Gifts for Baby Showers

Baby showers are well-known customs that dates back to the early 1900s. Family and friends hold the event to "shower" the mother and baby with gifts much like bridal showers are held to honor a bride before her wedding.

The early custom of baby shower gifts included umbrellas. Typically baby showers would be held in the afternoon and those who attended would use umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun. This has since become a popular symbol of baby showers.

Baby showers are much different today, and so are the gifts presented at baby showers. These gifts range from things that are practical to things that are definately out of the ordinary. These are a few baby shower gift ideas to assist you in narrowing down your choices. Hopefully they will help you choose the perfect gift for the special mother to be!

The Practical Essentials

Clothing has always been a popular choice for gifts. Sleepers, onesies, diapers, socks, and anything comfortable for the baby to wear are nice choices. Look for adorable, comfortable clothes that the baby can wear home from the hospital or use for day to day wear.

Health and grooming products such as soft hooded towels, baby powder, baby wipes, soft baby washcloths, baby washes, or diaper bags are also great gift ideas. Also keep in mind any other baby products that you think the mommy will need to care for her baby.

Feeding supplies also make excellent gift choices. Those can be anything from bibs, sipper cups, feeding spoons, baby dishes, baby bottles, baby formula, breast pumps if needed, bottlebrushes and much more.

If the baby will have his or her own room, you may want to give a gift that the mother can use to decorate the room. Stuffed animals such as teddy bears are always favorites. Adorable pictures to hang on the wall, dressers, changing tables, rocking chairs, nursery lamps, comforters and blankets, or bouncy seats are all nice ideas.

Baby toys are certainly great choices for the little one. Look for teething toys, musical toys, colorful play mats or other baby toys that the mommy can use to play with her little one.

A Gift For The Parents

It is a nice idea to give the parents to be something to indulge themselves. You can give them a gift certificate to a book or video store, a spa, or their favorite restaurant. Babysitting coupons are always great gift ideas. This will give the new parents an opportunity to get away for a few hours without the baby. The expectant parents will surely appreciate these gifts, especially if they are first time parents.

The More Expensive Gifts

This group of baby shower gifts may be a little more expensive to purchase but they are still very useful items that the expectant mother will need. A few people can pool their money together to purchase these gifts if necessary. These items include strollers, baby dressers, high chairs, baby swings, baby monitors, car seats and other useful baby items that can be found at your local department or baby specialty store.

Personalized Gifts

You can use your imagination to create a shower gift that is personalized and unique. The following are some ideas for handmade personalized gifts for the mommy to be and the new baby.

Memento Box- Find a good sturdy box that is large enough to hold a few smaller items. Draw or paint some decorative touches to it. Fill the box with a few small baby items such as pacifiers, bottles, baby wipes, etc. You may also want to include stickers so the mommy to be can add some personalized details such as the baby's name, birth date, weight and length of the baby and so on. This gift is a great way to collect mementos for the baby to be passed down to him or her once they have grown.

Baby Plant- Another exclusive idea is to purchase a small tree that the parents can plant outside the home. Tie some small baby items to the branches with ribbon such as pacifiers, nail clippers, small baby bottles, etc. The parents will have something to watch grow along with the baby. This can also be done with small indoor plants.

Economical Gifts

If you are one that enjoys baking and are on a limited budget, you can always make a cake, cookies or other homemade goodies to use at the shower or for the parents to use later on. The most important thing is your presence and the support that you have to offer the parents and the new baby.