Best Baby Shower Gifts

Here we go! I've been thinking about this post for a while. Since I had my baby baby I've been able to appreciate some baby products better than others, and I thought I would share my vast 2 1/2 months of knowledge with you. If you are looking for a great baby shower gift or if you are a new mom and want to know the best baby products to get, look no further! (okay, I guess you can look on Pinterest too, this is by no means an all-inclusive list)

Baby Clothes

#1 Rule: BE SEASON CONSCIOUS!! Those little babies are going to grow out of their clothes within a couple months, so if you get a super fuzzy, adorable sleeper for a baby born in the summer that baby won't even wear it. And that's a shame. (As a side note: even though they grow out of clothes so fast, you gotta clothe your child, so clothes really are appreciated. ESPECIALLY if you get a range of sizes!)

That being said, Pants with Feet are one of my favorite pieces of clothing! No need to mess with finicky socks? I'm there! I wish I had them in every size.

                                                         

Newborn onesies with hand covers are awesome.

                                                                    

For baby girls: Onesie dresses are bom diggidy! They're not just cute, they're super practical too!

                                                          

I actually made this onesie dress (below) for my baby girl's blessing dress. I got a super pretty onesie from Target and then just sewed on a skirt! The bow is actually a headband that I felt was a little too big for her head, but PERFECT for the accent on the dress!

Here's how I did it:
1. Get 1/4 Yard of fabric for the skirt
2. Sew the hem of the skirt first (I did it by folding the fabric over twice)
3. Baste Stitch the skirt on the other long end and pull the strings so you get a nice gather.
3. Sew the short ends together so you have a tube (the skirt)
4. Pin that sucker down to the onesie and sew it on.
5. Enjoy your marvelous creation!

                      

Not for the faint of heart: onesie extenders. Okay, perhaps I'm being over dramatic.
I haven't gotten any, but I wish I had some. The only problem is that all onesies are not created equal. Some have two snaps and some have three. Some three snapped onesies are spaced differently than others...
In my experience onesies stop fitting because they get too short. They fabric can always stretch out but not down. It would sure be nice to get some extra life out of onesies, so if you want to do some research and extenders for a friend, I'm sure they would appreciate it.

                                                             



Kits and Other Fun DIY gifts

Diaper Kit

I don't know about other moms, but I like to try EVERY brand. I want to figure out what I like best. (And honestly right now the Target Brand, Up & Up, is winning) If you got a bunch of different brands of diapers and made a little kit out of it, that would be an awesome gift! AND you wouldn't even have to take them out of the packaging, in fact I would recommend getting the smallest packages (10-20 diapers) and Not taking them out of the packaging.

Here are some brands to choose from:
Pampers
Huggies
Up & Up (Target)
Parent's Choice (Walmart)
Luvs
Costco brand (although you'd have to get a big pack)
There are a bunch of "natural" diapers, it would be fun to try them out
And if would be pretty awesome to get a cloth diaper for a mom interested, but not sure if she wants to do it.

                           



Diaper Ointment Kit

This is the same idea. I want to try every diaper ointment out there!!
I think these are the most popular. There are Lots more, though.

Brands:
Maximum Strength Desitin (it's gotta be Max)
Aquaphor
A&D
Triple Paste
Resinol
Burts Bees
Bordeaux's Butt Paste
Calmoseptine (this is what the Pediatrician gave me samples of)
Clotrimazole Anti-Fungal Cream (for yeast rashes- this has saved me!)


                                             


Burp Cloths

 I forgot about them when I was pregnant, and I am so grateful for the ladies who gave them to me as gifts! I use them ALL THE TIME. You could hand make them, or I know lots of moms just like using cloth diapers as burp cloths. The ones I got that I like the best have a flannel side and a terry cloth side (like a dish towel)! Super absorbent.

                                                
                                                                             These are the cloth diapers
   
                                                
                                                                             Terry Cloth Burp Cloths


Custom Onesies (Yes I made these)

If you really want to get crafty and personal you could make some super cute custom onesies! I did it with "Wonder Under Transfer Web." I got mine at Walmart for super uber cheep. You know how something is easy, but when you try to explain it, it sounds really complicated? I feel like that's how this is. Here's an okay tutorial, but its seriously easier than it looks. There are clear instructions when you purchase the Wonder Under.

If your friends have something quirky and unique about them, this is a really fun idea! (Thus the skull and crossbones on a onesie)


Books

Baby Food Books
I want to get some books on how to make baby food and, probably more importantly, teaches me when certain foods are okay to be introduced into baby's diet! Here are a few books that interest me. They all got really good reviews on Amazon.

Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months

                                                                

The Baby and Toddler Cookbook: Fresh, Homemade Foods for a Healthy Start

                                                                

                                                Super Baby Food

                                                                    

Baby Books
I got a few baby books at my showers, and I am so grateful! My favorite one to read to her is:
                                                             

I have a very small collection, and I really don't know of many great kids books, so you'll have to do your homework, but this would be a great gift as well!


I hope this helps give you some great baby shower ideas. And if it didn't you could always get something off the registry! (chuckle chuckle... nobody gets stuff off the registry. WHY IS THAT?!)