Baby Shower Gift Basket Ideas

Lots of friends having babies = lots of baby showers!  I have a different view of what to buy new moms to be now that I’m a mom.  I’ve brainstormed some ideas of gift baskets that I would have loved to have received. 

If I were going to be giving one of these as a gift, I’d make it up in one of those cloth basket/box things.  I use them to hold Munchkin’s cloth diapers and her toys.  They are so useful. Depending on the size, you could use a receiving blanket to wrap around it and tie at the top with a bow. Super cute and useful!

Breastfeeding Basket

Breastfeeding can be rough in the beginning   Some ideas for it include a breastfeeding pillow (such as a Boppy or My Breastfriend) for help with baby positioning in the early days.  Lanolin & cooling jell pads help with sore nipples that happen early on.  I was always thirsty once Munchkin latched and I found that keeping a full reusable water bottle near where I would nurse was helpful.  I was also ravenously hungry so some granola bars or other snack could be nice addition to add to the basket.  Nursing pads are a must for many women, either disposable or reusable. 

Emergency/Medicine Basket

As a first time mom, I didn’t have all the child medicines and stuff on hand.  A great basket could include a child thermometer, gas drops and/or gripe water, children’s cough & cold medicine (like Dimetapp), infant pain reliever/fever reducer, children’s Benadryl, a nose bulb or nosefrida, teething tablets & gel, ice packs for bumps when they get older or even a Boo Boo Bunny. 

I would have LOVED to get a basket like this because the first time we needed these things we had to run out to get them! It was no fun leaving a sick baby with daddy and having to run to the store to buy baby Tylenol.  I was trying to hurry and it took me awhile to figure out which one to buy.

Teething Basket

I don’t think any parent looks forward to teething! We all know teething is going to happen sooner or later so this basket will get used!  Some ideas for this basket include an authentic Amber teething necklace, Sophie the giraffe, other teething toys (Munchkin really likes these ones!), teething tablets, teething gel and water resistant bibs.  A teething necklace would be a great item to include.  I have a one that Munchkin loves and it’s been helpful for her to chew on when we’re out and about.

The teething necklace in action

Food Basket

It’s so much fun when the baby can start eating “real” food.  Some great items for this basket would be some sippy cups, kid friendly bowls and plates, and some spoons.  You could also add some baby snacks.  Munchkin really likes Ella’s cookies.  Puffed snacks are also good.  Pouches of food are another idea that would be great in a basket.  Another option would be to include the ingredients and the recipe for homemade teething biscuits or you could make them for the mama and tell her they can be frozen until she needs them.  Bibs are also a must! We like ones with pockets on the bottom because they help catch falling food.  You could also add a cute outfit because even with a bib sometimes the baby still get really messy and need an outfit change.

 

Cloth Diaper Basket

For the cloth diapering mama, more fluff is always a great gift! There are cloth diaper available in a range of prices. You can  buy or make some cloth wipes out of flannel. It’s recommended to have 2-3 dozen cloth wipes and really, you can’t have to many. You can also include some coconut oil to be used as butt cream, or some other cloth diaper friendly butt cream, such at CJ’s BUTTer.  A roll of disposable liners are great for when the baby gets older.   Some samples of cloth diaper laundry detergent could be nice too.  I’d include a small toy to help distract the baby during diaper changes when they are bigger and want to wriggle all over the place!  Another idea would be to include a diaper sprayer.  I think this would be cute packaged in a plastic garbage can, as that is what many cloth diapering mamas use to hold the dirty diapers.  Don’t forget the pail liner! Or the hand sanitizer and Lysol (to spray the garbage can with in between liner changes)

If the mama isn’t cloth diapering, you could still still do a diapering basket with a package or two of disposable diapers, wipes, butt cream, hand sanitizer, a toy and a change of clothes (cause you KNOW poop explosions are going to happen!)

 

Looking for more Baby Shower Gift ideas? Check out this post by my friend Jodi.

*The items mentioned in this post are ones that we really like and the companies have no idea I am sharing them.  I get nothing if you purchase them.  I’m just passing on things that we like!

Is there anything you would add to any basket?

Which one would do you think would be most useful for a new mom?