What Was Your Favorite Baby Shower Gift?

I loved the personalized stuff...baby bibs, blanket& sweater. A fun one I gave once...I got my friend her diaper pail, refills and the "everybody poops" book.

My mom got me a crocheted baby afghan for each baby. they were beautiful. The baby's are now 29, 23,22, and 16. I saved them and will be passing them on to them when they get married and have a baby of their own. my daughter already got hers back.

No doubt my favorite gift was the one I initially didn't quite "get" at the time I opened it. I have since also given this gift and smiled as I watched new moms blow-it off, only to hear from them later with greater thanks.
It is a pretty expensive gift that looks so tiny when you give it.

Basically you take a cute box and you fill it with all the essentials a new mom will need the first time her little one gets sick. Remember how frazzled we were when our firstborn got their first cold/fever? Think about how stressful it is if you don't have any supplies. Kids always get sick at the most inopportune times! I remember when my first baby got ill and I suddenly remembered the care package my friend had given me. What a relief to find Baby Tylenol, Saline Solution, Armpit thermometer, and a nose sucker inside my medicine cabinet where I had stuffed it away! I thanked my friend (months later) for such a thoughtful gift!

For close friends and family I have given this gift and I received the same response from them. They were thrilled to be prepared because it is something new parents frequently don't plan for.

You can "fill out" the gift by adding anything that would bring the baby comfort - washcloth for cooling baby's fever, small musical toy, etc.

I loved and used the heck out of the Boppy pillow. They're wonderful.

I also used my Graco pack-and-play with the bassinet and changing table attachment for the first three months. It was so easy to have it in any room I liked.

The swing. Oh boy, I loved the swing.

And the bouncy/vibrating seat. Fabulous.

I loved anything with my baby's name on it and will keep it forever!

My favorites were clothes and diapers that were at least a size up from newborn. I ended up with so many items for when my son was born, but not nearly as many for when he grew out of that initial stage. They were nice to have! :o)

Hand made baby quilts that are large - so you can use them to swaddle easily in the begining and that still cover a 2-4 year old. My almost 6 yr old still sleeps with his...my 18 month old drags his around and says "tuck, tuck" handing it to me nightly. Very, very soft knit that is washable for both of them and LARGE.

I loved getting things that I needed. Butt Cream, diapers, wipes, shampoo, really nice lotion for the baby skin, nursing pads (if she is going to nurse).
Thing that I used a lot. The baby vibrating chair. That thing came with me all over the house. When I had to cook I popped them in the chair, when I had to shower they went in the chair, when we were eating they went in the chair. Loved that chair.
L.

i am such a grinch. i hate baby showers (even my own) and i think i've mostly blocked the memory. and i don't remember 99% of what i got, although i was truly grateful and very appreciative of all of it.
my husband got a 'proud papa' mug from someone who felt sorry for him because i was getting all the attention. it's still in our kitchen cupboard.
and someone gave my older son the pillow that still lies, shabby and patched, in a corner of his bed. it was his constant companion and woobie all through his childhood. so that was cool.
i know. i'm not helpful at all. if you make something, a blanket or quilt or hat or cross-stitch thingummy it will be totally unique and specially infused with you-ness.
:) khairete
S.

I like to crochet an afgan for the new baby. I make them big enough for the child to use as they grow up. If you remember college dorms tend to be cold so if they need to the can take their baby blanket to college with them and use it as a lap robe. I use nice colors but not baby colors so the blanket can grow with them.
Diapers usually one size bigger like a medium or large. Wipes, baby lotion, all the baby stuff that gets so expensive.
I also like to include a gift that helps the Mom feel girly again. A pedicure or manicure kit, make-up, even a nice top that isn't maternity clothes. Slippers for the hospital or a robe.

Some of the most useful items I received, and therefore the ones I most treasured were: a changing pad set, a booster/highchair, disposable feeding spoons and tableware (becasue they seem to always get misplaced). My aunt did something clever, and bought us a hamper and a diaper pail which she filled with receiving blankets, onsies, socks, and toiletries, and sleep and play pyjamas (with zippers). She bought 3 or five packs, season appropriate for our baby from newborn to 18 months. What a godsend to have longsleeve kimono shirts, longsleeve long legged pyjamas, short sleeved rompers, sleeveless onsies, and on down the line. Nothing fancy, but enough to tide me over when he was changing sizes, and we were changing seasons. It meant I didn't have to run to the shops.

A gift certificate for a professional newborn photographer to come to her house might be unique.

Also unique would be a gift certificate to an art shop which can frame her newborn's prints.

Maybe a set of baby board books with an inscription plate on the inside. We recieved the peter rabbit series, and the Hans Christian Anderson anthology.

Good luck to you and yours.
F. B.

I loved when I got a boppy. I didn't have one for my first two kids and what a difference it made with number 3.

My favorite gift I gave was to my younger sister. She didn't have a digital camera, so that's what she got for her shower. To keep memories of my niece :).

The things that were on my registry. I got a TON of blankets that after 2 and a half months we still haven't gotten to them all. I will never again veer off the registry.

I loved the quilts and blankets. I still have all of my kids and will keep them to someday pass on to the grandkids!!

I also loved the photo frames with the space to put the hand/footprints. What a treasure! Even if she get's multiple you can use one at 3mo's or a year etc etc.

No matter what, a gift given w love is special!

Congrats great Auntie!!

You know the knotted homemade blankets? My kids still love them to this day and the fact that the person took the time to make it was awesome

If you do get clothes, buy clothes for when the baby is a little older (ex. 1 year old). Things I loved: backpack style diaper bag so I could have both hands totally free. And children's books, every one who attended brought a favorite book from their childhood or a favorite of their children. It was wonderful to start out with a nice library and so few people think to give books.