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When you are expecting your first child, it can be difficult to know which product you will ACTUALLY use and which are just going to take up space. Creating a registry can be confusing. Whether your here to create a registry or trying to find a gift for an expecting friend, here are the things that I found were actually useful baby shower gifts when I was a new mom.
The thing about baby products is that if I’m being COMPLETELY honest, most of it is crap. Sorry. Even the things that I thought would be absolutely necessary sat in a corner in my house and were barely touched.
This list is for
Useful Baby Shower Gifts
When buying useful baby shower gifts you want to get something that the parents will use regularly. You want to get something that actually makes the parents’ lives easier in some way. There are many things that
Lots Of Diapers
New babies use a lot of diapers every day. Therefore, keeping a good supply can be difficult when you have a newborn to look after. Buying someone a lot of the best newborn diapers will be a very welcome gift. It might not be the prettiest present, but it is one of the most useful baby shower gifts.
In the first few weeks, diapers are changed very often, and the numbers used can be more than people realize. Having plenty to spare is one worry off the new mom’s mind. Let’s face it, she is going to have enough to deal with. Before my first son, my husband and I had researched how many of each size we would need and stocked up. We had enough diapers for
I also make sure to let people know to get different sizes of diapers (and clothes). Most people get newborn sized everything and most babies don’t wear newborn stuff for very long. Some babies are already past the newborn sizes from birth!
Even my itty bitty babies were out of their newborn diapers and onesies pretty quickly. Diapers were our most useful baby shower gifts. Getting various sizes is a must! That way when the baby is all of a sudden growing out of their diapers, the parents have some ready to go!
Basic Onesies
The cute outfits are great, but one thing that is nice to have is a large supply of just basic onesies. They can get stained and dirty very quickly and often need to be changed three or four times a day. That creates a lot of washing for the new mom; so having a good supply of these can be a huge help.
Clothes in Bigger Sizes
I mentioned this in the diaper section. Most people will buy newborn sizes when buying gifts for a baby shower and a lot of expecting moms will register for just newborn stuff.
Thankfully my mom registered with me and told me not to do this. In a very short few weeks, they will need some bigger clothes. With most of the clothes that we received at our baby shower, we only used them once because our baby grew out of them so quickly! If you do not know what gender the baby will be, you can buy unisex clothing for little ones and then that will not matter.
Baby Wipes
Similar to the diapers, wipes are one of those baby supplies that you will DEFINITELY need and can be stocked up on. When registering, don’t forget to ask for wipes.
Wipes are not just for diaper changes. At our house, they are used for everything so we go through quite a few. Kids are sticky, snotty humans. They need constant wiping.
Health Items
There are lots of little things a new mom needs that often they do not realize until they want to use them. A bag with some of these things inside is a great idea. Diaper rash cream, baby nail clippers, and infant pain relief are just three suggestions of things to include. There are many more you could add, including some baby wipes and a thermometer, to bulk things out.
We especially loved our Nose Frida! This was not something I would have thought I needed but when the baby came it was such a blessing as the regular aspirators just did not do the job!
Gift Certificates
If you really are stuck what to buy for useful baby shower gifts, you could purchase a gift certificate. Not a very exciting gift for sure, but certainly a very useful one that the parents can use when they need it most. Most baby stores sell these, and mom and dad can use it for something the baby needs as they grow out of all their newborn things.
When you are invited to a baby shower, you do not have to take a gift unless you want to. Most people do though, and sometimes the new parents end up with far more things than they will ever use. This is why something like the supply of diapers is such a good gift, as there is no doubt at all that they will be useful.
This is so useful! I had been going back and forth on the wipe warmer so it’s officially off my registry! Thanks
I’m glad you liked it! Some moms really love there’s but for me, it just didn’t seem worth it. And to be real honest, I very rarely actually take my kid to the changing table or wherever the wipes warmer would have been stored, so how often would I even use it? If they can have cold diapers when we’re out and about then they can have it at home too, in my opinion.
THese are great gift ideas!
This is a great list! Perfect tips for any expecting mom!
These are all great ideas. I can’t tell you how many newborn and 0-3 month clothes we had, she basically had a different outfit everyday and hardly anything in bigger sizes!
Same! We ended up with outfits still with the tag on them!
Amen!! I love what you said about the gift should actually help the parents in some way. Too often people gift things that they themselves like but that the expectant parents don’t like, need, or have room for. I am a huge fan of giving gift cards so that the new parents can get exactly what they actually need. Ü
This is great info! Diapers and wipes are so necessary! I also love the nose frida and something I didn’t know I needed but can’t live without is the diaper cream spatula!! I also love the idea of a gift certificate, they are so helpful for new parents!
Oh! I’ve never had the spatula. I always kind of saw it as unnecessary but I can see how that would be nice to not have to get it on your hands.
I love making diaper cakes for people - a ton of diapers and then decorate it with other useful and practical items. Throw in a little ribbon to make it look pretty and done!
Totally agree with you, we should buy that gift which are also helpful for parents too.
OMG! YES!!! Gift cards for the store they did their registry in is ideal!