10 Baby Shower Gifts Your Friends Will Actually Use (& Love!)
This past week, I co-hosted a baby shower for a sweet friend. She is expecting her first baby girl after two sweet boys! It was so fun to get together with friends, plan a pink party and celebrate her.
Watching her open her gifts made me think about my own baby shower. I found out I was pregnant with my daughter in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. My pregnancy experience was very different than what I expected it to be. I didn’t get to go into stores and test drive strollers or browse through baby aisles. Instead, I had to shop online and just guess what I wanted. Luckily, I have amazing friends who still made me feel showered and loved.
To me, the perfect recipe for a baby shower or wedding gift is this. Choose one item from the person’s registry. Then pair it with an item that is more personalized. That way, you are gifting your friend something they need, plus a unique gift that’s just from you. They’ll think of you every time they use it!
Here’s my list of 10 Baby Showers Gifts your friends will actually use… and love! As an Amazon Associate, I do receive commission if you choose to shop from my links.
1. Jelly Cat Stuffed Animals
These sweet stuff animals are so soft, and they only get better with hugs and ware! My daughter still loves her Jelly Cats that she was gifted before she was born. There are a wide variety of animals to choose from to match any nursery theme. I like to pair a Jelly Cat with a little book or maybe a custom baby blanket or outfit. If you’re local, my friend Tracey just opened a custom machine embroidery company called Hollingsworth Embroidery. Her products are beautiful and would make a perfect pairing for your Jelly Cat!
2. Carter’s 2-way Zipper Pajamas
My friends, these are not just for sleeping. My daughter lived in these 2-way zip-up pajamas for basically the first three months of her life. These pajamas have the magic 2-way zipper. It allows you to change your baby’s diaper in the middle of the night without having to completely undress them. Have you ever tried to soothe a baby back to sleep after they’re cold and angry from being woken up? Nope, not fun at all. The 2-way zipper is total game changer. Babies need lots of changes of clothes for spit up, “poo-plosions” and other baby-related messes. These come in packs of lots of fun colors and patterns for boys, girls, and “gender surprise” babies!
3. The Boppy
The Boppy is advertised as a “nursing/feeding support lounger,”but it can be used for so much more. I used it countless times during my daughter’s first year of life. For feeding, tummy time, and when baby is learning to sit up. It’s truly a wonderful thing! Boppy also makes tons of covers. You can change out the design of your Boppy to match the style of your nursery.
4. Hatch Sound Machine
I genuinely use the item every single night, to this day! The Hatch Sound Machine has tons of different sounds and light choices. You can also control the sound machine from your phone! My daughter’s room is right off the kitchen. We turn up the sound to drown out the noise of pots and pans banging around. This is truly a product that baby can use throughout his or her childhood!
5. Copper Pearl Bandana Drool Bibs
One thing I was slightly unprepared for with my new baby was the amount of drool. My baby was the drooliest child I had ever seen. She was constantly soaking through her clothes! She even got little bumps on her chest from being wet all the time. I tried millions of different kinds of bibs and bandanas that she’d run through in minutes. Let me tell y’all that these are the BEST drool bibs out there. These bibs are super absorbent. They have a nice wide coverage on the neck and chest. They’re soft to the touch, and come in a huge variety of colors and patterns. I absolutely love these!
6. aden + anais Burp Cloths
You don’t just use burp cloths for spit up y’all… you use them for everything. Drool, dribbled milk, snot, you name it. During those first few months, I had a burp cloth within arm’s reach at all times. These are the absolute best. They’re huge, super-absorbent, and have a nifty little button that let you turn the burp cloth into a bib. The patterns are so sweet, and many have matching blankets or bibs to coordinate. The pink swan print in particular is so sweet for Lakeland girlies!
7. Wellements Organic Cough Syrup
Alright, hear me out on this one… The thought of giving someone medicine as a gift may not sound very appealing. This is something that you don’t think about needing, until you really need it. Like, at 2:00 a.m. when your baby has just come down with their first case of the Daycare Crud. Please do not give your child any over-the-counter medicine without first consulting with your child’s pediatrician.
8. Fansidi Baby Nail File
Another thing new parents don’t think about (at least, I didn’t) is that yeah… babies grow nails. I absolutely hated cutting my daughter’s nails when she was an infant. I was influenced by Karrie Locher to purchase this nail file and it was a life saver! This would be a great inexpensive item to throw into a gift basket with a few other things.
9. Halo Sleep Sack
We were gifted lots of different sleep sacks, but our daughter used these sleep sacks the longest. You can Velcro them in arms in or out. Baby can continue to use the same sleep sack after he or she is rolling over. Halo offers different weights for the seasons – light, cotton fabric for summer and heavier fleece for the wintertime. Of course – lots of cute prints and styles are available to choose from!
10. Graco Pack ‘n Play
If you want to get your friend a more high-ticket item, consider getting a group gift! I love a group gift for so many reasons. For one, you can all pool your money to get your friend a big ticket item that they want. And, if you’re short on time, you don’t have to worry about going out and looking for a gift! This Graco Pack ‘n Play is a great “group gift” option. There are lots of fancier Pack ‘n Plays out there. Personally, I find all the extra attachments and gadgets not really worth the hassle. This Pack ‘n Play is a cinch to setup, lightweight, comfortable, and it gets the job done. For example, our daughter slept in this Pack ‘n Play during a Super Bowl party at our friend’s house. This is something the parents to be will use for years!
Lastly, if you’re local and looking to throw an amazing baby shower, I would highly recommend reaching out to my friend Auburn with Harlow.Events.FL. Her attention to detail and creative thinking will take your special event to the next level!
Welcoming a new baby into the world is such a joyful thing. Getting to shower my sweet friend really brought me some joy in this difficult season I’m in. Thank you for reading, and happy showering!
