Need Gift Ideas for a New Baby

Hi C.,
The most wonderful gift I recieved when my daughter was born was a "boom box" and some lullaby cd's. It sounds ordinary but my daughter is going to be 4 this month and she still goes to be with music. I started playing it when she was about 4 months old and it is a nightly tradition. It calms her down and she feels like there is someone in the room with her so she's not scared. It's a gift that they never outgrow! That has now become my standard baby shower gift. Nobody ever registers for it and they all love it.
Good luck and congratulations on your new family member.
P.

C.-
Don't bother with an embroidered clothing item (cubs or otherwise). Do you realize that this baby will only fit into it for a very, very, very short period of time? Plus, how do expect to have this ready to give to her today? I recommend carter's long sleeve white onsies (with the flip over mits), burp clothes and butt paste... best gifts I could have ever gotten. The impractical stuff is a waste of time and money, if you ask me. Also, you should deliver food for mom and dad in the coming weeks. There's nothing better than a delivered meal (ANYTHING, especially out-of-the-ordinary) when new parents are exhausted and sleep deprived.

Babies R Us carries Cubs gear for babies. I bought an outfit for a friend who is a Cubs fan, but lives in Florida now. She loved it.

Hi C.!
I saw your question, & had an idea--you can get her some help from a postpartum doula. That's a woman that comes by her house for a few hours, whenever she needs it, to either help out with the baby, clean the house, babysit the other kids, cook dinner, help with breastfeeding, or run errands. A doula is sensitive to the mother's needs & is there for emotional support and physical help during the newborn phase, when the mother is sleep-deprived and overwhelmed. I'm actually in training to become a postpartum doula, so I need to volunteer and help a few families before I can become certified. I've been through labor myself--my daughter is 16 months old. Becoming a mother was a life-changing experience for me, and I absolutely fell in love with the job. I'm really interested in helping and empowering other women to take on this role with confidence. So, if you're interested, and you think your sister would appreciate it, I can be your gift (even though I won't charge you). Let me know what you think-you can message me on Mamasource, or email me:
____@____.com

Take care, & congratulations on becoming an aunt!

~A. Mattes

My sister got for our babies (I want to say from a quiosk in the mall) little security blankets with all the babies info. We LOVE them, and my second one, now 22 months, cuddles his in his bed all the time. Maybe you can find something like that at a mall near you?? Maybe a Cubs blanket they could embroider? Or I know in St. Charles, they have a place called Embroider Me (it's right next to Once Upon a Child in one of the strip mall areas). They embroider whatever you want there, I guess. A friend had a shirt done there for her son and was real happy with it, but I think a Cubs blanket embroidered with the babies name and birth info would be neat...or something that reminds you guys of your dad embroidered.