If someone you love is expecting a baby soon, you may be feeling the pressure to pick the perfect gift. The new parents and baby will likely receive an avalanche of presents, and you want yours to stand out (and not end up getting returned because someone else got the same thing!)
If you want to know more about great baby gifts, you can check this out online or ask around – friends and family always have great ideas!
A Keepsake / Treasure Box
Keepsake boxes are a sweet and lasting way to keep track of a baby’s most precious early moments. They can be a simple decorative box, or you can pick up an entire storage system with designated spaces for items such as sonogram photos, paperwork, documents and other more personal things such as a lock of hair from the baby’s first haircut, their first lost tooth, their hospital blanket, and other mementos.
Baby Blanket
Blankets are a true keepsake that many parents and children keep for their entire lives, often passing them down from generation to generation. The comfort and security we link to our earliest blankets is a feeling that never goes away. You can buy a sheet from a store, make yourself if you have the skills, or have an existing blanket embroidered with the new baby’s initials, birth date, or something else.
Piggy Bank
While most ‘piggy’ banks aren’t pig-shaped any more, there are lots of incredible options if you want to get one for a unique new arrival. A money bank of any description is a gift that will stand the test of time, but you can make it super-special by opting for silver or ceramic one. Just make sure to choose a timeless design that won’t look dated in ten years, and add personal touches such as engraving.
Baby bangle or bracelet
Silver is a traditional baby gift that pops up in many forms! It is a long-standing idea that is believed to bring lasting health and wealth to a child. While most babies gifted a silver bangle or bracelet will rarely if ever, wear it – most tiny humans aren’t particularly bothered about jewelry – a bangle is nonetheless a beautiful keepsake and something they can look on fondly even much later in life.
Hand and Feet casts/prints
Babies grow fast. Help the new parents preserve those all-too-fleeting moments while the baby is still tiny with casts or prints of their hands and feet. There are a couple of ways you can do this one; you can buy the parents a kit so they can make the casts/prints themselves or pay for a session with a professional crafter who will do it for them. Just be aware that some hospitals may provide parents with hand and feet prints.
Photo Frame
A classic silver photo frame is a long-standing traditional keepsake gift; it’s the kind of thing that lasts forever and will always be beautiful. You could put a photograph in it, if you have one that is suitable, or gift the frame and leave the photo selection up to the parents. For a more ‘alternative’ version of a traditional gift, move away from silver to something a little cooler and edgier. You could also have the photo frame engraved with the baby’s name or date of birth for that extra personal touch.
If you’re a crafty type of person, you may want to make a frame yourself! Just make sure to be careful if you’re using glass or other sharp materials. For a personal DIY touch without needing any craft skills, you could buy a photo ornament. Snow globes, baubles, cushions, and other items can all be personalized with photographs.
Their Birthstone
Different months of the year have different traditional birthstones, and jewelry or another memento that incorporates a baby’s specific birthstone is always a personal, thoughtful gift.
If you really want for your gift to stand out you should visit a reputable jewelry shop and opt for traditional jewelry such as a necklace or ring that babies can wear as they get older or add a birthstone element to other gifts such as photo frames, bangles, rattles, or ornaments.
Personalized building blocks
Blocks are a great early years toy; babies love them! You can add a little extra love to a straightforward set of blocks by personalizing it with letters that spell out the baby’s name, date of birth, or other details if you’d prefer. You could even go all out and include letters for the parents’ names, too!
Baby Book
Baby books make fantastic gifts as they serve as both a record of baby’s earliest milestones and the perfect collection of memories to look back on as he or she grows up. Parents can write down everything from the date baby takes their first steps, to songs that they listened to while expecting, to baby’s first book, first haircut, first Christmas and all the little memories in between that make life truly special. Baby books are incredibly popular, so you’re sure to find just the right one for any and every family unit.
Growth or Milestone Chart
Like a baby book, a growth or milestone chart helps new parents document the first months and years of their baby’s life. Depending on which table you choose, the parents will be able to record milestones such as learning to crawl, cutting their first teeth, taking their first steps. All parents want to record these moments in a way that lasts forever, and filling in the chart is great fun!
If you’re a crafty sort, you can even chart yourself for that extra personal touch! Alternatively, pick one up and have it personalized with the baby’s name and date of birth.
