Anytime you ask first-time parents-to-be what baby shower
gifts they would like to receive, you’ll likely be met with looks of confusion.
Or perhaps they’ll come up with a stock response, such as “diapers” or
something similar.
What the new arrival will need is not always obvious to
someone who has never had a baby before. And all too often, guests aren’t much
better themselves when it comes to deciding which baby shower gifts to give the
first time moms and dads.
Now of course there’s a lot more to a baby shower than just giving
gifts. But an important part of the event is to help parents to stock up for
the new arrival.
If you are looking for ideas, here is a list of the top five
baby shower gifts guaranteed to please and to make life easier for baby and the
new parents.
Baby Monitors
A baby monitor is an excellent anxiety-buster, especially
for first-time parents, and for this reason they hold the No.1 position on this
list.
If they can listen to the baby from anywhere in the house,
parents will find their confidence levels zooming. The latest monitors are quite
sensitive, able to pick up the slightest sounds from the baby, even his/her
breathing.
If your budget allows for it, you may consider taking it a
step further and buying a video baby monitor. That will really ease anxiety. These
however are a lot more expensive. One option is to buy it as a joint baby
shower gift, if you can pool resources with another guest.
A playtime mate for
baby
Babies love to play, and anything which helps them play and get
active will not only keep them engaged, it will also help stimulate all-round
development of the baby.
An activity gym or playpen is one such product – a great
baby shower gift idea. A playpen is a soft cloth mat typically surrounded by a
baby-friendly structure – bars and arches with lots of different toys suspended
at various points. It allows baby to play in a safe environment.
The basic activity gym is an excellent baby shower gift. The
more advanced types also include noisemakers and a variety of toys guaranteed
to keep baby busy. The objects that come suspended on these playpens come in a
variety of colors and textures to help develop the baby’s cognitive abilities.
Portable gyms and playpens are available that can be very
helpful when parents need to move around with the baby. Portable playpens are lightweight,
designed especially to be easy to carry around comfortably.
Baby sling
Most babies love being carried around in a sling, and for
sure it’s the next best thing to being cuddled in their mom’s arms. It has been
the experience of many parents that babies got restless and cried when carried
in other types of carriers, but they immediately calmed down upon being put into
a sling.
A baby sling is believed to foster a closer bond between parent
and child. But whether this is true or not, slings do offer another great
advantage to the mom or parent: carrying your baby in a sling leaves your hands
free to do other things. This is a big plus and for this reason alone a baby
sling is one of those baby shower gifts that will be highly appreciated by the recipient.
The baby travel pack
Carrying your baby around can be a chore. Not least because of having to pack a
seemingly endless list of baby stuff, even for a short outing.
A baby travel pack is one great way to ease the problem. It
helps to have one or more of these handy. A travel pack is basically a diaper
bag filled with baby necessities, such as disposable diapers, a small toy or
two, a bib, a complete change of clothes for the baby, stuff like safety pins, etc.
It is great if the parents receive more than one travel pack,
because then one pack will always be kept ready whenever they need to go out. This
is a great time saver that cuts through the inconvenience of ferreting through
the mess to pick up and stuff items into a diaper bag at the last minute.
Car seat
Many parents agree that a well-designed car seat is a very
useful baby shower gift to receive. In fact, a car seat will be useful from the
moment the parents leave hospital with baby.
You have infant car seats and infant-toddler convertible
seats. The former are designed to be used only until the baby is around 22
pounds or so while the latter can be used till the baby is one year old.
If you can ensure that these top 5 baby shower gifts are
part of the event you host, your guest of honor will end up thanking you long
after the party is over.