Looking for a unique and extremely useful baby shower gift to make a difference in an expecting mother’s life? You’ve come to the right place! This list of incredible and often overlooked baby shower gifts is guaranteed to have the perfect item!
While it’s great to simply stick to the registry, I’ll be the first to admit some of the most helpful baby shower gifts we received weren’t on ours. Despite hours of research, we missed some super amazing things we now view as baby essentials.
And in this list, I’m sharing those treasures and more with you! So, prepare to be the star gift-giver at any baby shower and put a big smile on any parent’s face!
This post is all about incredible (and often overlooked) baby shower gifts for new parents.
Incredible Baby Shower Gifts For Any New Parent That No One Thinks About
1. LifeVac Choking Rescue Device
Safety is a huge concern for every parent and giving baby new foods can be terrifying! Traditional first aid knowledge is invaluable, but having a device specifically designed to counteract choking incidents can bring an added layer of peace of mind. The LifeVac provides a fast, efficient way to potentially save a life in an emergency situation, ensuring that even when things go awry, parents have a trusted tool at their disposal. It’s also available in a travel kit or in a bundle that includes both the at home kit and travel kit.
The home kit includes both a pediatric mask and adult mask, so this device is useful well beyond the infant stage! Parents may not know this exists (I didn’t!), therefore, it’s likely to be left off the registry. Of course, you pray this isn’t needed, but sometimes the best baby shower gifts are those that remain unseen and unused, but are there when most needed.
2. Car Baby Camera
Another safety-focused item, a car baby camera will give mom and dad peace of mind while driving with their new bundle of joy! We absolutely love our car baby camera and it is used nearly daily! I couldn’t imagine not having it! It is so nice to know little one is okay without having to turn and look back. The image is super clear even at night and it doesn’t need internet.
3. Newborn Photography Session
A newborn photography session isn’t something that normally comes to mind when thinking of baby shower gifts, but it is such a precious gift that will be cherished forever. Little one is only that little for so long and those days go by SO fast! Capturing those moments is very important, but can be difficult to do. One of my biggest regrets is not doing a newborn photography session with our little girl. It’s a gift I would have loved and I know other new moms would love it as well!
Of course with a gift like this, it’s best if you are close with the parents so you have a sense of their style (so you can pick the right photographer) and whether they would appreciate this or not. I would also make sure the photographer is willing to work them in when the baby arrives.
While the new parents will still need to schedule the session with the photographer, this gift takes a lot off the new parents’ plates and ensures they capture those precious fleeting moments.
4. Nursing Covers
This will depend on the mom and whether or not she is breastfeeding, but personally, I can’t have too many of these! There is absolutely nothing wrong with openly breastfeeding in public, but the thought of other people seeing my breasts is not something I am comfortable with. I prefer the nursing covers that double as car seat covers as shown above. I don’t actually use them as car seat covers; however, I like how they fit as nursing covers.
So many YouTube videos and blog posts recommended skipping these and using swaddles instead, so that was my plan and is why I only had one of these with my little girl and I’m so happy I had it! Once she got more active she quickly and easily removed the swaddles. They fell away so fast! I simply didn’t have enough hands to support her and keep a swaddle in place. The nursing cover was SO much easier to manage and stayed put SO much better!
I love these so much, I stock up on them any chance I get! They are just so handy and nice to have and are one of those items that people often don’t think they need or will even use.
5. Wet Dry Bags
These wet dry bags are so nice to have! We keep one on our diaper bag at all times, so it’s great to have several. You never know when little one will have a blow out, spill food all over them, or you’ll drop their pants in the toilet by accident (just me? lol). Just throw the soiled clothes in the wet compartment and empty it all into the wash when you get home – bag included! It’s so nice and easy! You can even use them as a place to discard dirty diapers in a pinch (just don’t let those get in the wash). They also come in a variety of adorable designs!
6. Aquaphor
Aquaphor is legitimately a miracle worker! This cream fights diaper rash super fast! Our girl is almost 2 now and we still keep it on hand. She hasn’t been in diapers for a while now, but she gets anal fissures and this cream heals them right up! We also used it to prevent diaper rash. It’s seriously amazing how incredibly fast this stuff works and what all it can be used for!
7. Baby Einstein Musical Toy
I put almost no toys on the registry, because I didn’t think they were necessities and really only wanted friends and family to spend their money on necessities. However, the Baby Einstein Musical Toy is one I would suggest getting for every new parent. The lights and music are soft and gentle, which makes it the perfect toy for new babies.
By 2 months of age, babies should move their heads side to side to follow objects. This toy really helped our little one reach this milestone. We laid her on a soft mat and held the toy about 6 inches to a foot in front of her eyes then slowly moved it to the other side. Eventually she was turning her head and following it like a pro!
This can be achieved using your head or another toy, but we found this toy worked best for us. If you’re afraid this toy will only be used for a short time, don’t worry! Our little one still plays with it and she’s almost 2! This toy is the perfect last minute baby shower gift as it is often carried in stores such as Wal-Mart, so you can quickly pick on up.
Still need to set up your registry? This post will be SUPER helpful: 7 Absolute Best Baby Registries You’re Guaranteed to Love
8. Food Delivery Service Gift Cards
Between the next to no sleep, nearly constant diaper changes, and hormones, the first several days home from the hospital are chaotic. Cooking is nearly impossible to do.
A gift card for popular food delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats allows parents to order from their favorite restaurants on-demand, ensuring they get a delicious, nourishing meal without having to step out of the house. This is an extremely helpful baby shower gift that any new parents will love!
9. Home Cooked Meal
While we’re on the topic of eating during those chaotic early days, a home cooked meal or snack could also be the perfect gift! One of my coworkers cooked us a meal and brought it to us. It was the best gift ever! As mentioned above, cooking is next to impossible to do and we had been surviving on microwave foods (lots of Frito chili pie, bagel bites, and frozen hamburger patties).
That home cooked meal was a delicious break, so if you enjoy cooking and want a gift they will always remember and be extremely thankful for, this is the way to go. Whether you bring it over fresh or make freezer meals, the new parents will be extremely grateful!
10. Windi Gas and Colic Reliever
Not an item I had on my registry and not one many people think of, this Windi Gas and Colic Reliever came in extremely handy in the middle of the night when our baby girl was having gas pains! We ended up buying more of these and are so thankful one of our friends thought to get us this.
11. Faith Reminder Sign
This is likely not something that will be on the registry, because it isn’t something many people think of when thinking about baby necessities, but it really is a wonderful baby shower gift.
While I was pregnant, we purchased a wooden sign that said “Jesus Loves Me” from a charity outside our grocery store. At the time, we got it because the money would go to a good cause and it was pretty. We hung it up and didn’t think much about it until we got home from the hospital. I had postpartum anxiety and couldn’t sleep. I was so worried something would happen to our little girl and felt unqualified to take care of her.
Tears flowing down my cheeks, I looked up and there was that simple little sign, “Jesus Loves Me”. Reading those words grounded me and reminded me to pray and give my worries to God. I cannot count how many times those words did that for me. That simple reminder of my faith, of who was in control, got me through my postpartum anxiety.
This small gift could have a truly profound impact on the parents’ lives as it did mine.
This post was all about incredible baby shower gifts for new parents that nobody thinks about.
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