12 Gift Ideas For Baby

I was asked to participate in Evite’s #EviteBabyTrends series. Although I have been compensated, all views are my own.

Today I’m sharing my favorite gift ideas for baby as well as a few top rated ones that I wish I had known about when my children were babes! I remember my mom commenting on how things had changed from when she had babies. Now I’m finding myself saying the same thing. It’s only been 2 years since I had a newborn, but how did I now know about some of these things? So whether you are expecting your first, second, or third child, or are looking for a gift idea that has been found to be tried and true by other moms, I hope you will enjoy this collection of baby gifts that I have put together!

Gift Ideas For Baby

1: Basic Baby Care Products.  Diapers, wipes, baby care items for bath time. These are practical and always a hit. I loved having a nice supply of these items when my first baby was born. Especially since I wasn’t sure which ones to buy! My mom friends shared their favorites with me and I loved trying them out and creating my own favorites. I love the Bedtime Bath Lavendar from Johnson and Johnson so that is one that I like buying for friends. It is nice to find out which brand of diapers the new mom prefers. I’ve received diapers that my kids were allergic to, but stores have a great return/exchange policy for diapers (unopened) so either way they still rank at the top of my list for a baby gift.

#2: Onesies and Sleepers. Is there such a thing as too many onesies? Maybe, but it never was the case for me! These cute tie onesies were so easy to put together for my new nephew. He looked so darling sporting the blue one last weekend. Sleepers are so great because they are easy on and easy off. I especially loved the zipper ones. More than once, during a 2am feeding, I would mess up the snaps and laugh the next time I went to change my baby’s diaper. Zippers were my friend during those crazy early mornings!

#3: Gauze/Woven Swaddle Blankets. Ok, WHERE were these with my babies? I love them and like buying them for friends. They are stretchy, lightweight and perfect for anytime of year. I love that you can tuck one in the car seat even on summer days. A little security without the extra warmth. These swaddle blankets come in so many fun colors and designs and are a perfect baby shower gift!

#4: A Receiving Blanket. Every baby needs his/her own special blanket. Even with 4 kids and a closet full of receiving blankets and quilts, I would make sure that each new baby had a new homemade blanket. Even if it was just a basic flannel one like the one in the photo. It doesn’t have to be homemade, but if you would like to try one of these simple blankets you can find my tutorial here.  Just straight line sewing and with the flannel sales that Joanns does you can make two for the price of one store bought one.

#5: White Noise CD. Someone gave me  a soothing sounds CD these with my first baby. It had beautiful music, ocean waves, and other relaxing songs.  I fell in love with it! I would put it on and he calmed right down. Since he slept in our room, I grew accustomed to it as well and it helped me fall asleep faster! The Happiest Baby Soothing Sounds CD  from Dr. Harvey Karp is a little different than the one that I used since it is white noise vs. musical songs, but it’s effects are the same. The sounds help calm and sooth baby for a good night’s rest. I love that it has rhythmic womb sounds to help baby feel secure and close to where he/she spent the past 9 months. There are many white noise devices as well, but this CD is inexpensive and has great reviews!

#6: Baby Carrier. I loved my mei tai baby carrier that I used with my girls. I purchased it from a lady who made and sold them on e-bay and it was perfect. There are so many different kinds now, ranging from inexpensive to quite pricey. I am not going to pretend to know all of the different kinds or which ones work best, but I do know that these are extremely practical and babies love them.

I still can’t believe that my (now 5 year old) daughter was ever this small!

#7: Books! Just like there is no such thing as too many onesies, there is no such thing as too many books! My 2 year old’s favorite book lately is the Pantone Colors board book. Each page is like eye candy, a bright and exquisite collection of colors and hughes.

#8: Thermometer. This temporal scanner thermometer is relatively new for my family. The kids were very happy with this investment. It is more accurate than any of my reading in the arm pit, under the tongue or with the ear thermometer. It would have been nice to have one of these with my babies.

#9: Cool Mist Humidifier: My poor children. When they get sick it goes straight to the chest. We have had a cool mist humidifier for years and between that and the VapoRub, it is how my kids survived cold and flu season. It is so scary when a baby gets sick and congested. This is one item that a new mom might not think about at first, but would be glad to have in the evening when her baby is trying to rest.

#10: Baby Shoes. I know, I know. Babies don’t NEED shoes, but who doesn’t love how cute anything is in that tiny little size! EVERYTHING looks cuter when it is only a few inches long! I love these soft soled baby shoes with the elastic. I’ve purchased mine for years from this seller on E-bay (always under $10), but also learned how to make my own out of cloth using this tutorial.

I’ve made dozens and dozens of pairs for friends and family, and may or may not have made them to match every dress my first baby girl had!

#11: Burp Cloths. I always used the big packs of white cloth diapers (I think there were 12 in a package) for burp cloths. My sister in law let me in on that tip and I was forever grateful. They were so absorbent and perfect for mopping up spit up off of me! They were also nice and big with lots of coverage compared to many burp cloths that I had tried. These burpy bibs from Aden + Anais are genius. They offer the same amount of coverage, but are perfectly designed to stay put. A bib AND a burp cloth—all in one and they are made of muslin so the more you wash them, the softer they get. I am always amazed at what they think of next when it comes to new baby products.

#12: The Happiest Baby DVD. Dr. Harvey Karp created the Happiest Baby DVD and CD that I shared earlier. The Happiest Baby reveals a stunning new discovery…the calming reflex. It’s almost an “off switch” for crying that all babies are born with. Within just days you’ll boost your baby’s sleep 1-3 hours every night. I took a peek on amazon and saw that it has almost 1,000  4.5 star reviews. I think this is one item that all new moms should have. And once again, where was this when I had my first baby?

If you are heading to a baby shower soon you can print off this couponfor a package of Huggies from Safeway to go along with your gift! Join us on April 10th for the #EviteBabyTrends Twitter party, starting at 6pm! There will be fun conversation and great prizes! For more info on Dr. Harvey Karp’s top gift ideas check out evite.com.

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