A Quick and Easy Guide to Giving the Perfect Baby Shower Gift 

When getting ready to have a child, a baby shower is a fantastic way to celebrate with friends and family. If you’re a guest on your way to someone else’s shower, though, it’s often daunting wondering what to give as a gift. If you’re not sure where to start, these creative ideas will make your gift the best at the baby shower!

1. Give Your Kids’ Favorite Books 

If you’re a parent, think about what books you read to your kids when they were growing up. If your kids are old enough, ask them what they loved to read most when they were little. It’s amazing how helpful being a parent can be in learning how to give gifts to other parents well. Having already experienced your own baby showers for your own kids, you know what gifts meant the most to you and were the most helpful.

When you first have kids, it may be hard to know what to read to them as they grow. Giving the gift of books that have been loved by your own kids is a fantastic way to help new parents along. Whether you’re giving the gift of The Little Engine that Could, Goodnight Moon, Harold and the Purple Crayon, or a classic Dr. Seuss tale, it’s sure to make things much easier for the new parents in your life. 

If you don’t have kids of your own, this idea is still for you! A great way to start looking for children’s books to give when you aren’t a parent is to think about which books you loved growing up. When you were little, what books did you love to read most? Maybe you still even have copies of them around. If so, take a look around for them and pick up a copy of a few to give as your baby shower gift.

2. Give a Gift Card to the Parents’ Favorite Restaurant 

At baby showers, it’s natural for the newborn to be the focus – but the parents are often overlooked. When this happens, the parents are often inundated with a flood of baby clothes, baby toys and other baby-related items. This is sometimes even more stuff than one kid needs.

However, new parents need some love, too. Why not give a gift certificate to the parents’ favorite restaurant? This is a fantastic way to give parents a break from cooking while taking care of a newborn. When a brand new little one comes into the world, it’s often hard for parents to find time to make meals. Being able to run and out and get carry-out food with a gift certificate is a blessing that new parents are sure to appreciate!

If you don’t know the expecting parents too well, you can be a little sneaky and casually ask what their favorite place to eat is. Of course, when caring for a child that has just been born, it is nearly impossible to get out to a restaurant, so make sure you give a gift certificate for a place that offers takeout!

3.  Do the Dirty Work and Get a Diaper Disposal Can 

Changing diapers is definitely not the most fun part of parenthood. However, you can make it much easier for new parents by picking them up a diaper disposal can. Those of you without kids may not know this, but diaper disposal is a bit of a hassle, and cleaning up your baby’s messes requires some special preparation. 

When looking for a good diaper disposal can, it’s best to search online or ask parents you know for recommendations. If you are a parent yourself and have had luck with a specific brand, give that as a gift. This present may seem mundane, but your friends will be thanking you long into the future for making their life so much easier.

Because the messy stuff in life needs love and attention too, it’s a special honor to be the person in your friends’ lives who comes prepared. When giving a baby shower gift, try not to focus on giving the flashiest toy or the most expensive clothes. A good pail to throw dirty diapers in may mean even more than these. This may not be because of sentimental value, but it is extremely thoughtful and helpful!

4. Give a Framed Picture of the Baby’s Sonogram

With this one, it may seem like you’re just trying to make the expecting parents cry tears of joy. This gift is incredibly meaningful and will serve as a constant reminder of how precious a child is. You may have to find a sly way to get a copy of the baby’s sonogram, but this can be done with a little craftiness. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar, a sonogram is the picture produced during an ultrasound. This is the picture of the baby made by the sound waves that are used in an ultrasound. Sonograms are instantly recognizable even if you haven’t heard of them before. Whether you’re a parent now, hoping to be one in the future, or just friends of expecting parents, this gift is sure to get an emotional response out of anyone. 

There are online services that frame sonograms for gift purposes. If you want to get creative, though, you can have the baby’s sonogram turned into a charcoal drawing by an artist at Paint Your Life! Giving a charcoal drawing of a sonogram is a unique way to welcome the newborn into the world with art. 

5. Coffee! 

An unfortunate truth of early parenthood is you just don’t get much sleep. There are diapers to change, crying to comfort, and lots and lots and lots of cleaning. One thing that can always help with the long nights is some good coffee. If you’ve ever been out for coffee with the expecting parents, maybe you noticed where they like to go out for a hot cuppa. Maybe you’ve been over to their place and seen what they drink at home. If not, surprising the couple with any kind of coffee is usually always a great way to start them off on the journey of parenthood. 

When a baby first comes into the world, the sleeplessness can be overwhelming. There’s always another task to cover, and it’s easy for parents to feel like they’re falling behind. A little caffeine boost can be a huge blessing. If you want to go above and beyond, you can even get the parents some home coffee supplies. This could be a coffee machine, a French Press, an Aeropress (an easy-to-use way of making pour-over coffee) or something else. No matter what you choose, the couple will definitely appreciate the kind gesture.

Expecting parents are about to embark on a wild adventure in the form of parenthood. The best way to support them is in the form of encouragement, kind words and quality time. Bring the new parents meals if you can, or pick up some of the extra household duties for them when you are able. The saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and it’s very true! Your contribution to a newborn’s life in the form of a thoughtful gift and being present makes a big difference in the lives of the child and its parents. It’s all worth it!

Sources:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/rebekahshoemake/best-baby-shower-gifts-according-to-parents

https://giftlab.co/baby-shower-gift/

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/best-coffee-accessories-in-2020/