to pick the right bid was all that important, but it actually is. For cloth bibs, pick ones with a snap button on the side. If the baby has a ton of hair, this will make sure it's not getting caught and having a snap button vs. velcro won't get stuck on the laundry and will stay on the baby better. We also love these adjustable plastic bids for solid food, we still use them now - makes clean-up so much easier especially when eating out. This grass drying rack and bottle brush are amazing for washing bottles, sippy cups, and pumping supplies. The parents may not have thought about solid food supplies, which they'll need all too soon, so adding these items to the bundle will be a nice surprise. We love the EZPZ table mat in mini (better size for a highchair and traveling), these snack bowls, and non-spill sippy cups. You can also add in baby and toddler spoons (yes, there's a difference) to the bundle, I just didn't have a specific brand to recommend.

Bedtime

Awe, catching some Zzzz's, something these new parents will wish they had! This is my favorite bundle because we've come across some awesome products that I swear made sleeping through the night possible for us! We love this sound machine we were given at our baby shower. It has tons of different sounds to choose from, we use the one that sounds like the inside of the womb. It has a night light, plays classical music, alarm clock, you can plug your phone into it, and it can run on batteries for traveling. Bonus: it's under $23! These pacifiers are great because they're Orthodontic developed and the handle glows in the dark, making it easier to find in the middle of the night. Swaddle blankets and sleepers are important because you want to make sure you're keeping the baby safe. These sleeveless wearable blankets are perfect for when the baby is rolling over and no longer needs to be swaddled, but not old enough for a blanket in the crib yet. We were given these Muslin swaddle blankets during our baby shower - you can double them over to make them smaller and warmer for newborns, or still use them at the toddler stage as a lightweight blanket. You can add crib sheets or a waterproof mattress protector, hopefully, the style the parents want is in the registry. I know I've already said this, but it's worth mentioning again. If you add jammies to this bundle, make sure they are the zipper kind to make the middle of the night diaper changes easier.

Add a personal touch

I remember everything I've been given from my baby showers that have a story behind it, and I share those stories with Vela. Did you have a favorite book as a child? Give that as a gift and add a note to the inside cover page. Do you knit or sew? Making a hand-made blanket, hat or any baby clothing item is sure to impress the future parents-to-be. I was fortunate enough to be given three beautiful hand-made blankets, and those are our favorite blankets at the moment. We recently transitioned to blankets instead of zip-up swaddles in the crib, and those knitted blankets give us the peace of mind that even if she covers her head with the blanket, there are still natural holes for her to breathe through. Lastly, do you have children in your life you are close to? Maybe you're an Aunt/Uncle or God Mom/Dad and want to find inspiration from things they loved as a baby. This is my favorite thing to do at the moment, to tie in a "Vela favorite" to every baby shower gift. I try to think of things that helped make that first year easier for us as parents, as well as items that Vela seems to gravitate towards.

It's hard to believe my baby is almost 18 months old. It's crazy going through these pictures and remembering all the baby stuff she loved. Vela was always cuddling her Elephant WubbaNub, but she only used the pacifier to chew on. Vela always wanted to sit upright - never wanting to miss a thing, so the Bumba was great to give her that freedom. Vela had soo much fun on this playmat, it made tummy time more bearable for her. You can also add more attachments, and we were given this elephant attachment that Vela still plays with now (it has a mirror on the ear and she likes to stare at herself.) Last, this Baby Einstein tunes toy was always a must grab for traveling (until a few months ago when water spilled on it, and it died) Vela loved the music, colors, and chewing on the plastic balls on the handle.
I hope you were able to gain some inspiration for any baby showers you will be attending in the near future. What are some go-to baby shower gifts you like to give? I'd love to hear about it!