Whether it's the couple's first or fourth, having a new baby comes with a laundry list of things to do, schedules to manage, sleep to catch up on, and actual laundry to do. While a cute new outfit is a welcomed gift, you also have the choice of giving the new parents something just as cute, but a bit more meaningful.
Here are 8 ideas:
1. Smile for the camera
Gift your talent of photography if you would be willing to take newborn pictures for the happy couple. These photo sessions are an incredible gift that will be treasured for years to come. If your photography skills are lacking, go in with a few friends to pay for a studio session as your gift.
2. Pillow talk
These birth announcement pillows couldn't be cuter, and also happen to make the ideal baby shower present.
These pillows adorably display details like the baby's name, birthdate, weight, and length in darling fonts. If the parents sent out birth announcements by mail, type in the information on the card to the pillow supplier, or get the details from the parents themselves. Check out Etsy or Zoey's atticfor different designs (and resist the urge to buy a pillow for every baby you know).
3. Practically perfect
Why not gift something Mary Poppins would bring along to a baby shower?
If you are already a parent, wrap up a favorite baby item that saved your life as a new parent (like your favorite nursing pillow). Purchasing diapers in a larger size may also come in handy; many parents underestimate how quickly their little peanut will grow. Or, pack up a cute basket with all the essentials of a baby first-aid kit, like baby aspirin, a thermometer, diaper rash cream, etc. Baby proofing locks might also come in handy.
These practical gifts make them extra perfect and that much more appreciated.
4. "Open when" presents
This is a gift that keeps on giving.
A new baby in the house will surely bring exhausted parents that will ultimately forget about the outside world. Gift a few reminders by wrapping up photos of a fun time from last year's camping trip, a little box of snacks that aren't to be shared with the kids, or a DVD of that stellar movie they still haven't seen.
Wrap them all up separately in brown paper with a message like "Open when you" need to feel like a grown-up again", or "Open when you"¦ need a reminder your friends are here for you." New parents might not think they'll need those sorts of reminders, but they totally will.
5. Baby-Babysitting
If the family is welcoming home a new baby sister or baby brother, offer to watch the other kids for a night so the parents can worry about just one child. Invite the kids over for a sleepover, or have the kids over for dinner. You can offer other ways to help, such as driving siblings to various activities if mom needs some time to rest, or offering to watch the other kids when the baby needs a checkup.
6. "Where The Wild Things Are"
In case you just have to gift the darling little outfit you picked up last month, forgo the card and instead sign a note inside your favorite children's book. Spread the trend around the invitees and the couple will end their baby shower with a library of goodnight stories: simple, cute and practical.
7. Momma Massage
A coupon for a massage isn't exactly going to benefit the new baby, but it's something mommy (and daddy) would love. Go in with a friend to pay for the massage session and volunteer to watch the other kids, or do some light cleaning while some tired parents get some well-deserved relaxation.
If the new parents feel uneasy about leaving the new baby with grandma, the couple can always do their massages on separate days.
8. A book just for the baby
Parents might have lofty ideas of scrapbooking every minute of their new baby, but sometimes that becomes impossible. Scrapbooks are a wonderful keepsake, but are incredibly time-consuming. To help out, you can give the parents a credit on a Photobook site to make their task loads easier.
Kidmondo allows for very detailed entries, letting you enter in details like weight, height, and dental charts; Shutterfly's customs books lets you add in "stickers" to decorate each page and each milestone, making a very cute scrapbook effect online; Mixbook has a range of darling baby themes and accesses your Instagram photo stream for easy uploading.
Showing love and attention to detail for these exhausted parents will be welcomed with spit-up covered arms. Not that you are trying to be named the godparent of the new child, but a couple of these ideas might give you such a title.
