We’re always trying to steer you toward great baby shower gifts. Here’s one winner and a few pitfalls.
Baby Shower Gift Don’ts:
- Seasonably inappropriate clothing. Babies grow out of their clothes sometimes before they get a chance to wear them, which is sad enough, but well-meaning gift givers who select a larger size to wear later need to heed one bit of advice–consider what month it’ll be when that 6-month-old outfit comes up for review. Will that kicky little summer ensemble finally fit in the dead of winter? Or how about a thick fleece sleeper in mid-August? Something to think about.
- Parenting Books. Not only will a new mommy really not have time to sit down and read anything for the foreseeable future, it’s probably best not to impose your style of parenting onto someone else.
Baby Shower Gift Do:
- Instead perhaps, offer baby-care books. One that we received and LOVE was The Baby Owner’s Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance. This book is hilarious (they refer to the baby as a “model” and your doctor as a “service provider,” etc.), yet immensely helpful and informative. We used it for everything from how to give a sponge bath (“no need to wash hair if your model came with hair uninstalled”) to how to take a temperature. My husband loves this book and it also helped to keep me in good humor while looking up things that were worrisome to me.
