Question for all new parents?

Question

My brother and sister-in-law had a baby boy on Wednesday, they will no doubt receive countless teddies, clothes etc for him from adoring grandparents and uncles and aunties as I did with my daughter but what would you recommend getting them, something that they would really apreciate and find usefull? What has been your best gift?

Answer 1

Someone bought us a 48-pack of cheap terry-cloth towels for cleaning up, and a really nice bottle of scented detergent. And about 2-dozen "onesies." The greatest invention ever!

Answer 2

any clothes for 6 months and over. the first couple months are gone in the blink of an eye, and then one is stuck with piles of cute newborn pyjamas but nothing for the slightly older child

also it is nice to have enough bottles, including bottles for the older child. And a steriliser for them that goes in the microwave (it is basically a large box, you add a bit of water, microwave the thing for 5 minutes, all is sterilised). And one of those small, water-based bottle heaters that will heat a bottle in 30 seconds and can be carried anywhere. And of those formula dispensers so that you can prepare the proper amounts ahead of time, so if you or someone else needs to prepare a bottle rapidly, anywhere, you won't have to measure the amount - and you won't need to carry a large box of formula, either.

a good baby-minder is precious, not just for the home if or when one travels with the baby. Cheaper ones tend to have a very short range, and tend to save on the wavelengths used so you risk picking up the neighbour's waves too. And cheaper ones tend to die within 6 months when you want at least 2 or 3 years useful life.


that's all I can think of for now (I have four kids, the 4th is 4 month old)

hope this helps

Answer 3

I liked to give and receive baby essentials like Tylenol, teething gel, cough and cold medicine and baby soap.

Another great gift idea is a couple outfits that are size two or three. Parents get lots of newborn stuff and the baby sometimes never gets a chance to wear everything before it is outgrown. Outfits in a larger size that can be hung in the closet and worn in a year or two are nice to have!

Another nice idea is to ask the parent for the new baby's social security number and open a savings account for the child. In most banks you need to deposit a minimum amount of money (about $50.00), this is a nice "start" for a new baby.

Answer 4

When i gave birth to my twin boys 16yrs ago i collapsed the day after the birth with a blood clot in my lung which kept me bed ridden in hospital for 2wks. My twin sons got loads of gifts but my two best friends got me lovely presents i got a gold chain earings chocolates and 2 good books which really helped my recovery people always tend to get the baby a gift but i think they tend to forget about the parents it would be nice if they werent left out too. I still have the necklace and earings and will always keep them and i always like wearing them. There are so many lovely gifts that you can get for a baby but my saviour was a microwavable steriliser so handy.

Answer 5

Congratulations on becoming an auntie! Yeas, you are right, endless teddies, loads of clothes and lots of rattles and stuff. When I had my youngest I was given an (A4 size) framed tapestry, it is gorgous and still hangs in his nursery (he's nearly 2) It had his full name, date of birth and time of birth on with a teddy all beutifully done and a fantastic keepsake. Another gift I was given, for both of my boys shortly after they were born, was a clock with their names on. Really handy to see what time it is, yet again, when being woken in the night!!!! and the eldest (now 7 still loves it). and finally.....for a friend of mine who recently had a baby girl, I bought this beautiful pink keepsake box for her to keep all the baby's first little bits n pieces in, and put a mothercare voucher inside it for her. In the past I have also put together my own box of baby bits to give to a friend, that I knew would come in handy......nappies, wipes, talc, cotton wool, sudocrem, baby lotion, shampoo, baby calpol, bonjela, thermometer, flannel, spare bibs, baby soap and a book giving all the medical info for likely baby illnesses etc...when you are anew parent you worry sooooooo much about everything and as a quick reference guide that kind of book is really useful. It all comes in handy, and then put in some bits n pieces for mum in too.... Have fun...oh and an offer of going round in a few weeks time to babysit overnight, just so they can both go to bed and sleep all night without being interrupted I'm sure would be sooooo appreciated!!!! Hope that helps x

Answer 6

My first son had a subscription to a mint stamp first day cover collection,from my sister and when the money ran out it was usualy near a xmas or birthday so she topped it up. it stopped when he was about 4 or 5 and he has a lovely collection! he also had mint coins for his birth year.
he has always loved those too!
one gift i enjoyed as a new mother was a selection of nice bath oils etc, just to pamper me!
another gift i thought was useful was a yellow wicker basket lined and with a ribbon, full of baby essentials , baby bath etc when it ran out i just restocked it, it was great!
if you are any good at needle work, someone made me a mobile, which was fab idea!
congrats on being an aunty ! however what about the most wonderful gift of babysitting vouchers from you, you promise her so many hours baby sitting!

Answer 7

A baby sleeping bag/grobag. You can get them all over the place now. Just seen one for £10 in Tescos.

They are really handy, and saves you worrying if they have kicked the covers off.

Mothercare has a special offer on them at the moment - buy any two sleeping bags and get £10 off! http://www.mothercare.com/bin/venda?ex=co_wizr-xapian&xptpl=wz_xapian_productlist&bsref=mothercare&layout=toplevellayout&searchfld=&searchpage=&searchinvt=1&searchstry=1&searchlike=1&itemsperpage=8&srchopt=V,C&threshold=10&C=bedsleepingbags&x=0&y=0&orderby=MC&xpcache=1&bklist=icat,4,shop,shobedding,bedsleepingbags

Answer 8

My best friend brought me the most useful gifts. She bought me nappies (diapers) baby wipes, babybath products, dummies, and also gave me a voucher for a beauty salon which was great coz i wasn't feeling the best and it perked me right up! Dont forget that mum was the one that did all the hard work!

Also an aunt of mine bought me a baby record book. You record all the precious moments like first words and stuff. Having them written down is lovely. I read my sons all the time and now that he's five he likes to be told all about his time as a baby.

Answer 9

The best gift that we have gotten from our family and friends is diapers. You can never have too many diapers. They are expensive when you have to buy them over and over again. Also, a Boppy Pillow, if they don't already have one. Our Boppy came in so handy and it was invaluable. It paid for itself within the first month. I would also say a swing. Our son loved the swing. He would play in the swing, sleep, and just be occupied so that we could get things done around the house. Those are my top picks. And, congratulations Aunt!!!!

Answer 10

the gifts i found most useful were a stroller, one of those walkie talkie thingy so i can hear the baby in the next room and an outdoors pack which includes the bag, a changing mat, small containers to put milk powder and feeding bottles and other things that u need when bringing the baby out. I also think educational toys suitable for newborns are great.