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Practical Baby Shower Gifts

I am all for gifts new moms will actually use and love, which is why practical baby shower gifts are always a good idea! Here are some of my favorite most useful baby gifts to give at your next baby shower.


Practical Baby Shower Gifts

I’m in a season of life when I tend to have at least one baby shower a month to attend. Several of my friends have had their first baby in the past year or two, or having a new gender join their family after years of having their first or second child and could definitely use baby items again! I love to celebrate all babies, and I love to help moms have a happy moment when they feel so terrible that last month of pregnancy.

What’s really amazing to me is to see how I’ve changed at these showers after having my own child. I ask different questions, I often try to offer a foot rub if it’s appropriate (Heaven knows that was my greatest gift- thank you to my sister!), and the types of gifts I give are definitely different! I’m as big of a fan as a darling outfit as the next person, but I try my best to keep that to a minimum since every mom has a different style, and because most moms receive enough outfits to clothe their child those first three months. When I do clothes I try to make it a larger size, appropriate for the season, but more often these days I find myself thinking of my favorite gifts and most loved items, and those are the things I love to give moms, particularly first-time moms.

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Practical Baby Shower Gifts

My current favorite practical baby shower items to gift:

  1. Swaddles. You just can’t go wrong with swaddles! Parents need them for so many things the first six months (and beyond). Swaddling helps baby sleep, they double as a nursing cover, they are great when the baby is acting cold, hello spit-up back up when you forget a burp cloth, they are perfect for laying baby on for a quick change, and a cute print always makes the baby look darling when all wrapped up. Our favorite were these swaddles– large, high quality, cute prints, and used every single day!
  2. Burp Cloths. I starting motherhood out with five thinking that would be plenty. Oh, how I laugh now! We had a reflux baby, but even if we hadn’t we still would have plowed through several a day. A quality, large-sized burp cloth may not be the most glamorous gift, but they may end up being the most used! We loved cloth diapers used as burp cloths too!
  3. Books. My sisters made this a part of my shower theme and even if I didn’t use a ton of books the first few months, I’m deep in them every day now! If space weren’t an issue you could own thousands and likely use them all! At my last shower attended my friend was so sad to have only received three books, her father is a principle of a prominent elementary school, and she really hoped for more! Even if you can only afford to give one cute board book, it’s such a great gift and one they may cherish their entire childhood!
  4. Pacifiers. I know not every baby takes one, but if they do you need more than you can imagine! They help with sleep, they keep baby happy, and they have a way of disappearing. If they aren’t used they are one item you can easily re-gift and will eventually find a baby to use and love them! If you really want a cute one, we sure loved our Wubbanub and used that thing daily with a newborn!
  5. Colic Drops. I discovered Gerber Soothe® probiotics Colic Drops a while ago, and have found they can make a huge difference with a crying baby. Obviously crying is a normal part of a baby’s life, but colic, which is 3 or more hours of crying a day for most days, is something that takes new mothers by surprise and feels so overwhelming. These have been clinically shown to significantly reduce crying time in colicky babies. It isn’t a treatment or cure, but it is a huge help and very effective! They come in a cute bottle, and they go nicely in a gift set- plus they are so useful if needed!
  6. Health supplies and tools. Oh, how those infant fingernail clippers save lives and baby faces! There are so many good little kits out there, and I love to find one with the most needed items and gift that. Baby Shower Gifts Practical
  7. Formula. I have to admit when I was given some I was shocked, I was lucky that breastfeeding worked out for me, but hear me out on why this one is great. So many moms have no idea if their body will produce, if latch with work, or if they will be able to exclusively breastfeed, even if that’s the plan. For first time moms this can be the most stressful period of their lives and sometimes some formula is needed, and it can feel like the biggest defeat to have to run out and buy some when in need.
    And one more note on this, even if the mom gifted it doesn’t use it, baby formula is the #1 most needed item at women’s shelters! I love to leave a note about this- “You may need this and it may surprise you that you do! You may end up using lots of formula and this container will help with colic and your budget, but if you don’t need it some other mom will! Please donate it before expiration to _______” with a local address. It’s an all-around pay-it-forward gift that will be a relief to a mom in one way or another!
  8. Items for mom. It’s an uncomfortable time healing after labor, and healing creams, postpartum spray, a comfortable robe, etc. are often in order. I love to find a cute and comfortable item and give it to the new mother.
  9. Diapers. They are always needed, they are always appreciated,
  10. When all else fails, a gift card. You have no clue what random items will pop up that first month, and a gift card to a nearby store with plenty of baby items can be a lifesaver!

Baby Shower Gifts That are Practical

So there’s my super-practical, often used list when I’m prepping for the next baby shower in my life. New moms need all the help they can get, and I love to give them the chance to buy the cutest clothes and toys themselves and leave the practical expenses that they will truly use as what I put in those darling gift bags!

I’d love to hear, what are your favorite practical baby shower gifts to give these days?

Like this motherhood post? You may love these too!

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2 Comments

  1. My best friend from college had her baby and she didn’t have any family in the area. I was just recently laid off, so I didn’t have much to spend. I couponed for some diapers and wipes, then I made her special coupons that said, “a nap”, “a babysitter for 3 hours”, and “a home cooked meal”. Fast forward 4 years and now I have an amazing job and she just had her second baby. She asked me last month if she could have some special coupons again! Time is something that people take for granted and you can’t get it back.

    1. fridaywereinlove says:

      This is so true!