The arrival of a child is a huge milestone for any parent. After the long wait of pregnancy, a new life finally arrives, and it is suddenly hectic and exciting and exhausting and incredible. All at the same time. As a friend of the new parents you would no doubt be looking to provide a suitable gift to mark the occasion. Knowing what to buy isn’t always obvious though, especially if you have never had a child of your own. In fact, even knowing where to start can be quite hard to fathom. So, if you are that person who is completely clueless about baby gifts, here are a few ideas to get you going.
Stand out from the crowd
Some things you can never have enough of. Baby clothing is an example of this as little ones tend to go through clothes at a furious rate. They might not be able to walk or feed themselves, but they are certainly capable of making big messes. They also grow very quickly and before you know it, the baby-grow that fitted perfectly three weeks ago is suddenly to small. But the reality is that a lot of people will gift clothing, either hand-me-downs from their own children or new items. Stand out from the crowd by sourcing designer baby clothes or something a little different from the mass-produced items that everyone else will buy.
Alcohol can work
This might sound like a very strange gift to give a baby, but it is a gift with gravitas and longevity. Buy a bottle of whiskey or port, or something that will age well. The goal is that it is something that you and the baby can enjoy in 18 years-time when the little one is not so little any more. It is something fun and something different and it will almost certainly be well received by the parents.
Go for a practical option
Babies bring with them a whole lot of new expenses and changes. The reality is that the parents need to buy so much new stuff that you almost can’t go wrong with a practical gift. It could be nappies or rash cream or bath products – almost anything. Certainly, no parent has ever said that they had too many diapers. Diapers are expensive and at the rate that infants go through them being able to tap into a large stock-pile is a very welcome thing for most parents. And if disposable is not the way of choice for the family that you are gifting, cloth diapers or nappy covers are just as awesome.
Gift of time
Sometimes the best gift that you can give is an act of service rather than an actual thing. New parents are exhausted most of the time so offer to cook meals or clean and tidy or to take a shift changing nappies once a week. Whatever it is, just being able to relieve a bit of pressure on the parents is a gift in itself. They will probably want to spend the time that you are there sleeping – let them. Being a parent is exhausting.