Spring and summer seem to be filled with baby showers and brand new arrivals! While many people just purchase items straight from the family’s registry, many times a new mother doesn’t really know what she wants and may leave it up to her guests to come up with the perfect gifts. I’m here to share with you my top 10 gifts for new babies and baby showers that won’t break the bank if you’re on a budget.
*Thank you to Baby Depot at Burlington for providing me with this great gift basket and inspiring many of the items mentioned in this post. All items pictured in this post came from Baby Depot at Burlington, where these and so many more items are sold at discount prices every day. “Baby Depot offers the best selection at the best price of the most mom- trusted brands.”
Baby Gifts On a Budget
First thing’s first. You’ll probably want to see if the mom-to-be has a baby registry with her most wanted gifts on there. Before blindly purchasing off of there, be sure to browse and see if she has a lot of duplicate items that just don’t make sense (for example, 6 car seats, 3 big sets of different types of bottles, and 12 crib sheets). It is very possible, especially if she’s a first time mom, that she has no idea what she wants and just added everything that looked or sounded good to the list!
This is why I have a running list in my head of specific things that can benefit new moms. I purchase items based on the mom’s needs as well as the price, of course! Sometimes I have a big budget, but usually I don’t. I love to shop at stores like Baby Depot at Burlington for high quality gifts that have a discounted price. It stretches my gift budget much further, and I’m able to shop online or in-store depending on if my kids are with me or not!
Before you go out and start buying a bunch of baby clothes in tiny sizes (which Baby may never wear because you know Mom has been stocking up already!), reconsider by looking through these ideas.
Top 10 Baby Gifts
Here are my top 10 baby gifts that fit into my limited budget, but are also of great value to the brand new mom! These are in no particular order. If you have extra money, get several from this list and make a sweet little gift basket or goody bag! A small plastic step stool turned upside down, a baby bath, or a diaper bag make awesome containers for adding a little wow to the presentation of your gift!
Books – Board books make a wonderful gift for expanding families. Sharing classics from your own childhood or from your own family is a great way to personally connect with the mom to be and her baby. Writing a special Bible verse or favorite quote inside makes it even more personal. Classic books by Dr. Seuss are another personal favorite to give.
Diapers and Wipes – Whether the new mom plans to use disposable diapers and wipes or cloth diapers and cloth wipes, buying a small supply for her doesn’t have to be expensive. For disposable, a small package of both makes a very thoughtful and practical gift. For cloth diapering, buying a single cloth diaper and a small package of cloth washcloths (to be used as cloth wipes) would make a nice gift. Either option would cost less than $20 and would certainly get used!
A Soft Baby Blanket – It seems like new moms get loaded down with receiving blankets and swaddling blankets. The one thing people seem to forget is that Mom is going to be snuggling this blanket just as much as Baby for a while, so a nice, soft, plush baby blanket makes a sweet gift. Even for babies born in the spring or summer, a light fleece blanket will get used! It can be used as a privacy cover for the baby carrier while waiting at doctor’s appointments, as a nursing cover by mom, or as a makeshift play mat or picnic blanket for Baby!
Bibs – Let’s get real. This new baby won’t be downing any solid foods for quite sometime. HOWEVER, if the new baby is a drooler or has a bit of a problem with spit up, Mom will likely need bibs sooner than she thinks! I love to get cute bibs with fun sayings on them. Baby Depot at Burlington has multi-pack baby bibs marked down to about half of what you’d pay elsewhere. I love when I can get name brands for way less
Socks or Booties – When Baby is too little to really need shoes, they’ll still need their little tootsies covered up, at least part of the time. For us, socks became needed any time we’d be outside or if it was a little windy or slightly chilly outside. I don’t really think any family can have too many socks since they go missing so easily, so stock up! Gerber has some cute little high top booties that are absolutely precious. Precious little booties can be the perfect touch to those early baby pictures.
Toys – Think ahead! A brand new baby won’t play a whole lot, but once that child gets a little mobile, Mom will want something fun to help her baby stay entertained. This baby rattle and musical keyboard is just $4.99 and is a lot of fun for little hands to grab and play with. If you have a little more room in your budget, a play gym makes a fun and colorful gift. (My daughter often fell asleep on hers after playing when she was little!)
Bath Time Items – Bath towels and washcloths make awesome baby gifts. Don’t forget about shampoo, body washes, soothing lotions, and bath tubs as well. Putting together a sweet little gift with these items would be fun using a tub as the “basket” and filling it with a little Johnson’s Take Along Pack, hooded towel and washcloth set. With the prices I found at Baby Depot at Burlington, buying all of those items is actually pretty inexpensive, and the presentation would be impressive!
Grooming Items – Babies need a lot of grooming! Great ideas here include combs, brushes, tootbrushes, baby toothpaste, nail clippers, and even cradle cap relief kits.
Health and Safety Items – Thermometers (like this cool pacifier thermometer for just $9.99), temperature gauges for the bath, door and cabinet safety locks, and outlet plugs make great gifts. These are things that parents might not realize they need it until they’re in the thick of a late night with a sick child or a trip to the emergency room for an accident! Helping parents to be prepared ahead of time is also the gift of peace of mind.
Feeding Supplies – This one can be a bit more tricky. If the mother knows she will be formula feeding and is looking into solutions for formula and bottles, as well as cleaning supplies, warmers, etc. If the mother will be attempting to breastfeeding or knows that she will not be using bottles, focus on things for Mom such as disposable nursing pads (this brand is my favorite), lanolin, nursing covers, nursing bras, or even waterproof pads for her bed in case she plans on feeding her baby in bed. 🙂 (I speak from experience on the necessity of this gift idea!)
For even more fun baby gear and gift ideas, check out the items below:
Which baby gifts were you most pleased to receive?
