Another Baby Shower, Another Burpcloth

So you’re invited to a baby shower or you’re expecting, and wondering what to put on your baby registry, but aren’t sure what to get. Well, there are plenty of lists out there for you to get ideas on all the baby essentials. But if you’re tired of giving, or getting, burpcloths, onesies, and all the typical baby shower gifts then read on!

Should I get the receiving blanket or bath set?

When I was invited to baby showers, before I had my own kid, that’s the question I always asked myself. But after having a child, I realized all the things that I would’ve really liked to have had….Besides more sleep of course.

Forget the Baby, Think of the Mom

Yes, cute onesies are great for “Oh, isn’t that adorbs!” comments at the shower. And who doesn’t like a diaper cake for it’s prettiness and practicality? But you can let the other shower guests bring all that stuff. You want to bring something for the person who the shower is for – the MOM! She will greatly appreciate it!

Overlooked New Mom Essentials

The following three things should be on every new moms baby registry;

1. Breast milk strips

   Before you start to think I was, or am, a raging alcoholic, let me assure you that I’ve never been. However, I am all for moms taking care of themselves so that they can best take care of their babies. And if that means having a drink to unwind sometimes, well, so be it! But White Russians, as delicious as they are, aren’t exactly good for babies, so breastmilk should be checked for alcohol if the mom has been drinking. Every mom metabolizes alcohol at a different rate so you can’t be sure when it’s been cleared from your system. That’s where these handy little strips come in. I give it to every new mom because she’s already sacrificed so much for her baby (waistline, diet, freedom, sanity, etc.), why not give a little semblance of personhood back?

2. Under eye roller

   Any new mom is going to have some serious under eye baggage. Help her look her best for all those mom and new baby pics! You can find under eye rollers in the cosmetic area of probably every drug store. They’re awesome because not only do they de-puff under eye baggage, but they soothe and cool as you roll it on.

3. Tinted lip balm

   Not only will lip balm moisturize but a tinted one will add a little color for those pictures every one will be snapping. It’s just another small way for the mom to feel like her old self again.

4. Hand lotion

   If you didn’t already know, there’s a ton of hand washing involved when handling a newborn. If it’s not hand washing, then it’s rubbing down with hand sanitizer. Both of which, are very drying on the hands. A good hand lotion will go a long way in helping the mom not end up with dishpan hands. Plus, nobody wants to be touching their baby with craggly sandpaper hands! Note: Look for a lotion that is all natural and unscented. Because whatever is on mom’s hands will end up on the baby. Baby skin is extremely sensitive so you don’t want just whatever touching them. Also, some babies are highly sensitive to smells so that lavender that you thought was divine, may want to make them puke.

Bonus Gift Ideas

I say “bonus” here because unlike the first four gift ideas above, these are any time ideas and not your usual ooh-and-aah tied with a ribbon gift ideas. But you know what? All of these ideas would be perfect for a prego lady (except for the breast milk strips – duh)!

“What Can I Do for You?”

As a new mom, I loved hearing this question. But, honestly, I really didn’t know how to answer it. I mean, if I could’ve shared my brain with the offeror, then we could’ve worked something out. But as it was, I couldn’t think of anything.

Now that I am a mom, I definitely could answer this question without hesitation!

Here are three things that any new mom would love;

1. Prepped Frozen Meals

   Although those gigantic casseroles and lasagnas are always welcome, making them into more user friendly portions is even better. As thoughtful as giving a meal to the new parents is, it’s also giving them work because they have to defrost and split it up, if they aren’t going to eat all of it in one or two sittings, and there’s the clean up afterwards. It’s much more helpful to give them portions they can finish in one sitting. If you hate making waste then use smaller glass or microwave safe containers. Although I hate to be wasteful, sometimes you do what you gotta do. So if you need to use disposable aluminum foil pans, then do that. Then they can keep these homemade “tv dinners” in the freezer and pop them into the microwave (not the foil panned ones, silly!) or oven. If you give them a reusable container, offer to pick the containers up for cleaning (see below) and for refills! And don’t forget to include directions on how to heat them up!

2. Housecleaning

   When I was a new mom, everyone told me not to worry about keeping the house clean and that no one would die if I left dirty dishes in the sink. But you know what? It just really stressed me out to see dust bunnies (more like dust tumbleweeds) on the very floor that my baby was playing on. And, I don’t care what anyone says. It’s embarrassing to have a messy house when people pop-in to see the new baby. And I am by no means a neat freak or type A about cleanliness (I’m type A about too many other things already)! So a gift certificate for a maid service or an offering to come over and do a chore (clean dishes, vacuum, laundry, etc.) would help a new mom greatly.

3. Time-Off

   One of the best gifts a friend of mine received, when she had her second child, was the gift of time by herself. A good friend of hers came and told her to go do whatever she wanted while the friend took care of her four year old and newborn. My friend was able to sleep and take a long deserved hot shower. (It’s the little things isn’t it?) She felt like a new person just from doing that. Most moms are too busy taking care of everyone else to even think about taking time off from being a mommy or spouse or sister or whatever. Moms don’t usually know what’s best for them even though they know what’s best for everyone else. So don’t hesitate to nudge that mom out of her nest so she can take care of herself for a moment.

These bonus ideas can be presented to the mom-to-be at a baby shower by making a voucher and slipping it in an envelope with a card. Or you could get really fancy and make a coupon book to give to them. How about a gift basket and include ALL 7 of the above listed things?

Did you give or get these gifts? How did they or you like it?

Or, did you find the perfect fit for an expectant mom or new mom that wasn’t listed here? Do tell! Maybe I’ll add it to the list!