This post contains affiliate links which means that I will make a small commission if you purchase a product after clicking on any of them, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.
A new baby is coming and you’ve been invited to the baby shower! (or sprinkle)
Don’t worry yourself about what you should bring as baby shower gifts. This list is full of items that helped me tremendously with my newborn baby and are must-haves for any new mommy when her baby arrives.
You can’t possibly go wrong with these baby shower gifts. They’re great for a boy or girl, and even a few ideas for the mom to pamper herself with!
Tips For Buying Baby Shower Gifts
If I could give a word of advice…no matter how much you love to pick out cute baby clothes, maybe a gift card to a baby clothing store would be best.
I received SO many clothes for my baby at my baby shower, and though I was extremely grateful, I would have rather picked out the clothes myself. Not everyone has the same idea of “cute baby clothes”.
Also, with any gift you may choose to buy, it’s best to include a gift receipt just in case a duplicate is received by the mother to be.
I myself received 3 of the same dresses for my baby girl all in the same size, none of which came with a gift receipt. Thus money of loved ones sadly being wasted.
I hope you take these tips into consideration. Without further ado, let’s get into this list already!
Comforting Items For Baby
Portable Soothing Machine: Some babies really do not enjoy car rides and need some distraction. This can be used as a portable sound soother to help calm them while out and about.
Sound soother/Night light: Sound soothers are a must for babies. If you can find one that also has a night light, that would be perfect! This is what we have in our nursery. It’s so cute and gender-neutral. It plays songs, nature sounds, and has a night light.
Cool mist humidifier: This helps especially when the baby gets a cold or allergies. Helping to soothe coughs with the moist air so the baby can breathe better.
This is a lot safer than a warm mist humidifier that could cause burns from steam. For that reason, cool mist humidifiers are the way to go and a must-have for babies.
Newborn lounger: It is so fluffy and comfortable for the baby to lay on anywhere in the house.
Boppy nursing pillow: There are many uses for the nursing pillow, but what it was originally made for was to elevate a baby and keep them comfortable while nursing. Also keeping the mother comfortable because they don’t have to hold the weight of their baby up.
Other uses include laying the baby over it during tummy time to help them prepare for crawling and also propping the baby up in a sitting position to help them learn to sit on their own.
Muslin swaddle blankets: Muslin blankets can be used for so many things. They are first a swaddle blanket that is breathable, they are also great for laying the baby on to change diapers, using as a cover for breastfeeding, wiping up spit-up, using as a burp cloth, covering a newborn car seat or stroller, and more.
Feeding
Burp cloths: Muslin burp cloths are my favorite. They’re soft on the baby’s face and easy to clean.
Bibs: I like cloth bibs with snaps. The velcro ones can sometimes scratch babies’ fragile skin.
Spoons: It’ll be a few months before they are used, but they will be greatly appreciated. It was something I didn’t expect as a gift but was glad to have them.
Bath Time
Bathtub: The Angelcare tub support is ergonomic for your baby and keeps them comfortable. It dries fast and can be hung on the shower wall when not being used.
The baby can utilize this until they are able to sit in the tub on their own!
Grooming kit: It usually includes a brush, comb, nail clippers, a thermometer, a “snot sucker” (aspirator bulb) as I call them, and something to help administer medicine.
Shampoo, body wash, and lotion: I recommend Aveeno baby products. They smell amazing and make our baby’s skin so soft!
Washcloths: Baby washcloths are made to be a lot softer for babies fragile skin.
Hooded towels: I love hooded towels. They’re cute and keep the baby warmer as they cover the top of babies heads (where most heat escapes).
Bath Robe: I received a few baby robes at my baby shower, and to be honest, they were never used. While they are very cute; I wouldn’t waste money on this one.
Diapering
Diapers: We use Pampers Pure diapers. They don’t have the chemicals in them that most diapers have that cause diaper rash.
Helpful Advice (for the new mommy’s sake): Everyone else is going to bring newborn and size: One diapers. Save the day and choose any other size! I currently have enough size one diapers to use for a second baby.
Wipes: We use both Pampers Pure Wipes and Water Wipes. They both contain 99% water and 1% cleansers. Can’t have enough of these!
Portable changing pad: Great for when they are out and about and need a clean place to change the baby.
Please leave the baby powder at the store. It is very bad for babies and can cause respiratory issues if inhaled.
Related: Newborn Items Used Every Day
Health
Thermometer: Thermometers can be a lifesaver. If a baby keeps a high temperature for an extended period of time, it could cause SIDS. This thermometer makes it easy for mama to keep track of their temperature. I don’t recommend the forehead scan thermometers as I haven’t had much luck with those being accurate.
Nasal Aspirator: I know the NoseFrieda aspirator is very popular, but I can’t bring myself to use it. This aspirator bulb works great and can be taken apart to be cleaned. It’s something I use on my baby all the time.
Nose Saline Drops: Babies can’t exactly blow their nose. This is used almost every day in my house to help clear my baby’s nose by putting a drop in each nostril, letting it sit for a second to loosen the boogies, and then sucking everything out with the nasal aspirator bulb mentioned above.
Teether: Babies teethe at different times. Some earlier than others, so it’s good to go ahead and have some teethers on hand for when it begins!
The Best Teether Options
Water Teethers:
Silicone Teethers:
- Itzy Ritzy Silicone Teether with Rattle
- Sugarbooger Silicone Teether
- Ryan & Rose Cutie Bits Teether
- Ryan & Rose Cutie Teether Rattle
- Baby Banana
Nuby Teethers:
My baby has every one of these teethers. She goes through spurts of which is her favorite every few days! Variety is a good thing.
Toys & Books
Toys and books are the most fun part! These aren’t necessities obviously, but they’re nice to have to put a smile on the new little one’s face.
Before we get into toys too much, mommy will need a place to store them all once they start accumulating. A toy basket will come in handy. I have one in our baby’s bedroom and one in the living room of our house.
Crinkle Book: If you can find one that has the crinkle material in every page, you will be loved! My baby doesn’t go anywhere without her crinkle book, it’s her favorite.
Crinkle Taggie: Before I had a baby, I didn’t understand the baby toys that had a bunch of colored tags or ribbon on them. I wondered how it could be entertaining to them.
But now that I have a baby, I’ve realized these taggies will keep them entertained and happy long enough for mommy to get work done around the house! They’re awesome!
Multi-functional toy: It crinkles, squeaks, has ribbon tags, rattles, is a teether, super colorful. So much that babies are in love with all wrapped into one toy!
Books: Black & white contrast books. These are great for newborns and up. Newborns are still gaining full vision, so their eyesight is very blurred. They can see high contrast things best, like the black and white photos in these books.
Gifts For Mom-To-Be
Mommies tend to be forgotten about when the new baby comes.
She needs to pamper herself in this huge life adjustment! In my opinion, a little “me time” helps me be a better mom. Even if it’s only 15 minutes in the bathroom with these products I’m going to tell you about.
Here are some awesome “self-care” gift ideas for the mom-to-be that she is sure to love!
- Nourishing Body Oil – For her belly to nourish and heal the skin.
- Facial Mask Variety Set – What girl doesn’t enjoy a face mask!
- Face Cream Moisturizer – Pregnancy and childbirth deplenishes a body of so much of its moisture. A great face cream and lip balm (mentioned below) can really help to make the new mom feel a little more herself again.
- Natural Moisturizing Lip Balm
- Foot Spa Bath Massager – My mother got me a foot spa and it’s very relaxing being a pregnant mama with sore and swollen feet. I use it all the time since my baby was born as well for “me time” in my home spa (the bathroom!)
- Dr. Teal’s Epsom Salt Bath Soak – I mostly use the lavender Epsom salt from Dr. Teal’s. It’s very relaxing, especially when sitting there in my face mask, soaking my feet, breathing in the lavender smell of the Epsom salt letting all my worries go away for a few minutes!
I want to add in a gift I received for Christmas that I LOVE and I’m sure other moms will love too.
It’s a Question A Day Book For Moms. It includes 365 questions that mom will answer one per day for 5 years. It’s all about motherhood, the children, family, and life! It will be cool to look back on when it’s all filled out.
Happy Shopping!
I hope this list gave you some good ideas for baby shower gifts that you may not have thought of before.
These items are all ones that helped me and I was happy to receive at my baby shower.
Another great thing you could do is just offer your help to the mom to be!
Pin It!
