Since I’m a mother of one now, I was thinking of sharing what to buy for a baby shower. Buying baby gifts can be one of the most complicated decision one faces, especially if the new mum n dad are your close friend or friends that matter a lot to you but you have really no idea what to get for them. So here’s a few tips.
What to buy if you are sharing with a big group
Budget between 100-200 dollars
Baby Bouncer/Rocker
Baby Booster seat such as the popular Bumbo with feeding tray, it’s the most in baby chair right now, and baby can sit in them once they can hold up their little head, which is roughly between 3-4mth.
Activity Gym Mat, If you wanna take a break from all that carrying, this mat could certainly entertain your little chum for 5-15mins. But be sure to always stay beside if not nearby when they are playing.
Play mats, Do check if your friend's place has a nice big space, cause these mats tend to be big and if they are living in a crampy HDB flat, than the mats would most likely be kept rolled up all the time. In that case, you may wanna consider getting a alphabet mat. The kind that look like jigsaw puzzle.
Baby beddings, although they would of course already have one which their baby sleeps on, but any additional bedding would be really helpful as they can have more to replace whenever they sent it for washing.
Baby Carrier. You may wish to check with them if they already have one. Since its sharing with a big group, you could buy from a good brand such as Ergobaby.
Images credit to babybreathe.blogspot, babytown, blogshopr and Agapebabies
And than there’s the buying as an individual
Budget between $30 - $100
Sophie the Giraffe , award winning baby teether toy. Unlike the rest of the teething toys in the market whereby they are either too big or too small, the size of the giraffe allows your little one to grab it by its leg or neck and comfortably thrust it into their eager mouth. You can buy it at Takashimaya or simply google it online as it is carried by many online baby stores.
Baby Musical Book, all babies love music and lights, my baby's musical book keeps him from screaming every time, works like a charm.
Diapers, that works for all parents, though you may not know what brand they are using, but usually in the first month, parents are experimenting with a few brands to see which is best for their baby, so by you sponsoring them, they do not need to use their own money to buy various brand to test it out.
Baby clothes gift set.
Baby rattle, as the cost is relatively low, it is good if you are on a really tight budget but would still like to buy something nice. If you have a bigger budget, throw in a teething toy for good measures.
Gift vouchers, this is among all, the best. Don’t think I need to say more. But than, what’s the fun in that. Personally, I love shopping for gifts, and gift vouchers are usually an option I took if I am running out of time and I really do not know the couple that well.
Stuff I would recommend you not buy
DOM, though drinking this stuff is really good for the new mummy, but confinement is almost over by now, so it may be a little too late to get this.
Chicken essence, same rationale as DOM, with the terrible confinement over, the mummy should have pretty much recovered the strength by now, if not, what she needs is probably a good night sleep and not chicken essence to keep her awake.
Fruits, this is a baby shower, not a visit to the hospital, hello~~
Gold anklets, though the value of gold is much appreciated, it seems odd for friends to give that, isn’t that more of a grandma thingy. You wouldn’t want the grandma to look bad, should your gold anklet be thicker or nicer than theirs right.
Nursing Pads, aka Breast pads, used for padding up a maternity bra and is ideally for Mums with lotsa milk supply. Not all mums need that, and if they are no longer breastfeeding, giving them this is like giving them a jab of guilty medicine. If you really have extras that looks brand new, why not just pass it to the new parents for free and throw in some toys or diapers.
Image credit to pupsikstudio, babytown
Sure hope this helps. Gonna update this list with more items should any more pop into my mind today.Actually, there are really lotsa wonderful gifts out there, and if that friend means something to you, pop by a baby store or make a quick surf online, you will definitely find something.
