This post will provide you with 20+ ideas for amazing baby shower gifts. These are the best practical baby shower gifts that will make life easier for both first time mums and mums with older children.
If you want to avoid the most common baby shower gifts and buy things that will be really useful for mums, then you are in the right place! These are all items that I have experience using with my babies and that I’m confident will be useful to other mums.
Most of these items would work great if you are in charge of putting together a hamper or gift basket. I have also included some ideas for thoughtful, non-material gifts that any mum would appreciate.
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Popular Baby Shower Gifts
When you have a new baby there are certain items that tend to be gifted a lot. There is nothing wrong with any of these gifts, but as they are quite common place, I haven’t included them in my recommendations below. Popular gifts include:
- Comfort toys
- Cuddly toys
- Blankets
- Muslin cloths
- Newborn size clothes – people love to buy tiny baby clothes!
Practical New Baby Gifts
The ideas below are all items that I use and that I think any mum with a new baby would find extremely useful. A lot of the smaller items listed here would be great to include in a wicker hamper basket or keepsake box. To keep things more budget friendly, you could group together and share the cost of the items you’ve collected, or choose a few items each to buy for the hamper.
Box of Pura Nappies
I have tried so many different nappy brands over the years and Pura nappies are by far the best quality we have ever used. They are made with organic cotton, are chlorine free and Pura is a Certified B Corporation. We have never had any issues with them leaking and they are really soft.
Cheeky Wipes
These sets of 25 reusable baby wipes are a great alternative to disposable wipes. They would make a great gift for an eco-conscious mum. The terry flannel squares come with a box to store them in at home and a travel bag so you can use them when you are out and about.
Organic Cotton Wash Cloth Flannels
These flannels are lovely and soft and perfect for giving baby a wipe down on a morning, or any time they need freshening up. It’s always nice to have some new flannels, as they can get grubby after you’ve been using them for a while.
Weleda Baby Wash
I still use this baby shampoo and body wash for my toddler and my seven year old. It’s nice and creamy so it doesn’t dry out their skin and it also has a nice mild scent.
Neal’s Yard Remedies Baby Balm
I used this on my newborn’s dry skin and it really helped to keep it moisturised. I was using organic coconut oil, but I found it didn’t last long enough before it was absorbed into the skin. This balm is thicker and helps keep the moisture locked in for longer.
Weleda Teething Granules
These were the only teething granules that seemed to provide some relief for my baby when she was in a lot of discomfort. These are definitely worth having on hand and would make a great addition to a baby shower gift hamper.
Silicone Teething Toy
These food grade silicone teethers are great for your baby to chew on when they’re teething. I store mine in the freezer, so they’re nice and cold for baby’s sore gums, which helps to provide some relief.
Tommee Tippee Baby Health Care & Grooming Kit
This is a great practical gift that will continue to come in handy throughout childhood. We still use the baby nail scissors and nail clippers from this set seven years on.
Organic Clothes
People love to buy newborn baby clothes for expectant parents, which is understandable as they are so cute and tiny! However, once your baby gets to about 6 months old you find that the initial influx of clothes they were gifted when they were first born has all been outgrown. I would therefore suggest buying clothing items in sizes such as 6-12 months. It might be worth checking first that they are not expecting to receive a load of hand me downs, before purchasing new items of clothing. Secondhand baby clothes are wonderful, but it’s nice to have a couple of new items, especially things like pyjamas. These organic cotton pyjamas are great quality and would make a lovely gift.
Keepsake Gifts
Milestone Book
Milestone books make great gifts especially for first time mums to record special moments and baby’s milestones. My eldest daughter loves looking through her ‘baby book’. I’m sorry to admit that I didn’t complete one for my second child, but I’ll try not to beat myself up over it, as I think that’s not uncommon.
Milestone Cards
I did however take a photo every month of my second child with these cute Peter Rabbit milestone cards. If you have a special blanket that you can lay them on each time for consistency, it makes the photos look great when you see them all in a row from months 1 -12.
Baby Hand & Footprint Ink Set
These are a brilliant way to get baby hand and footprints, without the mess of having to put any paint or ink directly on to your little one’s hands or feet. Having a record of how tiny your little one’s hands and feet once were is a beautiful keepsake.
Electronic Sleep Aids
When you are desperate for sleep, you will try anything that might help. I have tried quite a few different sleep aids over the years and these are the only two that I would recommend.
Rockit Pram Rocker
If your baby falls asleep in the pram when you are out for a walk, but then wakes up as soon as you stop moving, this is a great device to help keep the jiggly motion going. It seems to work best with younger babies. Once my baby was about 9 months old, I found it didn’t work as well. These gadgets seem to hold their value and can be bought and sold secondhand on Vinted, eBay or Facebook quite easily.
Ewan the Dream Sheep
This sound machine plays 5 different sounds to help soothe your baby to sleep. Our favourite was the womb/heartbeat sound. It also has a nice red glow, which reminds baby of being in the womb. I’m pretty sure most new mums and babies would be grateful for this gift.
Baby Shower Gifts for Mum
Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump & Lid
This is a must have accessory for any breastfeeding mum. When you are breastfeeding you attach the pump to your other breast, so it collects any milk that starts to leak from the breast that baby isn’t feeding from. It is gentle and it means that you don’t waste any milk that would otherwise just be absorbed into a breast pad or muslin cloth. The lid helps to avoid any accidental spillages. You can also buy straps that you wear around your neck and attach to the pump, just in case it detaches itself when full of milk.
Silver Nipple Shields
This is another invaluable piece of kit that you will be so grateful to have on hand. You wear these silver nipple shields in between feeds, to protect your sore nipples from being rubbed against your clothing. The silver cups are cool and soothing against your skin. Using these completely replaced my need to use any nipple cream. I have leant these to all of my friends who have since had babies. They are amazing!
Drinks Container
Postpartum and breastfeeding is thirsty work, so it’s nice to have a drink on hand at all times. These personalised glass cups are great as they come with a lid and a straw, which makes drinking a lot easier when you’re holding your baby. If you wanted to make life even easier, I would recommend these silicone bendy straws too, so you can avoid having to tip the drinks container if you’re in an awkward position.
Ergobaby 360 Baby Carrier
This baby carrier can be used from birth right up to toddlerhood. If you are planning on using it from birth you will also need to purchase the newborn insert, so that the baby sits up high enough in the pouch section. This is the most expensive material gift on this list, so it might be more suitable for a family member or group of friends to buy. It is worth the investment though in my opinion. It is sturdy and well made and baby will enjoy being worn close to mum.
Non-Material Gifts for Mum
In this last section of the article I wanted to include some alternative, non-material gift ideas, which you can present to the expectant mother at her baby shower.
Pregnancy Photo Shoot
Pregnancy photo shoots make an amazing gift for expectant mothers. The photos will no doubt be cherished for life and make a wonderful keepsake for the whole family. It also provides an opportunity for the mother to celebrate her beautiful pregnant body. Photo shoots can sometimes be quite expensive, so it might be worth getting a group of friends or family members to share the cost.
Massage or Reflexology Gift Voucher
Having a gift voucher for a relaxing massage or some reflexology when you are a couple of months postpartum is a lovely gift for any mum. Just make sure it’s somewhere local to her so she doesn’t have far to travel. You could also offer to look after her baby whilst she goes to have the treatment for an hour or so.
Meal Train
Meal trains are an enormously valuable gift to any new mum, especially those with older children. You can get together with some of her friends and family members and organise who is going to cook the family a meal on which day and deliver it to them. Not having to cook when you are newly postpartum is such a blessing. One pot dishes such as a lasagne, stew or cottage pie are nice warming meals to have postpartum.
If you don’t know her friends and family well enough to organise a meal train, then you could simply make her a meal and drop it over to her, a few days after baby has been born. Make it clear that you are just dropping off the meal at the door and make sure she knows you don’t expect to be invited in to meet the baby just yet. This is one of the simplest and most thoughtful things you can do for any new mum.
Offer Cleaning or Childcare
Another thing that doesn’t cost you anything, other than your time, is to offer to clean her bathroom, or put the vacuum cleaner around her house, or take her older kids out to the park. You could also offer to walk their dog, if they have one. These are kind and wonderful ways to show that you want to help take care of her during this period of transition for her and her family. There is no better gift than feeling like you are loved and cared for by those around you.
I hope you have enjoyed this post and found it helpful. Please let me know in the comments below if you plan on choosing any of these gifts.
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Dawn - Upside Lane says
Such a great article. Thank you for these helpful recommendations!
Rachel says
Thank you so much, Dawn! So glad you found it helpful.