ALT-1 Baby Shower Gifts
The smell of baby powder, the fun and embarrassing games, but best of all the wonderful, thoughtful gifts from friends and family, is what makes up a great baby shower. You are already emotional because of the hormones, but the thought people put into the gifts they give can be heart wrenching. We still have some of the gifts given 20 years ago to my son. Enjoy the time sharing this moment with the proud parents to be. You can give them any type of gift and it will be treasured, even if they have already received the same item numerous times. Here is a small sampling of the types of gifts you can give to the expectant parents. The options are wide open and most people put together a wish list at most stores, but just in case you want to do something different, this should help you.
Homemade gifts are one of the most touching and memorable gifts you can give. Most of the time the gift will be kept and given to the child when they grow up, for them to cherish. Some of the ideas you could do as a baby shower gift include an afghan, a baby sampler, a layette set or even a bedding set. With an afghan, you will want to make it a neutral color as you won’t know the sex of the child until it is born. With a baby sampler, you could bring the almost finished product, but again would have to wait until the child is born to finish it for them. A layette set would have to be a neutral color also; it would also have to be a simple design as you wouldn’t want it to have flowers all over it if it is a boy. As for the bedding set, the parents normally have figured out the design of the room well in advance and will let people know, so you can choose a design that meshes with their wishes. You also have the option of making bibs for them. There are a wide range of designs available for bibs, whether they are crocheted, cross-stitched, embroidered or sewn. You can make everything from animal bibs to elaborate embroidered bibs.
Many parents are looking at healthier foods for their children and some are even willing to start out from the beginning. A way to help parents choose healthier foods for their children is to offer them a cookbook you have created with baby food recipes. You can find many innovative recipes on the Internet that you could use and by providing the source you won’t limit them to just the recipes in your cookbook. Another way to help them in this endeavor would be to give them a high end blender to help them make the recipes and any other products that would be needed to make the recipes, i.e. a sieve or empty baby food jars and canning supplies.
Gift baskets are a great gift for baby showers. You have quite a few different options that you can use as a theme for the gift baskets to include layette items, feeding items, diapering items, toys, bathing items or even an assortment. This type of gift gives you the options of spending quite a bit of money or even a small amount of money depending on your budget. With a gift basket you can have the fun of using your creative side to fill the basket. The basket itself can also be different; you can use a baby seat or stroller, a diaper bag, or even a simple basket.
Another wonderful idea for expectant parents is something that they will use every day for a few years. Diapers are an essential item that all parents need. Diapers will be greatly appreciated no matter how many they receive. If you don’t want to just get them diapers then you also have the option of a diaper service. They will bring fresh cloth diapers to the parents and pick up the dirty ones and launder them. Some parents do not want to use disposable diapers whether for health reasons for the baby or to become greener and protect the environment. By offering a diaper service it will help them especially in the first few weeks that they are home with the baby.
Offering a cleaning service to new parents will probably be one of the best and most underappreciated gifts at the baby shower. The appreciation will come after the baby comes home and they realize that they won’t be able to get everything done, dishes, laundry, let alone vacuuming. Having a cleaning service come into the home for them, it will help them focus on the baby instead of the house. It will also help them calm down when they think of family visiting. While the guests know they are coming to see the baby, the parents are still nervous about people coming in and seeing a messy house. A cleaning service will help alleviate the stress and put the focus back onto where it belongs, the baby.
These are a few different ideas to try and use for a baby shower. Hopefully you will take these ideas and form them into something that will fit to your personality and to the needs of the new parents. In all gift giving, remember it isn’t about you but about the recipient and their personalities and needs. Good luck and enjoy the process and the giving. It can be fun.
