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Just yesterday I found out that a dear friend of mine is finally expecting a baby!! I say finally because she has been trying to get pregnant for as long as I can remember… and finally, her wish is coming true! She is just freshly pregnant and I just cannot wait to attend her baby shower!! As I was thinking about her wonderful news yesterday, I started to get really excited about going present shopping for her… and my mind just about exploded with all the gift choices before me!!
The stores are overflowing with amazing, high-tech, beautiful baby items. But my wallet is quite dry lol… So I have to be very “wise” in my gift choosing. I want it to be amazing. I want it to be absolutely useful. I want it to be appealing to the eyes. I want it to be impressive when it is being opened in front of dozens of people. Yes, I’m shallow like that lol… So now I have the task of coming up with a few gifts that fit all my criteria before the blessed baby shower comes around. So here’s what I’m thinking..
A Baby Diaper Bag
First of all, you can’t really leave the house with a new baby without all the necessities. And you definitely can’t just carry everything in your hands. So unless you use like a Walmart bag or something, you are going to need a diaper bag. And what lady doesn’t like a new purse? I love diaper bag shopping. They are super useful, beautiful, AND in my price range. Cha Ching!
A Baby Travel System
Legally you can’t leave the hospital without a car seat. In our current world, you pretty much can’t have a baby without having a car seat. And why would you want to have to lug around a car seat all the time when you can just place it securely into a matching stroller. A travel system is perfect. That thing will be used for many years and maybe even many kids 🙂 So I’d say it’s definitely worth investing into.
Granted, they are quite higher than my budget for gifts, but it might be worth splitting the cost with someone. I remember with my 1st baby 12 years ago my mother in law bought me a travel system. I was SO excited to finally be able to stroll around with my baby. I’d say her investment paid off because not only did I use it for years and for 3 babies instead of 1, but I was actually able to resell it and have someone else use it for their babies too. These things are quite durable if taken proper care of. I just gotta make sure to go with a design that the new momma will love!
 
Baby Bathing Supplies
Every baby needs to be washed. And I think every new mom loves to clean her baby and lather it with love and dress it into clean adorable clothes. This little bathing routine happens pretty much every day and can create a great bond between mother and child. Bathing supplies are really fun to shop for.
I love all the little bath toys (that won’t be used for a few months), all the lovely smelling baby shampoos and lotions, the colorful towels… The actual baby bathtub is quite a necessity. But there are so many different kinds out there. The choices are pretty endless. I guess I have some time to actually look into each bathtub and see what options it offers to baby and mommy and see what I think would be the most beneficial for my friend.
 
Baby Clothes
Baby clothes is just adorable!!! I love to just stand in the aisle and look at all the tiny little outfits while “oohing” and “aawwing”. But trust me, a lot of them are quite impractical. I’ve had so much clothes go unused because it just did not make sense to put a brand new baby into something stiff and uncomfortable (as cute as it was, the comfort of my child mattered more ; ) When I buy baby clothes for a baby shower, I like to think ahead.
There are a lot of things to consider when shopping for baby clothes. How old will the baby be in a particular season of the year? Do the parents have a fabric preference? (I always told everyone to only buy cotton clothes for my babies). Is there particular characters/designs that the parents would be against? (I always hated Disney characters on my baby stuff. Weird, I know ; )…. And another thing is most people buy baby clothes in size newborn.
Think about it; how much clothes can a newborn really wear? Babies grow fast but no one thinks about that while shopping… I do. I’ve had way too many newborn outfits and not enough from then on… So if I buy clothes as a gift, I try to vary the sizes. Maybe an outfit or two in newborn size, a few from 3-6 months, a few from 6-9… and so on… that way my gift will last more than just a month 😉
I guess I got my work cut out for me. Gotta figure out what would be the best gift for this amazing friend of mine. What are your thoughts? What would you like to receive at your baby shower?