Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Baby shower DOs and DON'Ts
Hey guys, it's Liz.
You might remember I had my baby shower about a year ago. Haydin is 10 months old now so I've had plenty of time to reflect on all the wonderful gifts we received and think about the whole shower process.
I guess that's why a lot of people recently have been asking me for advice on baby shower gifts.
That got me thinking a little bit about the subject so I thought I'd come up with a list of some DOs and DON'Ts for parents to be and guests of showers.
(This is just my opinion so feel free to use or not use anything I say.)
Parents, DO register and guests, DO buy presents off the registry!
Nowadays, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't register for baby shower gifts. No matter the size of your shower or the number of things you think you need, it is so simple and makes things easier for everyone if you create a registry!
People will always add things from other stores or things they would like you to have, but you should at least have the registry as your foundation for the most important things. Also, when the shower is over you can quickly determine what you may still need.
Parents DO register for EVERYTHING you think you'll need and register for more than you expect to get. You won't get everything, but you might be surprised. We had some friends who spent hundreds of dollars on Haydin!
Anyway, we registered at Babies R Us and it was so easy and took about an hour. Then people could just go to any store location or online to www.babiesrus.com and pick out whatever gifts they wanted and have it shipped to us or them or however they wanted to do it. There are a ton of stores where you can register and it works the same way.
DO register because it is the only way to ensure you'll end up getting some of the things you actually need versus the things people love to buy!!!
For example, people LOVE to buy baby clothes. They are so cute, and it's almost impossible to walk by some of the tiny outfits, shoes, etc. they have without wanting to throw them in the cart.
Baby clothes are FINE, but you don't want a whole shower of cute clothes!
Especially TINY itty bitty clothes that the baby will outgrow in a few weeks.
Here is some advice on clothes --
(I would still suggest getting something off the registry -- maybe something small -- and ALSO some clothes... )
Guests, DON'T buy the tiniest little outfits. With Haydin, we had so many tiny things she didn't even get to wear about 1/2 of them! She was mostly in little white T-shirts and onesies until she was about 3 months old anyway. She didn't really need that many cute little frilly dresses etc.
So if you insist on buying clothes, get the ones that are a little bigger -- 3 months, 6 months, even 9 – 12 months! Trust me the parents WILL appreciate the bigger stuff once they realize how quickly these little ones grow!
Also pay attention to the seasons. I can't tell you how many cute little summer outfits we got for Haydin (who was born in August,) but by the time she could fit into them (a couple months later) it was fall.
Think about when the baby is DUE and how old they will be at the time they'll fit into the outfit.
Also remember gender (if you know) and don't get the most girly little outfit if you know Mom just won't dress her kid like that. Luckily I didn't have that problem -- I am a girly, girly, girl. :)
Some clothes babies can always use more of: bibs (get dark colors they stain!), onesies, little plain t-shirts, socks and diapers of course (also don't buy the tiniest diapers the parents will get a lot of these and won't need as many as they will the stage 2s and 3s!)
Other things parents might not realize they'll need LOTS of, at least we did with Haydin:
pacifiers (she loses them a lot), blankets and little swaddling cloths (you can never have too many!), bath stuff, wipes, diaper cream, bottle brushes, baby q-tips, baby tylenol, baby spoons and dishes for eating, sippy cups, bottles, crib sheets, baby washcloth, baby towels, books – the thick cardboard kind they can play with , teething toys, toys that make music
This is just stuff I have bought and thought "WOW I thought I got plenty at the baby shower" but we could have used EVEN more. (Keep in mind this is all for Haydin and all babies are different... )
Anyway, also here is some stuff we found to be MOST useful for her and use all the time. Definitely register for these things if you don't have them already:
swing (haydin loved it whenever she got cranky we just plopped her in there.)
Pack and play (she could sleep in there, get changed on there, etc. and it's all in the living room so it was GREAT!)
Highchair, oh you'll be using this later!!!!
Boppy pillow I love it, Haydin loves it. Many uses.
Crib toys, Haydin has a mobile and the little light up aquarium and she loves both
Bassinet (you'll like it for those 1st few weeks to have baby in your room really helps!)
baby tub
bottle drying rack
car seat
stoller (get a nice one you'll use it a lot)
Here is some stuff I would recommend you get used if you can and don't bother spending the money on new stuff for the registry:
crib, changing table, baby dresser, other furniture, larger toys like saucer, little ride on car, piano, etc. as long as they're in good condition
One thing I am iffy on is the backpack/ sling thing... I see a ton of parents carrying their kids this way, but it just never happened with Haydin. I dunno if it's because she was born in August and was little pretty much through the winter when we weren't outside walking much, but every time we went anywhere with her she was either in her stroller or we carried her. Just evaluate how you think you'll be with this because we registered for a SLING and BACKPACK and both were pretty expensive and never got used.
And finally, guests, here are some presents I wouldn't recommend for the baby shower...
DON't buy the brand new baby a lot of ...
tiny shoes, tiny hats for newborns (we never used them and had about 15) decorations for the room, scrap booking stuff, picture frames, stuffed animals that are huge and other impractical things the kid won't use or even know about for years.
It's better to just stick to the things the parents are going to need to do their jobs and let them acquire the toys, decorations for the room etc. as the kid gets older. That's just my opinion!!!
We had a great baby shower and honestly did get most of the stuff on our registry. Even most of the stuff that wasn't off the registry ended up being great! I would just recommend as a guest that if you're going to get something creative like that you maybe get something small off the registry as well. Just so the parents know you care!
Oh and cash / checks are always good too!
Haha!
Hope this helped a little bit!
X Liz
You must be logged in to post a comment.