BIL And SIL Just Had 1St baby...what to Buy for the Picky Couple?

I loved my baby food grinder. A manual one was best, I found, because I could take it wherever we went. Perhaps a baby food "cookbook" to go with it?

BTW -- I totally agree with them about WalMart business practices and try very, very hard not to shop there.

Try Magic Cabin. Get the child a Waldorf doll and they will think you are the smartest, most awesome aunt evah, I kid you not.

http://www.magiccabin.com/

They have a ton of other baby stuff they'll adore, too. Magic Cabin is aimed squarely at their demographic.

Give them a certificate to "plant a tree" in their baby's honor. You can buy a tree through any of the national forests. People who like "green living" especially like this gift. Also, you can get something for the baby--like a nice warm hat or baby blanket. HTH

Omg, they are the picky couple.
And not culturally broad in outlook.
They seem to be about stereotypes.
But feel they probably know, everything.
Environmentally conscious people or lifestyles, are not all like that.

They, as first time parents probably don't even know what they want or need, but probably go according to top 10 lists or something or according to brands or what is trendy at the moment. And they are persnickety... and probably think that raising a baby is like a book and goes like clockwork. Egad! LOL
Once they have a baby, their world will either flow with it or they will get confounded... because their baby does not operate like a book nor like clockwork.

Get them a book about baby development.
"What To Expect The First Year."
AND get them a book about the Toddler years, because as we know, those Toddler years are hard! And kids do not behave like a preconceived plan. A child, has their own personality.

Is the Mom breastfeeding?
If so, get her a "Boppy Pillow." That is GREAT! I LOVED LOVED LOVED mine. I nursed both my kids.

Don't get them clothes, the parents seem picky, and probably only want high end brand names for the baby.
Not "Walmart" as you said.

Get them, board books, CD's with soothing music, a mobile, a soft cuddly baby friendly stuffed toy, a "Eurobath" by Primo to bathe their baby (I had one and I could still use it even when my kids were much older. I LOVED this bath).
Get them "green" toys... toys made with eco-friendly materials.

What is buying them something fabulous mean??? Is it per monetary amount or about the brand??? They seem to value brand names.... and the cost of things... the more the better????

Get them a special Wedgwood or Waterford Christmas ornament, for their baby's 1st Christmas.

Or a nice high end eco-friendly made Christmas Stocking with their baby's name embroidered on it.

Or something that is culturally meaningful, to them.
A "family tree" type gift.

Or things like this:
http://www.itsonlynaturalgifts.com/Organic_Baby_Gift_Bask...

Or a nice high end baby photo album that is embossed with the baby's or family's name in gold.

And then, stuff all of these things into a cute nice basket.

(sorry I'm just venting, but..) Ya know, comparing American children to other children culturally... for me is so, icky. ie: I have in-laws that are from Europe, they say things like that too. And my kids, are better behaved than their kids and have more manners than they do and are much more verbally expressive in a succinct way, than their kids are. Sorry, it just irks me. Nothing personal against you. Your In-laws, are like some of mine. Don't know why they have to compare American kids, to their kids.

Or Google Search "eco-friendly baby toys."

I would make a basket, with stuff in it.

From the way they sound, I imagine they'll be making their own baby food. :) What about some certified organic vegetable seeds that they can plant themselves? It popped in my head since you mentioned the compost pile. http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/organic-vegetables/

Then maybe you could also get them some baby food storage containers or something like this: http://www.puritan.com/childrens-products-002/baby-food-s...

Congrats to your brother- and sister-in-law! :)

We always loved Burt's Bees products, it right up their alley :) They have fabulous baby products: burtsbees.com click on the "gifts" link.

LOL! They have a lot to learn! Just wait til reality hits them in the face!

I would research baby food makers for your SIL. She will be all over the idea of making her own baby food. Read the remarks about them on different sites so that you get a good cross section of opinions.

Dawn

I kinda resent the idea that bc people are trying to avoid toxins in their environment / diet and now, most importantly, their baby's, that is a snobbish and elitist thing. It's a conscientious thing....a stewardship thing...and health thing. I wish our society didn't make it such a fringe thing.

I suppose it depends on how you're coming across.

We live very similarly - almost exactly, actually - and I was stressed about having baby showers bc so many (almost ALL from Target / WM) baby products contain toxins. It stinks that it's even an issue, but it is! So that's where a registry helps tremendously. Do they have one?

When in doubt, get them a gift card to Amazon. I use them for everything and have had great luck finding everything from wooden, non-toxic toys, to phalate-free plastics, organic cotton, to organic foods. They also deliver. Can't go wrong!

I have to admit that I appreciated gift certificates most when I had DD - but then again we were not as well off at the time.

I would look at Hanna Anderson or Kate Quinn for clothes, Ergo baby carrier (if she doesn't have one yet), Haba makes high quality wooden baby toys and dolls, so does Kaethe Kruse.

Good luck!

I don't know what you are wanting to spend on the gift but what about a picture package ? Maybe a photographer that would come out to their house each month and do a set of photos.

my cousins are into the whole "green" thing.. they did their registry on amazon.com.. they had some really cute organic clothes and blankets n stuff like that

Oompa has natural baby toys, and you could specify "Made in the USA" - http://www.oompa.com/

My friend has an Etsy shop and she uses organic cotton for her creations (mostly blankets, but also bibs and play mats): The quality of her work is rather high end--she's an attorney turned SAHM/natural parent extraordinaire... http://www.etsy.com/shop/WholeParentingGoods?ref=seller_info#

ETA: She also does custom orders.

Those organic hemp or muslin baby blankets are earth friendly and so cozy and lovely!! And yes, try etsy.com there are lots of organic and earth friendly, lovely handcrafted items on there. Like some really pretty teethers and such.

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=natural%20baby%20toy&vie...

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=organic%20baby&view_type...

One of the most favorite things I got after my third was born was
Teething Bling" http://www.smartmomjewelry.com/
It looks like a nice piece of adult jewelry but is really a teether for baby or something for them to fiddle with while nursing or the like.
I loved it so much that I bought a whole bunch in different colors so I could match them to my outfits like any other piece of jewelry and I had a couple of my favorite colors so I could keep one tucked in my bag in case I forgot to put one on in the morning. Now at 3 my daughter likes to wear them herself sometimes. I know she can't hurt them.

There is a local store in Round Rock, TX that has bunches of "earth friendly" things.....

http://www.babyearth.com/

As far as I know, they only have one storefront... but they do ship!

http://www.babyearth.com/about_us.html

These are the best baby shoes/booties ever! They don't fall off. http://www.robeez.ca/
These amber teething necklaces are very cute and popular with the crowd you are describing. http://www.amber-teething-necklace.com/

Anything from this site would be right up their alley
http://www.bellalunatoys.com/?gclid=CPKjg-LAsbMCFYZaMgodM...

Maybe an amazing food basket? They'll be able to eat in and won't have to keep it around if it isn't their taste. Buy organic, fair trade stuff!

I love the personalized lovies from here: http://www.twobluepeas.com/

You could get them something for the baby. Maybe something like a baby carrier. You could also get them a baby blanket with the baby's name stitched on it. There are places that will do that.

Good Luck, I am sure that whatever you give them they will appreciate!

Perhaps something from lifewithoutplastic.com.

And a copy of "Baby 411" and "Toddler 411"

Trumpette socks

Ditto on the amber teething necklace.

Hannah Andersson PJs are THE best. Buy them big and they will last years. My 17 month old is wearing 3T PJs and they stay on him great....as they will for years. Organic cotton, most are made in Peru, not China and I think they are Scandinavian. WORTH EVERY PENNY.

http://www.hannaandersson.com

PS I think the Baby Bullet is made with plastic, so check that out before you get it.

There is an excellent store in Southern California that is ALL about "green and environmental living" for babies/children. They deliver all over the country. It's called Granola Babies (www.granolababies.com). I am positive that if you buy anything for them from this store (online) they will not only love it but also will not be able to complain about it not being eco-friendly. :) Good luck!

Under the Nile is a brand that makes fantastic organic cotton clothes and blankets and other accessories. Someone gave me a pair of swaddle blankets from there and they were our favorites, and I got a hand me down bunting sleeper which was also wonderful. They sell them at a variety of stores. You can try at any of these websites:
http://www.underthenile.com/underthenile/index.php
http://www.urthchild.com/brand-under-the-nile.html
http://www.babyearth.com/under-the-nile.html
http://www.landofnod.com/search.aspx?query=under+the+nile

Congrsts!!!! Mustela baby products and a refcross foundation on behalf of them three. And mail the confrimation for the baby keepsake.

The Body Shop uses sustainable ingredients and has fair trade agreements with Third World suppliers. So this might be up their ally. They used to carry a great cooling leg gel that I gave pregnant mothers. I'm guessing they may have baby bath products by now. (And you can get these things on-line or at many major malls.)

My other thought is a cook book for making their own (organic) baby food. For someone who wants to avoid packaging, I think that would be helpful (very time consuming...but if its important to you, you do it).

Good luck!

Amazon does offer a lot of green toys from makers like Dandelion, Plan Toys, Habba, etc. I've shopped from Fawn and Forest before and they have great green products. I purchased my daughter's organic cotton mattress from there. Maybe a bedding set? You could also check Pottery Barn Kids for organic sheeting. I carry my son around a lot as we try to keep up with my daughter's busy schedule. I love my Moby Wrap. It's an awesome baby carrier and I believe it comes in an organic cotton as well. Hmmm, maybe more practical gifts like a sound machine or humidifier or night light? Good luck!

Uncommon Goods is a good place for unusual eco friendly gifts. A gift certificate to Hannah Anderson. Glass storage jars for the homemade baby food they will make or a Magic Bullet to make it with. Hemp Baby Sling.

Do you live close to them? Maybe the most helpful and appreciated gift will be to give them some relief when they're exhausted from too many sleepless nights. Make them a cute "coupon book" for free babysitting for a date night or afternoon together. Be there for them when they don't know what to do because you have kids and they don't have a lot of experience. Sometimes that's much more valuable than an organic cotton baby blanket.

You're sweet to try to find something that you know they will like an use, considering their lifestyle and preferences.

Good Luck~

take a look at smallfrys.com <<I have been to the stores in san francisco tons of times and purchased many a cute gifts.......... Anytime I have given someone a gift from this place, it's been truly appreciated..

They have a specific organic/green section... AND under "kids" they list various other websites...

Also, IF you happen to make it up to Half Moon Bay, on main street , there is a store called P. Cottontail... they have some CUTE!! things very unique.. but I don't see a website...

Oh and check out CWDkids.com <<< IF they celebrate Xmas or not, right now, they have some super cute ALL cotton jammies.... it's a good site to use as the child gets bigger.. I have been very pleased with the P.J. selection in that they are all cotton and wear well...

good luck

I would buy a give card to a restaurant for the couple. The baby wil get enought gifts...

Have you tried the Honest Company by Jessica Alba?

Sorry if someone already mentioned this.

I would buy them the Baby Bullet so they can make their own organic wholesome baby food.

Pottery barn kids has really nice things - a little expensive but nice. I also like the website Corner Stork. Hope this helps.