Written by Katie on February 28, 2019

Best Baby Shower Gifts

Planning and preparing for a baby is definitely one of the hardest things to prepare for. Every baby is different, so it makes it hard to know what items you will and won’t need. Some babies love sitting in the swing, or bouncer and some won’t. Maybe your baby drinks from a bottle, my silly little guy could never figure that out. Some babies take pacifiers others don’t. The list goes on.

Not only are there so many different liking’s for each child, there are so many things that you need for a baby in general. That’s why I’m here today to tell you about all the different options of what you definitely need, what you may need, things you can do without, and practical ideas of narrowing it all down to best fit your situation.

I’m simply just going to list off baby items and tell you my experience of whether or not the item is needed. So let’s begin.

Cloth Diapers

(I’m starting with this one because this has been my favorite gift that I’ve received for my son.)

Cloth diapers are expensive, if you do the math, you will eventually save money using cloth diapers, but that’s only if you use them for more than one child. So to receive cloth diapers as a gift is HUGE! Your basically diapering your baby, for the cost of washing two loads of laundry a week!

Now, for someone like myself who is a penny saver this is a great practical gift. I’ve also had lots of experience with cloth diapers, and babies in general. For someone who isn’t…

1. Experienced with babies

2. Experienced with cloth diapering and/or

3. Concerned about baby expenses…cloth diapering probably is not for them. It can be overwhelming at times, especially for new moms.

I use my cloth diapers during the day, but when we leave the house, or go to bed I use disposable. I also don’t expect my husband to use the cloth diapers as it is a little overwhelming to him.

Diapers and Wipes

If you are wanting to bless a family who just had a baby, diapers, diapers, diapers, and wipes. You really can’t go wrong with diapers and wipes.

(Ok well on the off chance that…

1. The baby is allergic to disposable diapers or

2. The parents only want cloth diapers but chances are slim).

Now this being said…don’t go cheap.

Cheap diapers and wipes just make life harder for parents. Get Pampers, Huggies, or Luvs those are the top 3 brands for a reason.

If it is the second (or higher) child to join the family, ask the parents what brand they prefer.

Now another reason babies are hard to plan for is…they come in all different sizes, and grow at different paces. So the question is what size diapers to buy?

Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. Size premier and newborn may not even be used for many babies. Size 1-2 will be needed for a bit. Once a child enters size 3 they will likely be in that size for quite sometime. Depending on when the child is potty trained they may not move past a 3 it’s all hard to say. So I’ll leave you with that and you can decide from there.

Clothes

Everyone wants to buy all the cute little baby outfits, and that’s ok. Clothes are a necessity and having extra is ok, so it’s difficult to go wrong when buying clothes for a baby.

But let me give some tips for what outfit to choose.

If you know the parents of the baby well, shopping is going to be easier for you. For those of you buying clothes for distant relatives, or acquaintances there are things to steer clear of.

For example: I don’t like to dress my baby in anything that appears to be a “monster”. I don’t want my son to wear any outfits (or accessories) that call him “naughty” or “trouble”. I prefer not to speak those things over my son therefore I don’t dress him that way.

Likewise I’m not a big fan of characters. What I mean by this is I don’t dress him in “Paw patrol” or “Mickey Mouse” or other TV characters. If you don’t know the preferences of the baby’s parents here are things you can look for.

Animals/Plants – you can’t go wrong with animals and nature!
Cars/Vehicles – For a boy cars, trucks, tractors, fire engines are great!
Sports – What’s cuter than a baby dressed as an athlete!?
Planets – Out of this world cute!
Plain and simple – This doesn’t mean not cute it just means a simple dress for a girl or some cute jeans for a little man. (One of the most handy outfits I got for my son are plain white long sleeve onesies; they are perfect for going under his outfits to keep him warm cold days.)

Another area you can’t go wrong. What are the parents occupations? What are they involved in? How do you know them? Think about these things while shopping, and look for outfits that go along with them.

(For example my husband farms so people got outfits with farmers and tractors. My husband is a basketball player and loves orange so we got lots of orange, and basketball outfits.)

One last thing to keep in mind while clothe shopping. When is the baby arriving? If he/she is going to be born in the January, don’t buy a 6-9 month long sleeve outfit.

Do look ahead a few months though. I got tons of newborn-3 month outfits, I was stocked pretty good on 3-6 month as well. As my son gets bigger his clothes pile shrinks more and more.

Big buck essentials

Big buck essentials are things that baby needs, that are going to be a bit more pricey. This includes:

Car seat
High chair
Crib/bassinet (or both)
Dresser

These items are all essential items that the parents will need. If you have the funds available to buy them one or more of these it’ll be a big blessing to them. But before you go out and buy one (or more) of these items here are some things you need to note.

Do the parents have a registry? If so look to see if these items are on there. It is possible someone has already taken care of these needs it’s very common for the grandparents to provide a crib, car seat, or dresser for their grandchild.
Now if the items are on the registry make sure you buy it from there. These items are essential items that the parents are going to be using if they’ve taken the time to set up a registry they know which items they want.
Take note of the items on the registry the parents may have a theme or style they like. That is important to keep in mind while shopping for baby.

Big buck not as essential, essentials

This section is about those things that are not necessarily essential, but they make life so much easier. So in terms of parenting they seem essential (at least for our sanity).

This includes:

strollers,
wraps,
backpacks,
bumbo chair,
excersaucers,
bouncy seat,
rock n play,
swing, etc.

These things are nice to have, but can also take up space. Here are some practical things to think when buying one of these items.

Where does the family live? This is important to think for items such as the stroller. Will they need a stroller for dirt roads or sidewalks?
How big is the home they live in?
Is it an apartment with limited space?
If it is a bumbo chair is way more practical than an excersaucer; as it is portable and small. If they already have a bouncy seat they probably don’t need a swing as well.

Now if they have a bigger home it might be nice to have a few more things. We have our baby swing downstairs and the bouncy seat upstairs, it’s super nice.

Wraps and backpacks are nice to have when out and about, or running errands.

Is the mom a busy person who often goes places? A wrap or backpack would be a practical thing for her to have just in case.

Less expensive essentials

This includes blankets, baby lotion, burp cloths, wash cloths, towels, laundry detergent, bottles, pacifiers, swaddles, Sheets, etc.

These are things that are needed and you can’t really go wrong with getting any of them. If you do buy bottles and/or pacifiers make sure to get brand name and different size nipples.

As for blankets, swaddles, towels, and wash cloths make sure you get ones that match the parents theme (if they have one).

Toys/Books

Toys are not necessarily essential, but of course every baby needs a few. My little guy has waaay more than enough toys his favorite brands include…Little people, Fisher Price, Playgro, and Lamaze. He also loves toys with lights and music which mean lots of batteries.

Books are a great gift also, my son loves books. I think reading books to your baby helps their brains develop, and also is a great way to spend time with them.

Some great classics include

The Very Hungry Caterpillar,

Ten Little Ladybugs,

Goodnight Moon,

The Snowy Day,

and Ferdinand The Bull.

Touch and Feel books are also great for babies development as well.

Sentimental items

Handmade items and photo books are always a lovely gift. My MIL made my son a gorgeous quilt it is definitely a favorite out of all the gifts. My husband being a farmer got my son a collectible tractor. My FIL built many things for my husband that have now been passed down to my son including a rocking horse, and a dresser.

I also received some adorable photo albums and memory books. These gifts are gifts that will have purpose and will be passed down for many years.

Gifts that are forgotten

This last section is about gifts that aren’t too exciting but are important items as well.

A car mirror-so you can see your baby while driving. This is super nice to have, I can know my baby is ok when he coughs or cries, because I can look up and see him in the mirror.

A coat or snowsuit– depending on when they baby arrives this may be a need right away. Otherwise a winter car seat cover might be nice as well.

Mommy needs– things like nipple cream, nursing pads, a handheld or electric pump, nursing bras, a rocking chair, or nursing pillow.

These items may seem odd but I can tell you that the nursing pads were a huge help to me, and I never even had heard of such a thing.

So there you have it, what to get for baby shower gifts. Like I said, there are so many things you may need for one kid but not need for another so it’s best to be prepared. I hope this post is helpful. Congrats to all the expecting moms, dads, grandparents, aunt, uncles, neighbors, and friends!

Until next time!

Rachel C.