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The 10 Most Practical Gifts I Received At My Baby Shower

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Last Updated on January 22, 2024 by Allison Lancaster

Baby showers are fun events that most of us look forward to for our baby boy or girl. Whether you’re hosting your own or attending someone’s baby shower party, finding the perfect gift can be gruelling. Here are the top 10 most practical baby shower gift ideas to include in your baby registry.

Having a baby shower is one of the best events of my life so far. We were blessed with some great gifts! While we loved each and every one of them, we have used some of them more than others now that our little one is here.

If you know of someone who is expecting, or you are expecting a precious one, this post is for you. There is a sea of information out there about baby products, gifts, etc. and it can be very overwhelming to new moms.

That’s why I compiled this easy and practical gift guide if you’re having trouble looking for the ideal gift set to give, especially if you’re working from home and have no time to scramble for ideas.

Here is a roundup of the 10 Most Practical Gifts to Give at A Baby Shower that I independently selected for you.

*You can click on photos to purchase items*

  1. Diapers. Whether the mom is cloth diapering, using a diaper bag, disposable diapers will be necessary for any new (or repeat) mom! When people told us that we might go through a lot of diapers, we didn’t believe them at first, but it’s amazing the sheer number of diapers you go through.
diapers

ir?t=lovinglivingl 20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00TX1KIF42.Dr. Brown’s Bottles. This is really personal preference. A dear friend (hey, Misty!) recommended Dr. Brown’s Bottles, so we registered for them. If you don’t have much time to do some research on the bottle market, this is an astounding find.

Sure, some people complain about all of the parts that come with them, but I would so much rather wash a set that includes a few additional parts, than use other bottles. We have tried samples of several other brands and Levi doesn’t like any of them quite like the Dr. Brown’s

Each little one is different, but either way, you will need bottles. Yes, even if you are breastfeeding, eventually, you will use bottles!

bottles

3. Velcro Swaddles. These things are amazing. When you are post delivery, your mind is a little foggy. So, swaddling with a blanket, at least for me, almost had me in tears a few times. 

Neither of us were good at swaddling with a blanket, so these swaddles were a life saver!

swaddler

4. Fisher Price Snugapuppy Swing. This has been yet another lifesaver for us. This is perfect for when you are working in the office during the day and you want your baby to do some swings and watch you work.

This is a larger swing, but it’s so sturdy and with three dogs, I don’t worry about them going over and licking his face or hands like I would with one of the ones that is lower to the ground. The liner is removable/washable and trust me, we have removed and washed a few times after those fun blowouts.

swing

5. Purex Laundry Detergent. Yes, there are other baby detergents out there that smell amazing, but they’re almost triple the cost of this. I picked up a bottle of it to try before and we haven’t had any issues with it irritating our baby’s skin. 

It smells amazing to me, and the freshness can’t be beat!

purex

6. ir?t=lovinglivingl 20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00412S07IBaby Wipes. I know this isn’t a ‘fun’ gift, but trust me, diapers and wipes are so practical! This was another thing that people would say “You won’t believe how many you use”, and I would go “Yeah, ok”. 

I use them for EVERYTHING. Besides the obvious uses, I also use them to wipe down clothes after a blowout before I wash them in the sink, to wipe spit up off of my clothes, to wipe my phone screen after it gets spit up on it (or who knows what else), to wipe our dogs down after it’s been raining and they’ve been outside, and lastly, to wipe toys down with. Seriously, baby wipes are amazing!

wipes


7. ir?t=lovinglivingl 20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005DLCJX2 Tervis Tumbler. This is a fun gift for mom! You can use this Tervis Tumbler everyday, ya’ll. Fill it up with water, tea, and in the mornings most of the time with coffee. 

If you are breastfeeding, you’re going to drink a ton of fluids! So this is perfect if you need something on the go with you all the time.

You will spend most of the first few weeks breastfeeding, and having a glass of water nearby is a life saver. These come in so many cute designs and have stainless steel inside that they are a great ‘must have’ for new moms. 

While you are at it, get her a pack of straws! Also a ‘must have’ in the hospital and those first few days/weeks at home.

tumbler

8. ir?t=lovinglivingl 20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00RVXNI4ERestaurant Gift Cards. No matter how much meal planning you do, how many freezer meals you make, or how many casseroles are brought, sometimes dinner just isn’t ready when you want it.

Maybe you will forget to put the freezer meal in the crockpot. Things happen, and at some point, you will want to order food or go out to eat after the baby arrives. 

Restaurant gift cards are amazing for new moms, *most of them* don’t expire and you can use them for a date night or just after a day has been really hectic, you may want to grab dinner out.

gift card

9. MAM Pacifiers. I swore up and down before we had Levi that I wouldn’t give him a paci, but fast forward to a 10 day NICU stay. Two of those days, he was on IV fluids and they wouldn’t let him eat. I quickly threw that oath of “no pacis” out the window and gave him one. 

He still is not very dependent on the paci unless he is really tired, but they help! I have tried several brands with him, but he loves the MAM brand pacis and these glow in the dark ones are amazing when you are fumbling around at 3 am looking for it!

paci

10. Skip Hop Nightlight & Melodies Soother. I may have saved the best for last. This thing is AHHHMAZING. When we were in the hospital for Levi’s extended NICU stay, there was one night where nothing would soothe him. 

He seriously did not sleep from midnight until 4 am. Know what put him to sleep? When the nurse came in to give him his IV antibiotics through this very loud pump. 

He was OUT. As soon as the pump cut off he was right back up. 

So, that’s when I had my husband bring his soother/sound machine to the hospital. The next night, he slept wonderfully. We have this in our room, since he still sleeps in our room, and he loves it. 

This sound machine has several different sounds (ocean, heartbeat, nursery rhymes, etc.) and the owl’s belly is a nightlight–which is wonderful for those 3 am stumbles to the bathroom and back. 

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this soother!

owl

This list is perfect for moms who want something easy yet useful to give at a baby shower party. So don’t stress too much because I created this especially for you. I hope this encourages you to go for the practical route when gift giving!

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8 Comments

  1. Those are all wonderful gifts! Getting diapers is so awesome because you know you’ll need them and that is something you NEVER want to run out of. The velcro swaddles we loved as well. Made life so much easier.

  2. Good to know! I’m actually going to a baby shower this weekend where they asked for mostly diapers!

  3. All of them are cute gifts – i think any mom would appreciate them 🙂

  4. Everything depends on the parents’ preferences about the gift (if you know them well…). To make the gift more personal, I’d gather everything in a box and call it let’s say “my baby’s starter kit” with some diapers, wipes, a laundry detergent, pacifier, bib, a bottle.. just the most practical stuff every baby needs. 🙂

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