Cute outfits the baby will likely outgrow before she can wear them. Stuffed animals that will collect dust until he’s three. Twenty five different rattles. Sound familiar?
Many of us, myself included, have probably gifted new moms and dads similar items. When I became a mom myself, I realized that even though any gift we received was given with thought and appreciated by us, there were some that were a bit more useful than others. Then there were some that were super unique, whether they were “useful” or not. My favourite baby gifts to give (and receive) are the ones that we truly really, really need as parents, or the sentimental unique baby gifts that moms and dads will keep forever.
If you’re looking for that awesome baby gift, the one that mom and dad may possibly shed a tear over, or the one they’ll be calling to thank you for a week after their little one is born, check out this list of unique and useful baby gifts. They’re tried and tested and will be much appreciated!
12 Unique and Useful Baby Gifts Parents Will Love to Receive
Sound Machine – Yes, my friends, this is one of THE most useful gifts you can give a mom and dad. The Sleep Sheep is wonderful and all but the sound only lasts for a set amount of time, while a sound machine lasts all night. We used this white noise wonder for years. I’m not sure what we would have done without it. Since babies are so used to a noisy womb, sound machines are wondrous little boxes that help babies sleep. We’ve dealt with our fair share of baby sleep issues, and this sound machine is one of my most recommended useful baby gifts.
Nose Frida Snot Sucker – This handy dandy tool is AH-mazing. Yes, my friends, the snot sucker. Possibly the most useful baby gift, ever. If you haven’t heard of it, then acquaint yourself. This is by far one of the most necessary baby items ever! It does what it says. You’ll need it. Mom and Dad will thank you profusely. End of story.
Personalized Book – Unique baby gifts and keepsake mementos are so nice to receive. I am in love with pretty much all of Uncommon Good’s unique baby gifts, but their personalized books are a favourite in our home. We gifted one to baby K and she absolutely loves it. Her face lights up every time she hears her name read. The personalized Goodnight Little Me book is an amazing book that will grow with the child and definitely be kept forever. I could seriously spend hours checking out Uncommon Good’s site and I love how committed the company is to green and sustainable gifts and practices. I especially love their kids gifts section. At the same time as receiving baby K’s book, we gifted big K a personalized pirate adventure book as his “awesome big brother” present and he is kind of in love with it. His name and other personal details are incorporated on every page and he gets right into his own little pirate adventure.
Teething Jewellery/Chew Beads – When it comes to unique and useful baby shower gifts, I love to think about not only the baby, but also the mama. I mean, come on, she’s doing some hard work, growing a baby for nine months, birthing the baby, and then feeding and caring for this little one 24/7. Along with some pampering items and natural postpartum care items, teething jewellery and chew beads are a favourite. These necklaces are gorgeous and also super handy for teething babies. If you just want straight-up chew beads, these are pretty awesome. I’m also in love with everything in LouLouLollipop Finery’s Etsy shop and have two of their gorgeous necklaces that I wear often.
Baby Photography – This one is an amazing unique and useful baby gift! Go in with some friends or family members to gift the new parents something they won’t ever forget. The newborn photos we had taken of K by our amazing photographer friend are one of my most treasured memories. Photos are something that pretty much everyone thinks of as their most important possession, and I don’t think there is one parent that wouldn’t love this unique baby gift.
Humidifier – Another useful baby gift, this ultrasonic cool mist humidifer is one of the most useful things we have in our home, hands down. Little one gets a cold? Turn the humidifier on. A bit mucous-y? Humidifier. Winter air drying their skin out? Humidifier. Sick with a bad cold or cough? Humidifier to the rescue. We have used ours so much, it’s pretty much a workhorse. It’s an amazingly useful baby gift.
Personalized Engraved Baby Block – We received this gorgeous engraved baby block when baby K was born and it made me cry. It is one of the most thoughtful, memorable and unique baby gifts, plus I love that it’s all natural and finished with eco-friendly beeswax. It contains all the important details of her birth – her name, location (with a cute heart on a map), date and time, birth weight, and even a sweet quote. Trust me, this will evoke tears.
Keepsake Box – Another personalized and unique baby gift is this gorgeous keepsake box. Not only does this sustainable bamboo box have your baby’s zodiac sign and picture, it includes their name and birthdate. You can use it to store any special newborn items – photos, first outfit, birth certificate, etc. It’s such a thoughtful gift and the perfect way to keep those special mementos. Uncommon Goods has some super cute baby shower gifts and I love that they also have a little profile of the gift/product creator so you can see exactly who you’re supporting.
Restaurant Gift Certificates – Okay, so I know this doesn’t technically fall into the realm of “gifts for babies”, but this is totally a useful gift because it’s something that mom and dad will be so appreciative of. Maybe they’ll order in take-out on one of those nights where their little one doesn’t get to sleep until 10pm and they have no energy to make food. Or maybe they’ll save it for a much-needed date night. Either way, gift them with some certificates to use for food to fuel themselves during those early months, and they’ll be happy.
Sophie the Giraffe – What is is about Sophie? I don’t know, but babies LOVE this all-natural squeaky teether. She’s been around for decades in France and since being introduced in North America, she is one of THE most popular and useful baby gifts ever. She’s simple and provides your teething babe with much-needed relief. Every baby (and parent) needs one.
Coupons – Free night of babysitting. Two hours of cleaning. Laundry. Dishes. You name it. Make the parents a fun little DIY coupon book that they can cash in on whenever need be. Coming from a busy and tired mom, this will be a favourite and useful baby gift!
Food Gear – While the solid food and sippy cup stage can seem like it will take forever to reach when you have a newborn, all you’ll need to do is blink and before you know it, you’ll have a 6 month old who is ready to start chowing down on some fruit and veggies. Ensuring mom and dad have baby food gear to get started will save them a lot of hassle. I have done way too much research on the safest, least toxic baby feeding gear and here are a few of our favourites:
- Safe Sippy – This stainless steel cup is awesome. It goes from a sippy cup to a straw cup and you can remove the handles, making it an awesome investment that will grow with your child. We love ours!
- WOW Cup – If your little one can’t yet get the hang of the Safe Sippy, the WOW cup is a great beginner alternative that is also free of BPA, lead, phthalates and latex.
- Bamboo Feeding Gear – I am in love with Avanchy’s bamboo and silicone feeding gear. The bowls and plates have stay-put suction and the spoons double as teethers. How amazing are they?
- Feeding Set – Eco Bamboo also makes the most adorable little feeding sets, all made out of sustainable bamboo. A divider plate, cup and fork and spoon come with the set. K chose one out for his little sister for her first birthday and she was so excited to receive it, she couldn’t stop trying to take sips out of her cup. So cute!
- Feeding Set – These eco-friendly bibs are awesome! They catch food and can be easily wiped, which is amazing as who wants to throw a bib in the wash every single time it gets dirty?
- Food Mat – I just love these non-toxic mats that suction to the table. Genius idea!
I’d love to know what some of your favourite baby gifts were. Comment on this post to let me know.
Stop by HEN Family’s Baby board for tons of baby tips, activities and play ideas, as well as nursery inspiration.
Love these gift ideas they are practical and sentimental. Its so difficult to know what to buy new parents, babies tend to collect so much stuff its hard to know what is going to be useful or not. I recently bought some wall art as a gift from a range of nursery accessories it looked perfect in my friends newly decorate nursery. My friend was very thankful it wasn’t another set of baby grows to have to wash! http://www.cuckooland.com/dnc/cuckooland/category/3438/wallpaper-wall-art