At some point, you are going to reach that age at which all your friends are having babies. Once you go through the wedding stage in which all your friends are getting married, you can expect the baby boom to follow in the next couple of years.
With babies come baby showers. Baby shower invitations can often be daunting, especially in regards to gifts. What are you expected to get? Should you be buying baby shower gifts for mom and dad? Are you buying for the newborn baby? It can be difficult to know what you should get. Luckily, we are here to share all the best baby shower gift ideas to make everyone happy, and maybe even score you godparent status!
What is the average time for a baby shower?
Before we get to the gifts, we think it is important to prepare you for what to expect when attending a baby shower, especially if you have never been to one before. On average, you can usually expect a baby shower to last 2 to 3 hours.
It is not a huge time commitment, and if you are particularly busy on that day, showing your face, giving your present and wishing the new parents a big congratulations is often more than enough. Most times, parents will appreciate the fact that you took the time to pop by.
However, if you can and plan on staying for the entirety of the baby shower, here is what you are likely to encounter over the two or three hour period. Just as all parties start, there will be a welcome period in which people are arriving and mingling. You will then usually partake in a few games, baby themed, of course. Think bobbing for pacifiers and diaper races. This will likely be followed up with some food and the day will probably end with the new parents opening all the gifts.
Who pays for a baby shower?
Usually the host/hostess will pay for the baby shower, so no need to worry about any extra financial responsibility if you are a baby shower attendee. In some cases, the parents might ask family members to help contribute to the shower, but this is at the discretion of the family.
Baby showers are a relatively new phenomenon, and not considered a necessity. It is more of an opportunity for a new mom to share her joy and excitement about the arrival of her new baby with friends and family
Best baby shower gift ideas
Although you are not expected to contribute financially to the baby shower itself, there is still some financial responsibility involved in your role in the baby shower (gift giving). In most cases, the gifts given at the baby shower are geared towards the new baby, but occasionally baby shower guests go the extra length and get something for mom or dad.
One thing that you should keep in mind before you get carried away with baby shower shopping is if the new parents have a baby gift registry. If they do, we highly recommend getting them a gift from the registry as these are things that you know they need and will actually use.
Baby carrier
A baby carrier is a great baby shower gift that will benefit both baby and parents. Many parents do not think about getting a baby carrier as they focus on the car seats and pushchairs. The baby carrier can therefore get forgotten in the grand scheme of things.
There are also some health benefits that a baby carrier can provide to both the baby and mother. It can help with breastfeeding and promote a better connection between baby and mom due to the close skin on skin contact it promotes.
Baby bottles
Baby bottles are a practical baby shower gift. However, they are also one of those things that parents buy first. Therefore, if you are thinking of going out and buying bottles as a shower gift, we highly recommend consulting the parents first, as they might have already bought them.
However, if they have, and you still want to get them a practical gift that they might not necessarily have bought for themselves, you could buy them something to go along with the baby bottles. One of the best supplementary pieces of equipment is a bottle sanitizer. Often, parents rely on continuously boiling the kettle and letting bottles sit to sanitize them but specific sanitizers are far more convenient and will likely be extremely appreciated by exhausted new parents.
Pacifiers
Pacifiers are always a great baby shower gift because they are not too expensive and parents can never use too many of them. However, it is a good idea to ask parents if they plan on using them, as some parents adopt a parenting style in which they prefer not to use pacifiers.
However, if you know that they are going to rely on pacifiers, definitely get them some. Even if it is just one or two in conjunction with another bigger present. Parents will want a few in the baby’s nursery, a few in the living room, kitchen, and even the car to account for all eventualities. So get them all the pacifiers!
Burp cloths
Another practical gift, but this one allows you some creative liberty. Babies always need burp clothes, and since they are designed to catch sick and spit up, they are constantly in the wash. Parents never want to be caught out without spare burp cloths because all of theirs are in the wash. Despite the fact that they are literally designed to clean, you can actually get some really cute burp cloths!
Crib Sheet
Crib sheets might not be the first thing you think of when thinking about baby shower presents, but they are useful gifts. As they are fairly inexpensive, you might want to adopt the same idea as with the pacifiers and gift a crib sheet along with something else. Also, if you are able to ask what the theme is for the baby’s nursery, you will be able to ensure that you fit the decor so that nothing looks out of place.
White noise machine
Technology based baby shower gifts have become more and more popular in recent years, especially since parents are beginning to notice how they can make their lives easier. White noise machines can help a baby fall asleep. During those 3 a.m. wake ups, parents will be thankful for these technological gifts that will make their lives so much easier and maybe give them that extra couple of hours of sleep they so desperately need.
Blankets
A blanket is a classic baby shower gift. It is something that parents will use, either at home or on the go and babies often form attachments to the blankets they get. If you want to give something that the newborn will hopefully cherish and use for years to come, a super-soft blanket is a great idea. The feel of a blanket is extremely comforting to babies so you know they will love it.
Bath toys
Although newborn babies might not necessarily use bath toys straight away, they definitely will eventually. Many babies don't like bath time at the beginning of their lives, but as they gradually grow more and more used to the water, they begin to look forward to bath time, which is made even more fun and enjoyable with the addition of bath toys!
Think little rubber ducks or cute farm animals that squirt water. Bath toys are a great baby shower gift if you want something a little more fun for the little one. You could also get normal toys as opposed to bath toys too, which they will enjoy from a younger age.
Diaper bag
This is another thing that you should ask the parents to be if they have, because it is the sort of thing that you only need one of. However, if they have not yet gotten a diaper bag, tell them you’ve got it sorted because it is a great baby shower gift.
A diaper bag is an extremely practical gift and one that new parents really cannot do without. They will probably take it to the hospital with them, so it is going to start getting used before the baby has even arrived. It will then go on to be used practically every day as parents take diaper bags with them literally everywhere they go.
Clothes
Clothes are probably the most frequently bought baby shower gifts. Everyone loves buying newborn baby clothes, strolling down those baby aisles and seeing all the cute baby clothes gets anyone excited about the prospects of babies. However, the options can be overwhelming. We recommend shopping for baby clothes that are gender-neutral.
We also suggest that you do not buy newborn clothes. Expecting parents will have a closet full of newborn clothes, and newborn babies do not stay newborn sized for very long. They will therefore run out of clothes surprisingly quickly if everyone buying clothes buys newborn clothes. We suggest buying 3-6 months clothes.
Gifts for mom
Getting the mom a gift is a really nice touch and shows that you really care. Moms go through a lot during pregnancy and are about to go through a whole lot more when they give birth, so they could use a little present too.
The best gifts for new moms are either pampering presents that will help them relax, such as candles or incense, practical health gifts that will help them heal, such as post-birth safe bath salts, or, if they drank pre-pregnancy, alcohol!
Gift basket
If you cannot decide on exactly what you want to get to take as a gift to the baby shower, you could always create a gift basket and include all your favorite ideas into one big gift. Gift baskets are great if you have someone that you can collaborate with and go halves on the basket to share out the cost a bit more.
Find the best baby shower gifts
