Mom's top 10 baby shower gifts
Reviewed by Charlotte McClure, Social media manager
Written by Francesca Whiting
Photo credit: Thinkstock
We asked BabyCenter moms what their favourite baby shower gifts were. Most loved those that combined sentimental value and practicality. So here's the countdown of moms' most memorable presents:
Handmade blankets, hats, booties and cardigans made especially for their baby top the list of favourite presents moms receive at their baby showers. This is largely because moms feel they were made with love.
Presents with memories attached to them, such as clothes moms wore themselves as babies, or toys they played with as children, are also popular. So is anything their own moms had held on to from their childhood.
The fact that someone has taken the time to collect together items with histories attached makes them even more special. These presents are also seen as gifts from the heart.
Heirlooms, such as crocheted baby clothes made by great-grandmothers, are also highly desirable. Even more so if they've been passed down from other relatives. For some moms, receiving these long-lost baby treasures is a way of connecting with relatives they've never actually known.
Gift certificates for well-known baby stores or retailers make sought-after practical presents. This is especially true for moms who already have children. A lump sum to spend on diapers, wipes and other essentials as and when moms need them is considered one of the best presents.
Gift certificates redeemable at the local photographer's studio are another popular choice. The photos taken during their baby's first months serve as reminders of those who bought the gift and their baby at that stage.
A paid-for weekend away, or babymoon, with their partner or a gift certificate for a night out together after the baby is born are top shower gifts. Even more so if the mom-to-be and dad-to-be have seen less of each other than they would like during the past few months.
Throw in a restaurant meal and paid-for childcare for the tot, or tots, and some moms even claim this shower present saved their relationship!
For others, a little personal indulgence, such as a gift certificate for a massage or pedicure, goes a long way. So do pregnancy pillows, which can make the last few weeks of pregnancy far more comfortable and then morph into functional feeding pillows once your baby has arrived.
Some moms were so thrilled with their baby-shower pillows that they went out and bought them for pregnant friends!
Practical presents, such as a professional house clean before the baby arrives, are also popular. For pregnant moms who already have children and the baby equipment they need, this one-off gift can be a life-saver. And first-time moms who find they're dragging themselves around in the last stages of pregnancy also appreciate the extra help. Some moms say the house-cleaning shower gift gave them a real boost.
Baby blankets and other bedding also score highly with moms. For some a hand-knitted baby blanket from a close relative is special, particularly if it continues a family tradition of baby quilt-making.
For one mom, her most precious shower gift was a fleece blanket with different types of silk ribbons and tags around the edges. As a child she would have loved a blanket with satin trim. Her five-year-old daughter had also loved silky things since she was a baby! She was also a fan of the fleece blanket.
If they are on the mom-to-be's nursery list, baby blankets and bedding can provide guests an opportunity to give a personalized present. They can just buy the present and get it monogrammed or, if they know it, have the baby's name embroidered on it.
A month's worth of a cloth diaper laundry service rates highly as a baby shower present. Plastic tubs full of clothes, bottles and diapers are also useful. Once they've been emptied, the tubs can come in handy to store baby gear or memorabilia.
A diaper cake, practical and pretty, can form the centrepiece of a baby shower. A diaper cake is a supply of diapers built into a cake shape, often three-tiered, and decorated with ribbons and soft toys.
Diaper-themed showers are popular too. If you're lucky, you may even find you have enough diapers and wipes to last your baby for months.
Moms-to-be and shower guests love the idea of a book-themed baby shower. For most, that's because books are about acquiring knowledge and sparking the imagination, both priceless gifts for a baby.
One way to do this is to register at your local bookstore and let guests choose baby-related books. Instead of outfits your baby will outgrow in no time, you receive books as gifts, from Winnie-the-Pooh, to parenting books, to pediatric medical guides.
Or you can ask each guest to bring his or her favourite book for babies or children. One mom recounts how her daughter was given more than 100 books before she was born. She loves reading them and they store the few duplicates in the changing bag and the car.
Books to raise mom-to-be's spirits are also good presents. After all, there's nothing like laughing your way through the discomforts of pregnancy such as backache and swollen feet.
An emergency diaper-changing bag that can be left in the car or stroller rates highly with many moms. It certainly helps to reduce stress levels when you're out and about, and think you may have forgotten something vital.
Contents usually include diapers, diaper cream, cotton cloths and bibs. If you're lucky, there may also be spare baby clothes and a teething ring.
Some moms feel smaller is better and prefer a pared-down changing bag containing just five things they should never leave home without. One mom was so happy with her mini-changing bag that she now buys one as a gift for any friend having a shower.
An original and thoughtful gift is a home-cooked meal for after the baby is born.
At the shower, guests are invited to write their names in a calendar in the weeks after the baby is due. (To play it really safe, start it a few weeks after the due date.)
In their assigned week, each person brings a meal or two they've prepared for the parents to eat or freeze. This means the baby's parents are spared the chore of cooking for a few weeks, while still being able to eat freshly made, nutritious meals.
It's also a good way for close friends and family to visit quietly after your baby is born.
Gifts that inexperienced moms couldn't do without are also on the list of top baby shower presents. Contents may include emergency baby toiletries, medical supplies, infant pain reliever, a thermometer, baby nail clippers, nail files, bath emollient, petroleum jelly and diaper rash cream.
One mom given this present was told to put it in the bathroom cabinet and wait. Before long she was using it, relieved that she didn't need to race to the store every time there was an emergency.
Baby clothes in bigger sizes, for example up to 12 months, are also a hit with moms. One mother-in-law used baby clothes in ascending sizes as decorations at the shower she arranged for her daughter-in-law. That was the baby's wardrobe sorted out for the first year!
1. Gifts from the heart
Handmade blankets, hats, booties and cardigans made especially for their baby top the list of favourite presents moms receive at their baby showers. This is largely because moms feel they were made with love.
Presents with memories attached to them, such as clothes moms wore themselves as babies, or toys they played with as children, are also popular. So is anything their own moms had held on to from their childhood.
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Heirlooms, such as crocheted baby clothes made by great-grandmothers, are also highly desirable. Even more so if they've been passed down from other relatives. For some moms, receiving these long-lost baby treasures is a way of connecting with relatives they've never actually known.
2. Gift certificates
Gift certificates for well-known baby stores or retailers make sought-after practical presents. This is especially true for moms who already have children. A lump sum to spend on diapers, wipes and other essentials as and when moms need them is considered one of the best presents.
Gift certificates redeemable at the local photographer's studio are another popular choice. The photos taken during their baby's first months serve as reminders of those who bought the gift and their baby at that stage.
3. Treats for mom
A paid-for weekend away, or babymoon, with their partner or a gift certificate for a night out together after the baby is born are top shower gifts. Even more so if the mom-to-be and dad-to-be have seen less of each other than they would like during the past few months.
Throw in a restaurant meal and paid-for childcare for the tot, or tots, and some moms even claim this shower present saved their relationship!
Some moms were so thrilled with their baby-shower pillows that they went out and bought them for pregnant friends!
Practical presents, such as a professional house clean before the baby arrives, are also popular. For pregnant moms who already have children and the baby equipment they need, this one-off gift can be a life-saver. And first-time moms who find they're dragging themselves around in the last stages of pregnancy also appreciate the extra help. Some moms say the house-cleaning shower gift gave them a real boost.
4. Bedding and baby blankets
Baby blankets and other bedding also score highly with moms. For some a hand-knitted baby blanket from a close relative is special, particularly if it continues a family tradition of baby quilt-making.
Advertisement | page continues below
If they are on the mom-to-be's nursery list, baby blankets and bedding can provide guests an opportunity to give a personalized present. They can just buy the present and get it monogrammed or, if they know it, have the baby's name embroidered on it.
5. Diapers
A month's worth of a cloth diaper laundry service rates highly as a baby shower present. Plastic tubs full of clothes, bottles and diapers are also useful. Once they've been emptied, the tubs can come in handy to store baby gear or memorabilia.
A diaper cake, practical and pretty, can form the centrepiece of a baby shower. A diaper cake is a supply of diapers built into a cake shape, often three-tiered, and decorated with ribbons and soft toys.
Diaper-themed showers are popular too. If you're lucky, you may even find you have enough diapers and wipes to last your baby for months.
6. Books for mom and baby
Moms-to-be and shower guests love the idea of a book-themed baby shower. For most, that's because books are about acquiring knowledge and sparking the imagination, both priceless gifts for a baby.
One way to do this is to register at your local bookstore and let guests choose baby-related books. Instead of outfits your baby will outgrow in no time, you receive books as gifts, from Winnie-the-Pooh, to parenting books, to pediatric medical guides.
Advertisement | page continues below
Books to raise mom-to-be's spirits are also good presents. After all, there's nothing like laughing your way through the discomforts of pregnancy such as backache and swollen feet.
7. Back-up diaper-changing bag
An emergency diaper-changing bag that can be left in the car or stroller rates highly with many moms. It certainly helps to reduce stress levels when you're out and about, and think you may have forgotten something vital.
Contents usually include diapers, diaper cream, cotton cloths and bibs. If you're lucky, there may also be spare baby clothes and a teething ring.
Some moms feel smaller is better and prefer a pared-down changing bag containing just five things they should never leave home without. One mom was so happy with her mini-changing bag that she now buys one as a gift for any friend having a shower.
8. Home-cooked meals for a month
An original and thoughtful gift is a home-cooked meal for after the baby is born.
At the shower, guests are invited to write their names in a calendar in the weeks after the baby is due. (To play it really safe, start it a few weeks after the due date.)
Advertisement | page continues below
It's also a good way for close friends and family to visit quietly after your baby is born.
9. Things you couldn't do without
Gifts that inexperienced moms couldn't do without are also on the list of top baby shower presents. Contents may include emergency baby toiletries, medical supplies, infant pain reliever, a thermometer, baby nail clippers, nail files, bath emollient, petroleum jelly and diaper rash cream.
One mom given this present was told to put it in the bathroom cabinet and wait. Before long she was using it, relieved that she didn't need to race to the store every time there was an emergency.
10. Baby clothes in larger sizes
Baby clothes in bigger sizes, for example up to 12 months, are also a hit with moms. One mother-in-law used baby clothes in ascending sizes as decorations at the shower she arranged for her daughter-in-law. That was the baby's wardrobe sorted out for the first year!
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Francesca Whiting is senior editor at BabyCentre. She’s responsible for making sure BabyCentre’s health content is accurate, helpful and easy to understand.
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