Need a super cute and unique baby shower gift basket idea for the new parents in your life? Check out this adorable car seat baby shower gift basket!
I absolutely love all the cute baby shower gift baskets using crates (like this Suzile wooden crate). I’ve seen them plastered all over Pinterest and wanted to do something similar for my friends.
When I discovered they wanted the exact car seat my son just outgrew, I thought the car seat would make the perfect “basket” (I love that the basket is a gift too).
Although I didn’t get to decorate it as much as I would have liked (thanks to procrastination), I LOVE how it turned out and wanted to share this unique baby shower gift basket idea with you! This idea is super versatile. It can be adapted to any registry and works perfectly for a boy or a girl.
Here are all the goodies I stuffed in this baby shower gift basket, some other items that would be perfect for this gift basket idea, and what I would do differently if I could do it again.
This post is all about an incredible car seat gift basket idea new parents will love!
Super Cute Car Seat Baby Shower Gift Basket Idea
Let’s dive in to the items I used to create this car seat baby shower gift basket. I centered mine around travel with baby. I tried to use items from their registry; however, I was late and a lot of the items were gone, so I had to get creative.
Some of the items I used are items I already had from my baby girl. If I couldn’t find the exact item, I linked to a similar product.
Items I used:
- Gracco SnugRide SnugLock 35 Infant Car Seat
- Car Seat Cover
- Boba Baby Wrap Carrier
- HAPIU Baby No Scratch Mittens
- Itsy Glitzy Fawn Deer Rattle
- God Is With Us by Amy Parker
- Frida Baby Windi Gas Passer
- Headbands
- A DIY Car Emergency Kit
- Luxury Little Diaper Caddy
- Changing pad Flower Design
- Wet/Dry Bags
- Travel Size Hand Sanitizer
- Diaper Rash Cream
- Wet Wipes
- List of Ideas for the Emergency Kit
- Alternative Items
1. The Car Seat
My “basket” is the Gracco SnugRide SnugLock 35 car seat. I used this car seat with both my daughter and son and absolutely loved it! At the time of writing, it has 4.8 stars on Amazon after 3,949 reviews.
If you are going to use a used car seat like I did for this gift basket, be sure you:
- Check with the parents to make sure they are comfortable with a used car seat, and
- Check the car seat to ensure it’s not past it’s expiration date.
You could also use a convertible car seat for this baby shower gift basket idea as well. We love the Gracco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat. We bought this one for each of our kids and haven’t had any issues. Our son does so much better in this car seat than he did in the infant car seat (once he could sit up, he HATED laying so far back).
2. Car Seat Cover
While not the exact car seat cover I used, this one is very similar and super cute. This is an item I had on hand and was very gently used.
If I were doing this again, this is one that I would most likely replace.
If the mom was planning to breastfeed, I would replace this cover with one like this, which doubles as a breastfeeding cover and is so useful. I actually have this exact one and I love it.
Both of these car seat covers are available in various designs including some adorable baby boy designs.
3. Boba Baby Wrap Carrier
4. Baby No Scratch Mittens
This is an item our friends had on their registry. I wanted something cute to hang from the handle and these no scratch mittens worked perfectly.
I’ve never tried these particular mittens, but they look similar to these bamboo cotton Goumi mittens which I have and absolutely love.
If you are doing this for a baby boy, don’t fret these are also available in baby boy colors!
5. Fawn Deer Rattle
6. God is With Us Book
While not exactly travel-related, I wanted to include a cute book. Some of my favorite times are reading to my kids.
My three-year-old reads 2 books with us every night before bed. Then she snuggles up to me and says, “Tell me a story about my Jesus.” My heart just melts, so anytime I can sneak in a book, especially one about Jesus, I will.
7. Frida Baby Windi
Okay, yes these are gross and not travel related…BUT they can be a life saver! I received these as a gift for my daughter. My husband and I tucked them away and said we would NEVER use them.
Then late one night, our precious little one wouldn’t stop crying. It was obvious she had gas. She was too young for gas drops and bicycling her legs/massaging her tummy was doing nothing for her. We got these “gross” things out and gave it a try. Instant relief for her (and us)!
I will always include these “disgusting” little life savers in gifts for new parents. It’s not something most think about or want to get, but when nothing else works, these yicky little things become a necessity.
8. Headbands
9. DIY Car Emergency Kit
When I say I had to get creative, this is what I mean.
I stumbled upon a post about an emergency car kit and thought it was a wonderful idea. Sometimes “emergencies” happen. For example, you forget the diaper bag, the baby has a blowout, and you don’t have a change of clothes (speaking from experience, it’s not a fun situation). In instances like these, this kit will be a lifesaver.
To make it, simply pack a diaper caddy full of items to keep in the car to help with various emergencies. I didn’t have time to gather all items for this idea and include them in the gift, so I included enough to get them started and a list of other items they could pack in the diaper caddy.
Here’s everything I included:
– Car Emergency Kit Note
I loved the car emergency kit idea. That said, I knew my friends would have no idea what I was going for, so I created this cute note in Canva and tied it around the caddy with some burlap string.
Since their baby shower and nursery theme was Noah’s Ark, I gave it a matching theme to tie it all together.
If you’d like to create a similar note, Canva has plenty of art available so you can make one to match any theme. I did use some pro elements in mine, so you would need to sign up for Canva Pro to do that (free for 30 days). I created this as a 6 inch by 4 inch document and printed it on a 4″ x 6″ index card I had on hand.
– Luxury Little Diaper Caddy
– Changing Pad Flower Design
Changing baby’s diaper in unique set ups is just part of the game especially when travelling.
I love the large size and feel of this changing pad. They have cute designs for girls and boys! I purchased the Pink Flower design for our friends’ little girl.
– Wet/Dry Bags
We use our wet/dry bags all the time! We always have one attached to the diaper bag.
I prefer these over a wet bag or plastic sack, because of the second pocket. It is so nice to be able to separate the trash (diapers and wipes) from dirty clothes to be washed or clean clothes in case of an emergency and dirty clothes.
We often use these for changes in the car where we don’t have a trashcan available. We put the trash in one pocket and any soiled clothing in the other.
– Travel Size Hand Sanitizer
– Diaper Rash Cream
– Wet Wipes
– List of Ideas for the Emergency Car Kit
I wanted to make sure they had plenty of ideas on what to include in a car emergency kit, so I also created this list in Canva and slipped it into the diaper caddy.
I created this as a 4 inch by 6 inch document and printed it on a 4″ x 6″ index card I had on hand and it worked perfectly.
Alternative Items
While the items above are what I included, there are so many incredible gifts that would work well in this baby shower gift basket idea. Here are a few that would be absolutely perfect!
1. Car Camera
My sister told me about this Itomoro Baby Car Camera. I bought one almost as soon as I found out I was pregnant with my first, and I have not been disappointed! I’ve been using it for over 3 years now. It’s seriously a lifesaver when driving with babies.
My little boy screamed his head off every time we would drive and it was so nice getting to see such a clear video of him (even at night). It made it super easy to ensure everything was okay without having to pull over or risk trying to look back and put everyone in danger!
I will always recommend this camera and grab one for new parents if they don’t already have one. With the aforementioned procrastination, someone else beat me to purchasing this for our friends otherwise it would’ve 100% been in this car seat gift basket.
I also love that this camera operates on a closed system. So, no wifi or bluetooth some stranger can hack and watch your kids. Call me crazy, but I’m not willing to risk that with my babies.
2. LifeVac Travel Kit
This is an incredible baby shower gift that no one ever thinks about.
Feeding your precious baby real food for the first time can be utterly terrifying. I didn’t have a LifeVac with my daughter and I can’t even tell you how many times I nearly had a heart attack, because she gagged.
I am so happy to have it with my son! It’s one of those items you pray you never need to use, but if you do, you will be forever grateful to have it.
3. Baby Carrier
4. Warmie
As mentioned above, our little boy often screamed his head off in the car, especially at night. If he had his warmie, he did so much better.
Warmies are weighted, lavendar-scented, and can be heated in the microwave to provide extra comfort. Our daughter has the junior sloth and regular dragon and our son has the regular marshmellow bear.
Personally, I prefer the bear design. I love how floppy and snugglable it is.
If you have multiple littles that would enjoy a warmie, check their website for deals. I joined their email list in November and they’ve notified me of multiple buy 2, get 1 free sales.
5. Shopping Cart Cover
I don’t have a shopping cart cover, but have been wanting to get one for a while now. We love our baby carrier, but now that our little boy is older, it would be so nice to let him ride in the shopping cart without worrying about germs.
Our baby boy loves putting things in his mouth. He will put his mouth on anything within reach (which is just perfect for getting sick). So using this as a clean and safe barrier is a no-brainer and could save any parent a trip to the doctor’s office.
If I include this in a future baby shower gift basket or buy a shopping cart cover for myself, this is the one I would get. It rolls up into a small carrying pouch, fits on various shopping carts, and after thousands of reviews, it’s rated 4.7 stars on Amazon (at the time of writing).
There are also several designs to choose from.
6. Booties
Some little shoes or booties would be a perfect fit for this baby shower gift basket idea. A pair or two could be hung up with (or instead of) the mittens.
We used booties a ton with both babies, especially in the winter. They stay on much better than socks and are much warmer. These come in many different designs and have grippies at the bottom!
I absolutely adore these little boots for a baby girl! They’re so cute, I may have to buy them and send them to our friends!
7. Outfits
An outfit or two is a natural fit for this gift basket, especially if you are including the car emergency kit.
Plus, outfits are just fun to buy! They would look super cute hanging from the car seat handle.
Quick tip: I would go with larger-sized outfits because people often buy newborn and 0-3 month sizes, which many babies won’t fit in for very long.
There are so many adorable outfits! I love this one for a little girl. As for the size, I would opt for 6-12 months (depending on when she is expected; it needs to make sense seasonally).
If I Had It To Do Over Again (And My Ideal Version)
As I mentioned, I procrastinated on this. I was actually still working on it the morning of the baby shower (I don’t recommend cutting it that close, lol).
Because of the time crunch, I wasn’t able to do everything I had originally planned.
If I could do it over again, I’d obviously start earlier and include all of my favorite baby shower gifts.
I also would have finished the adorable Noah’s Ark-themed banner with the baby’s name I was working on and attached it to the front of the car seat.
Also, I would have decorated the car seat handle to make it extra cute.
That said, I still love how it turned out, but I think these extra touches would have taken this gift basket to a whole new level.
My ideal car seat gift basket would have included:
- Gracco SnugRide SnugLock 35 Infant Car Seat
- Itomoro Baby Car Camera
- LifeVac Travel Kit
- Ergobaby 360 baby carrier
- Junior Warmie
- Milk Snob 5 in 1 Cover
- Shopping Cart Cover
- Booties and Mittens
- Frida Baby Windi Gas Passer
- A starter car emergency kit
- Luxury Little Diaper Caddy
- Changing pad Flower Design
- Wet/Dry Bags
- Purell singles hand sanitizer
- Aquaphor
- Wet Wipes
- List of ideas for the emergency car kit
As mentioned above, I also would have decorated the car seat handle more. Here are some ideas:
1. Flower Garland with Hair Accessories Sprinkled Throughout
Imagine a garland of flowers or greenery wrapped around the handle with various hair accessories attached to it. How adorable would it look to see cute butterfly or flower hair accessories clipped along the vine?
This could be done halfway up the handle or just on one side.
I love the idea of including a variety of hair accessories instead of only headbands (though I’d definitely still add a few of those too). Headbands are absolutely adorable, but some babies (like my little girl when she was younger) won’t leave them in for any time at all.
2. Cover the Handle with Flower Headbands
Another idea would be to use headbands like the above to decorate the handle of the car seat.
3. Decorate with Various Baby Items
Finally, the handle could be decorated with various baby items. For example, wrap a receiving blanket or swaddle (like this green one or this woodsy swaddle) around the handle and use miniature clothespins (these can be purchased from Dollar Tree) to attach baby hats, mittens, socks, and any other cute small baby items.
You could use greenery instead of a receiving blanket as well. Cute animal cutouts could also be added. This idea works well for boys or girls.
