I loved that people bought stuff off my registry for the most part. We have a small place like most around here and just don't have the room for 26 blankets(!). What I appreciated most were the baby shower itself, visits after the baby was born, and the general well wishes. Would have loved getting photography for after baby.

Kickee pants outfit. I wouldn't spend that much money on something myself, which made it a great gift. And it was so soft and cozy!

Zutano baby booties
A small wet bag. Have been using it for years.

Anonymous wrote:Practical stuff, like a Costco size box of diapers.

Yeah, but costco wipes and diapers would not have worked for my DD (sensitive skin so could only use water wipes and skinny, so only one brand of diapers fit her). This is why registries and/or gift cards are good gifts.

Anonymous wrote:I loved getting blankets, we did get a bunch, but only one had her name on it. They are stashed all over the house, in the car, etc. We don't have 22 though, I will say that...

I also loved the stool with her name in puzzle pieces. We only got one I love it.

I also LOVE the Uncle Goose blocks someone else suggested. My DD got them when she turned 1 and those are a forever toy for sure.

You can never go wrong with footie pjs in bigger sizes. I had a lot of experienced moms bring me a set of footie pjs is 6 month size while I was on my leave. It was perfect. I was stocked well for 0-3 months, but had none for 6 month size. I would have loved 9 month and 12 month pjs too bc my kid grew like a WEED and was in 12 month clothing at 6 months.

17.29 here. My brother was wearing 3 mons in under a week, which is why I never do anything that is sized for newborns. I also figure that anything that can be used for multiple kids regardless of gender is a good thing And my preference is to give basics for at least a year, but since some kids grow like weeds, sometimes that means they are wearing 18 mons by 1 year.

Stick to the registry, or buy clothes from a retailer with a location near your friend and a good return policy.

Signed,
Mom with a drawer full of unused baby blankets and 3 personalized stepstools (one of which has the wrong name on it because we call our son by his middle name).

Most people ignored my registry once the "fun stuff" like clothes and toys were gone and got me more clothes, stuffed animal blanket heads, blankets, swaddles, personalized stool, etc. They assumed that if it wasn't on my registry I didn't have it - which wasn't true - I got a ton of hand me downs. I spent a lot of time returning extra non registry items that people thought they were being helpful when giving (and many times didn't include a gift receipt or sometimes tags). Luckily those items weren't personalized.

When people asked me directly what I wanted I would always say diapers and wipes (which was on my registry) but nobody wanted to buy those.

Gift cards would be great especially a dining/restaurant card. If you are going to do personalized, check with the Mom first that she needs/wants that item. A cleaning services,

I have a few favorites.

1. The OXO wipes container. I would never have purchased this myself. When i got it, I was like, huh, why would I need this? I was so wrong, it is so awesome!

2. Lula clips. I never knew these existed, but they are awesome.

3. a Lovey/Taggie blankie from this Etsy seller: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mylilluvbug?section_id=6844837
It was great because DS absolutely loves it and it started getting a bit ragged, so I was able to contact the lady who made it and get 2 more exactly like it, so now I can alternate them and he always has one (of course, he doesn't know there are actually 3 of them, that would blow his little mind!). I don't have to worry about washing it and him freaking out about it not being available.

$300 gift card for Door Dash.

I loved the practical gifts more than the crocheted blankets.

Anonymous wrote:Practical stuff, like a Costco size box of diapers.

+1 not having to worry about stuff like this for a while is priceless.

Practical stuff, like a Costco size box of diapers.

I only got 4-5 blankets as gifts (which was plenty!) one was monogrammed the rest were just nice baby blankets. So that can still be a good gift--not everyone gets a million of them , but it would be impossible to know what she's already gotten or what will give her so something besides a blanket...I think one of those personalized books w the kids name is something that'll last a long time, get a lot of use, and be a special keepsake too so it is one of the best options listed here. Also really like the photography session idea if you want to spend a bit more $$

Aden + Anais organic bamboo swaddles. DD is 4 and still sleeps with 2-3 a night. We now have 10-12 total (they come in packs of 3) and they've lasted 4 years (from swaddling to snuggling). Fantastic!

Best practical gift we got was gigantic box of baby wipes from Costco. We didn't worry about or run out of wipes for the first couple of months!