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With Christmas only 9 days away (yikes!), I thought I’d offer some suggestions for parents-to-be and their infants. These are items that I covet or that I couldn’t live without.
For parents-to-be, the best gifts are those of time. Coupon books may seem childish, but I can I tell you how awesome it would have been to have a coupon from a friend offering a homemade dinner? Or an hour of baby-sitting so I could run errands? Or the errand-running itself? There are any number of time-related gifts that are useful for new parents. One month of free housecleaning or dinners from a service like Dream Dinners are other great gift ideas.
If the parents-to-be will be traveling, and you have points for hotels or airlines, you may want to consider transferring those points. I’ve not done this with hotels, but I have given my airline miles to others (I used to travel a lot for business) and it’s a relatively painless process. The recipients are always happy to be saving money too.
When Jack was a wee bairn, I wish I had had a Baby Bjorn. I had a mei tai and a ring-sling. He hated them. When he was a bit bigger, and could sit on my hip, he did like the ring-sling, and I used it until he was over 2 years old. One or more decent carriers are incredibly helpful, thoughtful gifts.
I know some “experts” say they’re unnecessary, but I love hooded towels! Jack always stopped fussing when he was wrapped in them after bath. Hooded towels are the kind of thing that parents won’t necessarily buy for themselves, so they make great gifts.
Organizers for the bath and nursery can be very helpful. I always wanted the Diaper Depot, personally. Diaper bags and fold-and-go diapering items are practical, but appreciated, gifts. Target sells 10-packs of wash cloths for $5, and they make excellent burp and teething cloths.
The Green Mommy in me wants to point out some environmentally friendly gifts. We used gDiapers, a cloth hybrid diapering system. If the parents-to-be are open to green ideas, gDiapers are a great green gateway. Under the Nile sells organic gifts, such as clothes and cloth toys. Jack always loved teething on cloths. ZRecommends offers a guide to healthy, friendly gifts. The National Geographic Green Guide includes four guides for children’s products.
There are a few items I wouldn’t give to others. Memory books are very personal gifts. Unless you know the book that the parents want, I’d steer clear. For health reasons, stay away from plastics that go anywhere near the mouth. If you haven’t been keeping up, many plastics contain hormone disrupting chemicals, such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates. Finally, instead of buying bath products, give gift cards to places that sell bath products. You never know if a baby or parent is allergic to fragrances (I am) or certain ingredients.
Happy Holidays!
