Baby shower gift (& registry) ideas

Coming up with an idea for a baby shower gift can be tough. Before I had a baby myself, everything felt foreign as I walked through the aisles looking at my friend's registry, trying to figure out what to get her. Now that I have a child of my own, I realize that every baby is different and likes different products. So even if you are familiar with baby products, it can still be hard to decide what to get!

Here's a list of my most used products from our first year of parenting, in case you need some help deciding what to get for your next baby shower, or if you need help figuring out what to register for (which can be a whole other difficult task!).

 

1) Hatch Nightlight: This is by far my most used item I received at my baby shower (thanks Katie & Kacey!). We use it every single night as a sound machine, and I love the fact that when Hannah is older, we can use it as a wake up light to help her decipher between when it's time to wake up for the day and when it's still night time. It has bluetooth capability, so we can control all the settings from our phones. It really is an amazing product, highly recommend!
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2) Clothes: You really can't go wrong here, because as we know babies grow fast and go through a LOT of clothes in the first year. I found it especially helpful when people gave us clothes in different sizes, it was so fun to take out new clothes as she outgrew her old ones. Even though they won't use it for a while, your friend will sure appreciate those 6, 9 & 12 month clothes since the majority of baby shower gifts are the itty bitty stuff. Every outfit helps!
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​3) Iviebaby Lovie: This is my new favorite thing to get expecting mamas. I found Elizabeth through the blogging world way back in 2011, it was blogs like hers that inspired me to get into blogging in the first place. I was so excited when I had a baby of my own to purchase an Iviebaby lovie for, and now Hannah sleeps with it every single night. These lovies are amazing quality, super soft, and machine washable. You can even get it personalized with baby's name! If you want to be sure your gift won't be the same as everyone else's, this is a great way to go!

4) Chelsey Wang Diaper Creme: I got this diaper cream before Hannah was born, and it is still going strong at 15 months! The quantity of cream is extremely generous, and a little goes a long way. Any time Hannah has even the slightest sign of diaper rash, I put this on and it clears it up right away. I have never noticed her get to the point of being uncomfortable, because this cream works so well. There are also no harmful ingredients, which is a must for us in baby products! This is the only diaper cream we'll use from now on, we're sold!
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​5) Play Mat: Baby spends a lot of time on the floor in the first year. A play mat will get a LOT of use, from tummy time, to learning to roll over, to learning to crawl! There are so many different ones to choose from, but really anything that has toys hanging for stimulation and a comfy mat will do just fine. A play mat will be a memorable gift because of how often it's used, I still remember that my Aunt Vicki got us ours!
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​6) Diapers: And the most practical award goes to... diapers! If you're planning a shower, a great thing to incorporate is a diaper raffle where every one who brings diapers is entered to win a prize. Special shout out to my friend Colleen who planned one of my showers, and did this! It got us a whole stack of diaper boxes that was extremely useful in those early days. Also, just like with clothes, feel free to size up since you know they're going to need all those size 2 & 3 diapers too. 

Did I miss anything? If you're a mama, what were the most useful, practical or memorable gifts that you got at your shower?