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Original poster

What new baby gifts did you really love/appreciate?

99 replies

rainonthewindow · 30/07/2019 20:47

Sorry if this thread has been done 1000 times! DSis is due soon and I’d like to get her something really lovely but I can’t make my mind up. I keep seeing so many lovely clothes and blankets etc but she’s bought/been given so many already.

What baby presents do you remember as being special? Things that you actually used and loved. Thanks all!

OP posts:

SamBeckett · 02/08/2019 20:19

Having no DCs myself I am not best positioned to answer but I do know a friend was so happy with some easy cook / m'wave food that can bee eaten with one hand. A good travel cup , but the best thing she had was when a very trusted friend would come round , wash the pots put a load in the washing machine & drier, make her a brew and snack and take the baby out for a walk . Half a hour or a hour of peace was worth tons more than any amount of teddies / toys / clothes etc

Stroan · 02/08/2019 20:29

Another vote for the huge Aden and Anaïs muslins or the Tuppence and Crumble star wrap. I've bought people Magnificent Stanley tops which have gone down well, really lovely but something it's hard to justify spending money on in the early days.

My friend made me up a little kit of bots and pieces for my hospital bag (little toiletries, hair bobbles, ear plugs etc) which was really thoughtful.

The only gift I got for me was really strong perfume which I couldn't bear to use as the baby then smelled of it. Some fancy shower gel would have been really lovely though, since actually making it into the shower was about as good as a spa day!

I tried ready hard to be grateful for every gift we got. By the time I opened the 27th blanket I was struggling!

Bebelicious · 02/08/2019 20:33

Not massively 'special' but was very handy getting clothes for all the slightly later age ranges (6-9mths, 9-12 etc). It was nice having a mix of everyone's different styles and was fun dressing her up, and not having to keep going shopping!

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MrsDilligaf · 02/08/2019 20:34

I bought a friend a couple of £10.00 deals and randomly popped round with a few more in the first few weeks. I thought it might be a bit cheeky initially but her and her DH really appreciated it. I'd definitely do that again.

The best present I received was a super comfy pair of Yoga pants, Alpaca socks and a cosy sweatshirt along with a box of Neals Yard goodies. I still wear the clothes now - DD is 3 and a half!

Dogsaresomucheasier · 02/08/2019 20:38

Voucher for one of those places that make a teddy out of baby grows.

sleepwhenidie · 02/08/2019 20:39

All of my favourite things were cashmere!

Beautiful striped baby blanket from Brora (used for all 3 DC’s)

A lovely shawl that was great for a little privacy when breastfeeding but kids still love to cuddle in it with me now (even the enormous 14yo DS1).

A Brora striped baby cardigan which I thought was ridiculously impractical and extravagant but was actually used loads and took 2 mins to hand wash as it’s so tiny - made gorgeous baby cuddles even snugglier! Don’t get the smallest size though because baby will grow out of it in a flash!

sleepwhenidie · 02/08/2019 20:40

Oh-nice pyjamas also fab for looking and feeling presentable even when you haven’t managed to get dressed! Yolke cotton ones are really lovely (silk even better but not v practical).

M0reGinPlease · 02/08/2019 20:59

My MIL brought me a fruit hamper to the hospital and it was a great gift. She'd made it up herself and chosen really fresh fruit. It was so lovely and I really appreciated having it in hospital and then also to take home.

redexpat · 02/08/2019 21:06

A swaddle
A travel blackout blind

No one bought me any food

ElevenOhFive · 02/08/2019 21:21

Another vote for the Tuppence and Crumble Star Wrap - I had no idea I needed this in my life until I received one from a kind friend. We have a November baby, and had various coats and pram suits which were fiddly with buttons and poppers - we ended up using the star wrap all the time, it just took the stress out of getting ready to go out!

It is now my go-to present for all new babies.

As for blankets - at last count I think we received fifteen in total. All beautiful, but we only managed to use about three of them, so the others just feel wasted.

Mammajay · 02/08/2019 21:42

What size did you get elevenohfive??

imsorryiasked · 02/08/2019 22:16

Cuski do the best large muslins. Also cuddle toys and blankets etc

CherryPavlova · 02/08/2019 22:25

We were given a giant redwood to plant with a message that they hoped our baby would grow to reach the skies above and keep to a straight path, so they could stand proud in so doing.
The tree has moved with us and is now hopefully planted in its final home. It’s about 30 feet now, so would be a challenge to move again. We think we’ll use it as a securing tree for a new treehouse when we have grandchildren.

Spanglyprincess1 · 02/08/2019 22:27

Honestly I got a good travel non spill mug, a nice bunch of flowers and a lovely big box of hotel chocolate chocolates. Best new baby gift ever.
I had so much stuff for ds that these things made me feel special as a new mom plus the mug was a lifesaver as every drink was a mission to make and drink

Londongirl888 · 02/08/2019 22:42

These are all lovely ideas so much to choose from.

I have a baby shower to go to my nephews girlfriend. I imagine there will be duplicates that is hard to avoid without spoiling a surprise.

What is the etiquette take gifts for baby or mum?

Want to do both.

Thank you

stealthbanana · 02/08/2019 22:49

Another vote for Aden & anais muslins, the bamboo ones are the best

A 5 pack of petit bateau long or short sleeved vests in 3 mo size - they’re so gorgeous and very practical

Brora cashmere blankets lovely if a winter baby

Books - you don’t use them as a newborn but it’s lovely to have the start of a little library

The single alphabet letter prints here are gorgeous: www.lukemartineau.com/prints/

Biscuiteers biscuits are different and delicious!

nervousFTM · 02/08/2019 22:55

Ergo (firm) nursing pillow. Used it every day while bf to save my back and now baby feeds herself while resting on it.

Cyclemad222 · 03/08/2019 06:42

hamper of deluxe hot choc plus lots of dried fruit to help with post-birth constipation
pram mittens that velcro on handle of pram and you just slip your hands in
homemade food especially fresh - a friend brought us stir fry all ready to stick in the wok, amazing
booze
playmat for baby on floor

What I would not get is anything lie flowers or plants that need looking after - another bloody thing to keep alive!

omione · 03/08/2019 09:25

A voucher for 5 hours worth of housework/ironing

NoIsACompleteAnswerSometimes · 03/08/2019 09:59

When my daughter was expecting her first, I got a box and each week when shopping I'd buy an item; shampoo, Sudocrem, nappies, maternity sanitary towels(yes I know, not a present but very useful!), muslins etc, generally boring stuff but so handy! I ended up with a massive box of stuff, she was most appreciative. Buying one or two items a week meant I never really noticed the cost.
On a practical note, she's been given a huge amount of clothes from people this time (8 bin bags of clothes just from my boss, for example) and they all needed washing and sorting. I've spent HOURS, and I do mean hours, washing and sorting them for her. I've got them in bags for life with ages and contents written on the outside, so when she's got the room ready she can just take them and put them away without having to check every sodding label, cos good old mum has done that for her!

BarryMcguigan · 03/08/2019 10:17

These were the things that's were so so useful to me!!
White noise toy - depending on budget and how 'cute' you want it to be. The Ewan dean sheep and the myhummy are the cute ones. With Myhummy getting extra points because it can be non stop - I've got an amazon non stop white noise toy that's small enough to clip to buggy or cot if we're travelling and it's a lifesaver. (Owl shaped)
Small portable nightlight - there's an egg shaped one from amazon and it's so so useful as it's dimmable and can be covered with blankets and doesn't overheat (mine was always somewhere in my bed to help with breastfeeding in the night and nappy changes)
Huuge water bottle, if she's breastfeeding it's thirsty work!!

queenbeeof2 · 18/09/2019 10:06

You can never go wrong with a baby muslin, but if you are buying it for a gift then try and choose something really special rather than the plain white one's that everyone uses - it's always nice to have a 'special' one for days out. The Aden and Anais one's are the best, I have found and I bought my friends them from The Baby Hamper Company along with a few pampering treats for the new mum

agteacht · 18/09/2019 11:15

This is a great thread thank you all, have saved some ideas to buy for my own baby due in December x

Branleuse · 18/09/2019 11:18

funny, but out of all presents i got, i can only remember the huge multipack of baby wipes, as it was useful

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