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All my life, I’ve given sucky baby shower gifts. I’ve only come to that realisation now – now that I am preparing for my own baby. I think everyone does it though. You pick a couple of cute clothes, chuck it in an even cuter gift bag and go aww when all the gifts are opened. Here are some better gift ideas that are cute as well as practical. You won’t necessarily find all of these in a baby store but any mommy-to-be who is like me will love you for these.

Books for baby

I don’t actually know if books are a suitable gift for a newborn. I’m all for starting a library young but I don’t quite know whether they need it straight from the womb. But a book is never a bad idea – especially if it’s filled with hints and tips for the parents on how to raise their kids. I heard horrid things about Raising Superheroes. People said this book following The Real Meal Revolution was about raising unhealthy bantists. I had a browse through it a while ago and it’s nothing like that. Instead, it offers great advice on how to make tasty meals that is easy on the sugar and uses whole foods instead of relying on the refined stuff. Considering how The Husband and I make most of our foods from scratch, this would be awesome for similar parents who want to make and feed their kids healthier foods. You can get this from Exclusive Books for R338. 

Gift cards

A lot of people prefer going this route with gifts. Get a gift card and let the recipients pick their own gifts. There are tons of places that offer gift cards for baby clothing and other essentials. Try Woolworths and pick your own denomination. 

A baby rocker

I suppose any baby rocker will do but the Nuna Leaf is THE ultimate. It gently soothes your baby when you need your hands for other things. At the exorbitant price of R4599, it does what other rockers don’t. For starters, it can carry my weight so it evolves from a rocker to a chair for your child. You can find many other varieties at Baby City but if this is the one you’re after, you’ll find it at Kids Emporium. 

Personalised gifts

Everyone loves a thoughtful gift that is handmade or personalised…especially when the gift epitomises the recipient of the present. How cute is something like this! 

Baby carrier

I really like those cloth carriers that you just wrap around yourself and slip Baby in so you have your hands free for things like grocery shopping. The downfall with this is that I can’t imagine many men being able to don this on themselves. Instead, a more structured carrier like the Stokke baby carrier would be great for dad-to-be. It goes for R3799 at Kids Living.   

Pamper mom-to-be

Everyone is super excited about the baby but a gift for the mum-to-be will definitely be welcomed. Especially if it’s a pamper gift for that last heavy stretch to the end. How about a pregnancy massage or (if her husband won’t cut her nails) a pedicure from Sorbet? 

A newborn photoshoot

I’ve had a rather horrid experience with the photographer at my wedding so I’m a bit hesitant to spend money on something that might again be a disaster. I have tons of friends that have done newborn shoots though and it is an amazing idea for a gift that a bunch of friends can pitch in to buy. I stumbled upon Slumberlings online that specialises in gorgeous newborn photography. The mini package comes in at R5700. 

Your time

I know a lot of people who can easily give off their time for something that they love such as babysitting services and meal drop offs. Once the baby arrives, mum and dad might not have any time for themselves and probably won’t even have time to eat let alone cook. Maybe the baby sitting offer will be so that the parents can get a good night’s rest.  

Nappies

From what I hear about how much these tiny things poop, new parents can’t have too many diapers. A diaper cake is such a cute idea to “dress up” disposables. For reusable nappies, I suggest putting together a basket of newborn nappies, liners and inserts. Check out Bam+Boo for some cute ideas. 

  

A basket of baby toiletries

I suspect I might only know what it takes to bath and clean a baby once the baby actually arrives. If you have more experience than the mum-to-be, get her a basket of the essential toiletries that she will need. Trust me, she’ll love you for it when she realises that she wasn’t that prepared herself and won’t need to run out to buy them.  You can get an already prepared basket from NetGifts for R439.95 with a little teddy. 

I hope I’ve inspired you if you’re heading out to a baby shower soon. Do you have any other gift ideas that you think should make this list?