I know, I know it's been done to death, but best baby gift?

[IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece]

Friend is having her first baby and everyone else in our group of friends has gone mental with clothes and toys etc...and I want o be practical (I'm always the ever boring practical one )

They've had to move back in with her parents so things like meals delivered etc won't be of much use (as her mother has told me strongly...

Tia!

yy to Aden and Anais giant muslins. We bought a box of four when Dd was born and they still look like new after DC2. We still use them to make dens under tge dining table

babysitting vouchers and a bottle of gin

I wish someone had bought me the john Lewis rainbow Muslims. They are about thirty quid so a total luxury you would never buy for yourself and they are SO beautiful.

Sophie the giraffe is good but also go round with a lasagne or pasta bake, garlic bread, salad, dressing, paper plates and some ready chopped fruit.

And ofer to hold the baby whislt she showers and blow dries hair

Snack/ breakfast bars, yy to the thermal mug, a baby carrier such as a Baby Bjorn if you can afford it.

Good food for the parents. Not just cake and biscuits, but a full meal/day of main course, prepared veg and pudding. Home made or ready meals. I still remember this six years later, long beyond all the socks and cardies.

Things we were bought that i liked were
blankets (so useful to have one in every room plus the pram, car, although thought I had too many to start with!)
Muslins (yes I already had tons but posh ones are nice)
Nice chocs or biscuits esp if breastfeeding as you genuinely need the calories!
Travel change mat- again thought I had too many but useful to have several.

Other useful things:
Water bottle like the camelbak eddy that you can operate with one hand.
Contigo travel mug as it's completely leak proof
Amazon prime membership
Spare phone charger
External hard drive to back up all the photos!! Or spare memory cards if you know which type.
Cheeky wipes - reusable wipes - Esp if they are even slightly environmentally conscious

Things that weren't so exciting but obviously am grateful for:
Lamaze toys (she does love them but we have 8 including 3 emily dolls)
Sophie giraffe (we have three)
Fancy /fiddly outfits and dresses in newborn and 0-3m size
Wrong season / size clothes for her (eg 6-9m winter clothes which will fit her may-August)

If you buy clothes you might want to include a gift receipt as what I've done with some of the clothes is swap them for different sizes so as to spread the lovely new clothes out across the year a bit rather than them all be finished with by 3months.

Mini Boden vouchers would be fun to spend.

Go to marks and spencers and get a load of meal/ snacks/ soup things xxx

One of the best things I got was half a dozen massive packs of eco-friendly, ruinously expensive disposable nappies. Too expensive to buy yourself, but perfect for having around in those first few days where you are all NOTHING NOT PERFECTLY PERFECT IS TOUCHING MY BABY. (And then you realise and go for all the cheapie terrible nappies afterwards.)

Mamamio tummy rub oil - for mum
Lamaze toys/ sophie - I didn't get any of these given to me
A spiral thingy for the pram
Lovely Muslins - frugi do the most gorgeous soft Muslins
A snoozy shade for the pram - an absolute godsend
These were our lifesavers:
www.scratchsleeves.co.uk

Things I wouldn't want - smellies for the babies - I prefer to choose my own due to sensitive skin
Blankets - lovely but was given more than I needed
Knitted stuff - irritating for babies skin
Baby grows without fold over mitts
"Outfits" such a jeans, shirts etc. Not for a newborn - I swapped these for older ages if I could.

I was swamped with muslins and only ever used one, found it a waste of time and still have unopened packs of the things, I also had too many small vests and although I made the effort to use them many of them were only worn once.

The handiest things were the things you know you'll use such as wipes, baby bubble bath/shampoo and other toiletries.
Also a sleeping bag, it was much handier than blankets as she used to untuck them.

We bought her a Charlie Bear, it's a proper jointed bear and was about £40 but I'm hoping she'll have it for life and maybe pass it down, I'm almost 40 and still have the special teddy bear given to me as a baby that Dad had bought for Mom when they first started dating.