Baby showers can be one of the best parties to attend. But trying to figure out what to give, without busting your budget, can be daunting. Here are a few baby shower gift ideas to get the wheels turning in your brain and keep your bank account full.
Don’t forget the groceries
This is one of those places that most shoppers tend to overlook when it comes to things other than groceries. Next time you are picking up a bag of groceries from the store, take a walk down the baby aisle. More often than not, you will find a great sale not only on diapers and baby food, but baby lotions, pacifiers, sippy cups and more. These are all items that can easily be turned into a cute baby shower gift, like a baby basket. Also, take a look down the laundry detergent aisle. Sales on “Baby-friendly” and “Free and Clear” detergents pop up quite a bit. Practical and thoughtful.
3 months and beyond
When guests go shopping for baby gifts and get caught up in all the cute little outfits and fun little toys, they forget that those things are mostly temporary. Sippy cups, crib sheets and baby socks are just a few things that will last much longer that the first few months. But don’t just grab a few in size 0 to 3 months and call it a day; make sure to be a responsible gift giver and think ahead.
Give gifts to other members of the family
Keep in mind that you don’t always have to go “full baby” at a shower. The parents or older siblings can be the recipients of your baby shower gift too. So often, other members of the family can be neglected when a new baby arrives. Create a “date night” basket filled with a video store gift card, large popcorn tub and a box of microwave popcorn. Or, for the older siblings, create a gift filled with cool toys or crafts for them to play with while visiting mom at the hospital.
The gift of time
Do you love to babysit? Are you a good cook? Do you have a knack for cleaning and organising? Then offer up those services as a gift. Most moms won’t ever think to ask for help, so offering it up to them before it even comes to mind is a great gift. New moms tend to not have much time to cook a quality meal, so you can offer up your services there.
Either make a plan to come by the first few weeks after the baby is born to cook a meal for her in-house, or cook some of your “never fail, always taste great” meals and drop them off to her a few days after the baby is delivered. Make sure to offer these services to her at the shower so she knows that you would love to be on the short list of people she’ll can depend on during her time of need.
Safety first
Advise the mom-to-be to speak to an Indwe Risk Services consultant to check her insurance cover before baby arrives. Visit www.indwerisk.co.za or call 0860 13 13 14.
