As a Mom, What Do You Buy for Baby Shower Gifts?

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What items did you love so much as a parent that you now gift them to others for baby showers? What items did you feel were such a “find” that you gift them to others for baby showers? In short: What are the best baby shower gifts according to real moms?

I suppose this discussion could take two forms — what do you feel so strongly about that you’ll go “off list” and buy the new mom something she haven’t registered for, and what do you generally gravitate towards on a new parent’s registry?

One of my besties is pregnant right now, and I find myself considering baby shower gifts for her. I am definitely drawn to items that I have the strongest memories of, so I thought it might make an interesting discussion.

I’ve written before about my (possibly very weird!) habit of sending baby head-cold items to family members and friends who are pregnant. Examining this relatively odd habit now, I think it comes because it was a challenge for us to get the right combination of supports when my baby was sick. As a new mom I had read about the snot sucker and forehead thermometers in a zillion product roundups, but a vapor bath (or plugin) or a simple cotton ball soaked with water took me a while to figure out. And, as any new mom knows, if baby’s sick and not sleeping well, ain’t no one sleeping well.

I also got her two of my favorite pregnancy books for future working moms, Balance is a Crock, Sleep is for the Weak, and Let’s Panic About Babies (which admittedly I haven’t read in many moons but I found it hilarious back in 2011 when I was pregnant), and also some fancy prenatal nonalcoholic drinks, including cherry bitters, elderflower cordial (LOVE this stuff), a mindful margarita, and a raspberry drink called Fluère.

{related: Check out all of our favorite products and tips for how to deal with a baby head cold}

For my good friend, I also find myself drawn to baby carriers — I have such fond memories of babywearing my kids all over the place. When my second son was born we would often take him with us on date nights in a baby carrier. When the babysitter had left for the day and it was just me with a rambunctious 4-year-old and a fussy baby, I would often wear my baby, both to keep him calm and with me and to let me be hands-free enough to play with my eldest, or do light housework tasks like cleaning.

A lot of my personal soft carriers for babywearing are outdated or sold out, so I’m researching which new ones to buy. (Maybe we’ll do a new Hunt for them!) I’m leaning towards the Ergobaby Omni 360 (pictured below) both because it’s lightweight (perfect for an August baby), because the slings were always a bit intimidating to me even after two kids but the backpack-style carriers were super easy for both me and my husband, and because this one is OK for babies 7 lbs. and up, whereas other models are only good for babies weighing 12-15 lbs. — and the fourth trimester is when I feel like babies need the soft carrier the most! (I have to go see what she’s registered for but I don’t believe a baby carrier was on the list at all.)

OOOH, or maybe the Lillebaby Complete Airflow 360 Ergonomic — also good for 7 lbs. and up, but only $125 full price and an additional 35% off coupon today at Amazon, if you’re buying for yourself or someone who would have the wherewithal to return it within the 30-day window. That’s maybe a different topic to discuss also — if you go “off list” for someone’s baby shower, what stores have the best return policies so a new mom won’t be scrambling to return unwanted stuff? We’ve talked about the workwear retailers with the best return policies, but not for baby shower gifts…

Readers, what are your thoughts — what as a mom do you get for baby shower gifts? What items and products from the infant stage hold the strongest memories and attachments for you? And if you’ve bought a baby carrier more recently — which ones were your favorites?

Stock photo via Deposit Photos / Kzenon.