My husband asked me to buy a gift for his partner's 3 month old boy. She has 1 other kid, a girl, and I am not sure what to get.
What would you LEAST like to receive due to redundancy or uselessness?
For me: Blankets, hats, stuffed animals & booties--after 3 kids (all boys) we have far too many
If you have any suggestions for a preferred gift (between $50-100) I'd like to hear that too.
**So I ended up getting the Sophie the Giraffe toy and a Ralph Lauren outfit. I actually had to end up buying 3 giraffes and 3 outfits, as my hubby's OTHER partner's wife also had twin boys!! What a baby boom--3 doctors in the office = 4 babies since June!! **
I feel kinda stupid getting her a gift card--the woman makes at least $250k/yr, so our $50-100 gift card is like her pocketbook change.
Diapers are a good idea, but I know I could never get my hubby to ask her what brand diapers they are using.
Nina- I LOVE Sophie...my 5 month old has one and it is great...good idea!
Most useless - socks, hats, baby nightgowns, baby outerwear (like, who uses that?)
Best - The DVD of the Happiest Baby on the Block, for new parents. Cool baby toys that aren't generic. Books. Lullabies and toddler songs on CD.
I cloth diaper (no I'm not going to suggest it) but one thing that we use is a wet bag to hold any an all dirty diaper. I suggest even non cloth diapering mom's to get one because they hold blowout nasties, wet items from swimming, great doggy bag in a pinch, ect, My favorite is Planet Wise and the range from 15-25 dollars.
My favorite gift to give someone that already has baby stuff is a personalized monogrammed (with baby's name) Tote Bag (from Land's End or LL Bean, about 40 bucks and/or a monogrammed baby hooded towel (they come in handy and last through the toddler years). If you do the bag, you can fill with package of diapers (always welcomed!) or bath stuff with the towel.
Also, books always make a nice gift for babies!
Super size Box of diapers. Find out what kind they use and what size.
Google Personalization mall.com. our friends got us this really neat personalizeed frame with all our son's statistics on it, name etc, and the blue velour blanket personalized. I love both items!
I would do some kind of semi-luxury-brand/price baby clothes, or something really trendy. Have you seen Sophie le Giraffe? It's a French teething toy that is a bit expensive and super cute. I would do one of those and an Aden and Anais muslin blanket set. Would probably run between 50-100 for that. Here's some links.
http://www.adenandanais.com/
http://www.sophiegiraffeusa.com/
If you know her taste in clothes, you could pick an outfit. Maybe aim for the 1-year size, so it's not just on the pile of other infant clothes already gifted. This site has really cool stuff, kind of edgy.
http://www.urbanbabyrunway.com/
Edited to add: everyone says they got way too many blankies--I agree, but I could have thrown them all out and wanted the muslin ones recommended above. But maybe everyone is right, so forget it. :)
Another idea, is toys for 3-6 months and up. I didn't save any of that stuff from my daughter, b/c it was all little things that got kind of chewed on and barfed on. Any new baby around here would need all new tiny toys.
I would just get a gift card and be done with it. Then they can decide what they need the most with it. You might get them out of a bind one week when they need diapers or formula-the necessity's. However you don't know if she is breastfeeding and using cloth diapers so a gift card can be used for anything else they see fit. Also you could get a gift card for the mom. No one seems to think of mom -just the baby. Get her a free pedicure or manicure or massage or something.
Since financially, she's set for the basics, I think I would go with a basket of books. I would pick a few cloth baby books, and then a few at higher levels. I love books, and have given them as gifts often. Especially when the reciever is set for the usual things.
One book I gave to a very well-off mom who wanted advice often was "100 Best Books for Children: A Parent's Guide to Making the Right Choices for Your Young Reader, Toddler to Preteen" by Anita Silvey. She loved it!
A lesson I learned from my mom, who was an expert gift-giver, IMO, is to care as much about the presentation and the gift itself. So, a modest but nice gift in a great basket, or wooden box, or some other type of reusable container, with great paper and/or ribbon goes over great!
I agree with the diapers. Find out what brand of diapers and wipes they use and get them a large box of each. I would LOVE that sort of gift!
I would pick some super cool baby toys (maybe for when the baby is a bit older, like 6-12 months) from Moolka or Oompa toys. They're both online with just their names in front of the www. Or I'd pick a nice selection of classic books. If she makes good money, she doesn't need any of the basics and diapers or clothes won't be special.
Most useless....
swaddle blankets (sorry not all babies like to be swaddled), regular blankets, the many many grooming kits I received, and the tons of Johnsons lotion/shampoo gift baskets.
How about a bumbo? Loved mine! A kick and play crib to floor piano?
Good Luck with your decision.
Why dont you get on Etsy and buy something personable, cute for her baby boy. Or you could buy a photography gift package...Might be more then $100 so you could possibily do one in home photo session.
I would think she still has all the necessary baby items from the first time around and it sounds like she has plenty of money to buy diapers and stuff. I think the best suggestions were a basket of board books, Sophie the Giraffe toy, or a personalized piggy bank.
I would also say cd's of music for kids. I know some people can't stand children's music but both my kids LOVE the Laurie Berkner Band cds and my husband and I find her songs pretty catchy too . It's way better than 90% of the kids music out there.
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Things like you suggested (blankets, booties) we got WAY too much of. Diaper genie, wipe warmer...stuff like that was useless.
What about:
-cool piggy bank
-charm to represent each child (like a birthstone tag or something)
-some classic story books
-a nice gift basket of Aveeno baby products
I second the photo session idea - it's something everyone wants to do with a new baby in the house!
Definitely do not buy a blanket. That seems to be the most popular gift...after two children, if I hadn't given away a lot, I'd have about 50 blankets.
If you don't know what kind of actual GEAR they need (bouncer, swing, high chair, etc) you might ask...or ask if they have a registry...or buy some neat books.
I'm big into monograms so I would find a shop w/ really nice burp cloths, bibs and get a few done w/ a really nice (masculine) monogram. I would also include something for the little girl and or a gift certificate for the mom to get her nails done.
OR
We are big readers in our house..... how about a beautiful basket filled w/ some classic 'boy' books (you know.... more train/builder centric). I'd LOVE to receive that!
I had (and still have) far too many clothes for baby, but I did appreciate clothes in larger sizes- 12 months and up. Since we use cloth diapers, gifts of disposables were either returned to the store or donated.
I really like personalized gifts- especially the puzzle stepstools with the child's name on them, or a picture frame engraved with their name.
Diapers, wipes and formula (if applicable) are the best gifts ever.
We were given a photo session and it was GREAT! I also think that some classic children's books are a wonderful idea. Have you tried looking online for a registry that they did while pregnant? It would have a lot of ideas of the things that they like as well as the theme for the baby's room. You could get something engraved with the baby's name on it, that way it is more personal. Good luck!
What about a gift certificate to a restaurant? I loved not having to cook after I had my second one. Another idea, how about a gift certificate for mama to get a massage or to possibly Target?
I really like the gift card idea. You don't always know how fast baby will change diaper size or if any diaper alleriges will occur. What an inconvenience if they have to do returns. My gift cards are still coming in handy when needs pop up and the cash is a little low. Also, spending someone else's money helps me to venture out and get something that I might not buy on my own.
This may sound off the wall however my husband and I used the 'chux' I received from the hospital as disposable diaper pads for our many outings with the baby. We wound up ordering them by the case from North Shore supply. I understand you can now get patterned ones that are actually marketed as disposable changing pads.
I'm all for gifts that one could use. like others posted here, diapes and wipes speak volumes. Maybe find out if he's on formula and you can stock up on that, too. Just find out the specific brand and type. And when in doubt, a gift card to Target or Babies R Us (maybe find out the store his partner shops at) wl never go to waste.
We had a baby registry and all our shower guests ignored it and just got us stuff that we exchanged for things we could use.
Maybe find out if there's a registry?
Hope this helps.
You cant go wrong with bath stuff. A nice basket filled with Johnson and Johnson products (especially that bedtime bath stuff - LOVE IT) and a few bath toys with a nice hooded towel. He is obviously too young yet for the toys but Im sure in a few months they will become a bathtime staple
Good Luck
Well, I got a diaper genie and thought that thing was useless...so I would vote "no" on that.
Wipes, butt cream, a thermometer (the kind that goes in the ear or across the forehead), a warm jacket or full body jacket type thing, diapers, spoons, bowls, things that he will use in the coming months. I agree...NO booties or stuffed animals or hats. I never used them either.
L.
