Buying for a baby

SozBbz

Hi all,
Apologies if this is not the right forum but I don't think my query is really fashion or parenting related, so here goes.
I've managed to get to my early 30's without babies really featuring in my life. None of my friendship group have kids or are even pregnant. However a close family member on my OH's side is about to have a baby and we want to get a gift. I've looked in mothercare, mamas and papas etc but have found it all quite uninspiring to be honest.
Can anyone suggest something nice as a gift for first time parents? Babys gender is still unknown so thats possibly making this feel harder than it really is. Can anyone suggest other retailers that might have fun/different options?
I'm just really out of the baby loop and all my friends are as bad - help!

Might be worth asking the family if they know there's anything the couple are short on. they could be buried in new toys or newborn clothes and be dying for 3-6m clothes or something

Addle

Buy something for the mother/parents.
The baby will get loads.

meeeeh

Three things that I found great to use. Pampers changing mats are great at the beginning and not a first thing you would think of buying. They are usually somewhere besides nappies in the shop.

Touch thermometer, first time parents will always worry about baby's temperature.

Grow bag - this one is a bit divisive because some parents don't use them but I found them great.

bee06

It’s more common to give a gift after the baby is born so you could wait and then give clothes of various sizes. Babygrows and vests only for 0-3 months. Jeans on a newborn are a disaster. Besides clothes maybe one of those playmate with the arches with things hanging off them. That was one of the few things I didn’t buy before the baby was born. Also a nice gift would be a Morrck blanket. They are blankets that go in a car seat or buggy and wrap around them. Crash tested as well.

Things we got that were never used:
Shirts and jeans in 0-3 month sizes. Look cute but a pain in the arse to put on and take off for a million nappy changes/leaks/spit ups etc
Baby blankets - I’d say we got about 6 or 7, none of which are actually suitable for use with a baby

scarepanda

My advise would be to try get practical stuff, so ask the parents first if there's anything they need/would like.

If your getting clothes, get older ones, even 9-12/12-18mth sizes. Sounds a bit mad, but most people will buy clothes up to 3-6mths and you usually end up with way way more than a child will ever wear and nothislng after that. Something we got very little of, that I would have loved is more basics type clothes like vests and onesies - you can get lots of neutrals in these.

Books are always welcomed in this house.

Muslin cloths are also most welcome.

We got way more blankets that we ever needed, but I really appreciated homemade/personalised blankets and these are the ones we use the most still.

For very close friends I usually put together a little box of basics, muslin cloths, a book or two, a grow bag, and I make a blanket myself. I put all these into a fancyish box that can be used as a memory box after. It varies from person to person, if they are first time parents or not etc, but that's the basic jist of what it will contain.

iamwhoiam

My daughter loved these gifts

Sophie la Giraffe ( chewing toy )

A voucher for a photo session

A Noahs Ark shape sorter

A dinosaur sensory toy ( squeaks, scrunches , bell etc )

A baby monitor with camera

Remember if buying clothes to buy for the right season when the baby is that age .

bee06

+1 on the books! My friend got my little boy 3 lovely books and it was one of my favourite presents.

Loveinapril

If you are going for clothes, definitely get 6 month+ stuff. We also got tonnes of blankets that we either gave away or exchanged. We obviously kept the ones people made for us but we still had about ten of them! If you can, ask the parents is there anything they need. They may have a list. The things we appreciated most for our boy was cute bibs, a Taggy cloth thing with bits of rubber on it for him to chew on and books.

SozBbz

Thanks everyone! Some great ideas -granted some of them I need to look up to find out what they are but I like the idea of books especially.
For those who said to wait for the baby to be born, thats what we are doing (its overdue, so could happen any time) I just wanted to have some ideas ready so I would get into a tizz and panic buy the wrong stuff. 
All I've got so far is a yellow bath towel thingy with a hood with is obviously gender neutral. I gave a blanket/quilt thingy for the baby shower a while ago, also in a neutral colour.

iamwhoiam

SozBbz wrote: »

Thanks everyone! Some great ideas -granted some of them I need to look up to find out what they are but I like the idea of books especially.
For those who said to wait for the baby to be born, thats what we are doing (its overdue, so could happen any time) I just wanted to have some ideas ready so I would get into a tizz and panic buy the wrong stuff. 
All I've got so far is a yellow bath towel thingy with a hood with is obviously gender neutral. I gave a blanket/quilt thingy for the baby shower a while ago, also in a neutral colour.

If buying books for a baby look for the hard ones with flaps on each page .The flaps lift up to find a surprise behind them .My granddaughter got one " Have you seen Ducky " Ducky was hidden behind the flaps on each page . She loved it from about 4 months old , now and 4 years old she will occasionally ask for Ducky still !!

bee06

Someone got us some of the Adams cloud books and they are adorable and will be read for a very long time. I bought some more myself. The author is Benji Barrett.

SozBbz

bee06 wrote: »

Someone got us some of the Adams cloud books and they are adorable and will be read for a very long time. I bought some more myself. The author is Benji Barrett.

Thanks, specific recommendations like this are great!

Neyite

+1 on books. We read to our son from when he was tiny and still read to him.

Favourites in our library:

Underpants series.
The velveteen rabbit - abridged.
Thats not my... series. Excellent for toddlers as it's very tactile.
Hairy Mclary series
The hungry caterpillar.
Any set of the usual fairy tales.

SozBbz

Thanks everyone!
Baby has still not arrived so still open to suggestions. Its now 1 week overdue but I hear thats normal enough for a first baby.
We booked flights to go visit in a few weeks thinking that things would have settled by then, so I hope the baby arrives soon so that our visit isn't premature! We booked for a month post due date so hoping that will be fine regardless.

Loveinapril

SozBbz wrote: »

We booked flights to go visit in a few weeks .

This changes things! Are you staying with the family? Your gift should be bringing food, cooking dinners, offering to do household jobs or offering to watch the baby while the parents shower/ nap etc. Be very aware that they are exhausted (NOTHING will be settled after a few weeks) and probably could do without having to entertain people so be as self sufficient as possible.

SozBbz

Loveinapril wrote: »

SozBbz wrote: »

We booked flights to go visit in a few weeks .

This changes things! Are you staying with the family? Your gift should be bringing food, cooking dinners, offering to do household jobs or offering to watch the baby while the parents shower/ nap etc. Be very aware that they are exhausted (NOTHING will be settled after a few weeks) and  probably could do without having to entertain people so be as self sufficient as possible.

No, we are not staying with them. We will be staying in the area, visiting once or twice as convenient but otherwise entertaining ourselves.

Sausage dog

A hamper from a pharmacy is another useful & practical gift. We got one with Calpol, Nurofen, Bonjela, suppositories etc. A gro egg thermometer for the bedroom, a thermometer for baby, a cot mobile, hand knitted blankets/cardigans, a play mat, a bouncy chair & books were all useful gifts. If buying clothes choose stretchy fabric & bear in mind the time of year when the baby will be wearing it. Other gifts can be more personal, pictures / pieces of art which include baby's name, weight etc.

scarepanda

The only thing with clothes, is get the types of clothes that can be worn during any irish season, like t-shirts, jumpers, jeans/pants and you'll be safe. The reason I say this is you never know exactly what size clothes the baby will be wearing at any age. My girl is just gone 2 and in 12-18mth clothes. A friend's child is a year younger than her and is already in 18-24mth clothes. They were both the same weight when born, just grew at completely different rates. So try stay away from season specific clothes like shorts or jackets etc.

SozBbz

Thanks again everyone, great suggestions!

They had a boy late last week so at least now we know who we're buying for! Looking forward to our visit, its now only about 2 weeks away, so I'd better get shopping!

Hani Kosti

+1 on clothes 6-12m or even bigger. Also something that can be used all season, they are unpredictable creatures when it comes to growth.
Nappies and baby wipes are always welcome (I'd go with Pampers and Water Wipes), one chewable toy.
Personally I was most grateful for food and company,small something for the parents is hugely appreciated. Everything is about the baby, it's nice to be recognised too
If I can suggest one thing, make sure you don't overstay your visit (1-2h is enough as new parents are tired!!!)