Baby Shower Gifts

Before I was a mom, baby shower gifts were my favorite things to shop for! It was so easy, right? just buy a cute outfit, maybe some blankets and a book, oh and lets top it off with a cute rattle.

Done.

Now, there is nothing wrong with that gift, but after being a mom myself, I realized there are many items that are MUCH more important to have then those listed above. So below, you will find my go to gifts for first time mamma. Shopping for a mamma who's not having their first baby? Check out my list for the not so new mamas here.

Gift Ideas for the first time Mamma

1- Group Purchase
If you can go in on a gift with a group of people and buy a larger item, do it. Some great large item purchases that I would suggest are: Car seat, stroller, bassinet, crib, or rocking chair. These are items that I believer are most necessary and are items that you should only buy exactly what the Mamma is asking for. These are the items that if they are on the registry, only buy that exact make and model on the registry, don't make any substitutions or suggestions. 

2- A Diaper Bag
Everyone needs a diaper bag and it's a bonus if you can fill it up with some extra essentials. The backpack diaper bags are what are in style right now and are so much more practical for outings and long term use! I recently purchased a diaper bag as a gift and I was super envious of how stylish it was. 
Want diaper bag envy, check out this one! https://amzn.to/2YcDdUW

3- Muslin Blankets
There are lots of brands making muslin blankets now, and in my opinion, it's because they are so darn great! They swaddle beautifully, they are super thin for summer, and if you put a fleece sleeper under them then they are great for winter too. My youngest child has adopted them as her "blankies", so I am not sure when I will ever be able to part with them. The patterns that they come in are adorable. I would suggest if you're purchasing them to keep with gender neutral colors and patterns so they can be passed down to any siblings, friends, relatives, etc.  
Aden & Anais are the most popular brand of muslin blankets https://amzn.to/2U7l63C

4- Medicine
I received a basket of numerous bottles and drops for all baby ailments at my first baby shower. I was a bit puzzled by the gift at first, but then 3 months after baby was born, it made sense. The basket had hydra sense nasal saline, baby Tylenol, baby Advil, baby allergy medicine, teething liquid, colic relief, etc. Having everything on hand the first time we needed something was so incredibly helpful. Pair all of this with a snot sucker and you've got yourself a fantastic and useful baby shower gift.   
This is the snot sucker I mentioned https://amzn.to/2YlN5f5

5- Items for Mamma
The process of bringing a baby into the world is tough on mom's body no matter how the baby enters. There are some necessities that mom is going to need for herself to get through the first month to 6 weeks after the birth. Think extra thick menstrual pads, mesh underwear, nursing pads, cooling cloths for her sensitive region, etc. If she's planning on breastfeeding; nursing shirts, mothers milk tea, nipple cream, and protein bars are all super helpful. Add in a manicure or pedicure gift certificate to treat herself afterwards, and I would say that's a stellar gift for the mom to be. 

6- Thermometer
This is by far the most used item fro the baby shower that we own. My kids are now 5 and 3 and I would say it has been used very regularly in the winter months for 5 years. It is well work it, in my opinion, to purchase the thermometer I have linked below. It may seem like an odd gift at first, but trust me, the mom will that you for it during the first fever incident. 

The Best Thermometer: https://amzn.to/2YjwCYT

7- Diapers & Wipes
You can not go wrong with these item either, as long as you know if they are doing disposable of cloth. If they are cloth diapering, make sure you know the brand they are using. Once you know the brand, there are some really cute diapers that you can buy for cloth. There are also a tonne of accessories that can go with cloth diapers like liners, wet bags, sprayers, etc. If they are doing disposable diapers, buy larger sizes. Most full term babies do not stay in newborn for very long. Buying a box of size 2 or 3 diapers is just as helpful as newborns or 1. 

8-  Sleepers
If you really have a strong desire to purchase clothing, might I suggest sleepers, and more specifically, zipper sleepers. I may be talking out of sorts here, but as much as I loved dressing both my kids up into really cut outfits, they spent 80% of their first 4-6 months in sleepers. Sleepers were just so much easier then onesies, pants, sweaters, socks, etc. You have to change diapers so frequently that teh quicker and easier it can be done, the better, hence the zippers. So much faster and easier then snaps, and surprisingly, not super easy to find in stores either. 

9- Your Favorite Items
Another favorite gift for my first child was a basket of items from my best friend. She was already a mom and had some items that she felt were amazing and big hits with her son, so she created a basket with those items in it for me. I don't recall exactly what was in her basket, but some of them are probably the same as what I would put in mine. I would put a Raz-berry teether, a wubbanub, Dr. Seuss Sleep Softly book, Ellie the elephant toy, an Oball, muslin blankets and Sophie the Giraffe.  

10- An OVer 
This is a Canadian company who makes a car seat/nursing cover duo called an oVer. Their designs are beautiful. They stretch and fit any infant car seat creating a great barrier between strangers and babies. They are great for blocking the sun and wind and they are really fantastic nursing covers. I loved mine so much that I had it made into a scarf what I was done using it for my baby.  
Check out their website: https://theover.ca/

11- Maritime Box
There is an awesome Nova Scotian company called Pip + Daisy and they make really cute baby items all inspired by the Maritimes. You can even create a Baby Box with a number of their items in it. If you don't want a whole box of Maritime themed items, you could also pick one or two of their items to personalize a gift with a little east coast flare. These would be great for friends or family who are living away but still love the east coast. I'm partial to their "Brand new Bluenoser" onesie or the anchor teething toy.  
https://www.pipdaisy.ca/
(use the code PIPDAISYFANS for 10% off when you mention Bluenose Mommy in the notes section!)

12- Mom and Baby Dates
I will elaborate more on this gift idea in a future post, but it was by far on of the gifts I had the most fun putting together for a good friends shower. I used a box that would match the babies nursery theme and put in 12 different envelopes. Each envelope contained a gift card for an activities that mom and baby could get out of the house to do together. They were geared towards the moms maternity leave, so there aren't a tonne of ideas that the baby can actively participate in. Some things I had included were a coffee shop gift card, a wildlife park pass, a parent/tot swim pass, ice cream gift cards, arts and craft store money to do baby's first mementos, etc. 

13- Prenatal Class
Five short years ago prenatal classes were offered by our public health nurses free of charge. Then they were only offered online, now they are not offered at all by public health. While I can't say the sessions I attended were ground breaking, I do think it is very unfortunate that not everyone has access to the information. Now it seems the only way to attend a prenatal class is to find a private one and pay for it. Many of the courses are offered by doulas. I hate to say it, but I do think a doula led childbirth education class would be significantly better and more informative then what was previously offered and well worth the money. SO long story short, I think this would be a fantastic gift for the first time mom.  

14- Postpartum Doula
Speaking of doulas, a postpartum doula would also be an AMAZING gift for a first time mom. These doulas will come to their house after the baby is born and really focus on the mom and helping her with all aspects of life after birth. They will do light housekeeping. They will take care of the baby so mom can nap or shower. They will be able to answer questions mom has, check on moms well being, and connect them to any community resources that can be of additional support for the family. You can get daytime postpartum services or nighttime postpartum services. Yes they may have lots of family around who promise to help, and maybe do help a lot, but sometimes it's nice to talk to someone you aren't related to about issues you are having or if you are questioning if something is "normal", someone too who is around babies all the time and who has a specific knowledge base for postpartum.   
Check out Trena's website for more information www.trenagallant.com

15- Breast Pump
I have left this suggestion for the end on purpose. Purchasing a breast pump for an expectant mom could be a fantastic idea, but it could also be a waste of money. First obviously, if you are considering this gift, make sure they plan to breastfeed, do not assume. Second, it may honestly be best if you wait until after the baby is born to purchase it. Perhaps a better suggestion might be to give the mom money for the pump. Here is my reasoning behind my hesitation for purchasing a breast pump. It is impossible to know prior to the birth of the child how challenging or easy breastfeeding will be. The mom doesn't know if she will under produce milk or if she will over produce. Both have different challenges and the same pump won't necessarily work the best for either challenge. The needs of the mom in terms of a pump can vary significantly from what she thinks she needs prior to the birth of the baby and what she actually needs after the baby. Now, full confession, I did recently gift a family member with a breast pump. I chose to give her a manual pump. I personally used this pump for both my babies and loved it. It was great for travelling or having in the car when you needed to pump and weren't close to an outlet. I felt like I had more control over how much I pumped off and sometimes I was able to get more from the manual then I could the electric. Bonus that I also felt less like a cow hooked up to a milk machine. Now I was an over producer and had immense pain at the beginning when all my milk came in, so this little manual pump provided me with incredible relief without signaling to my body that it had to make more. I would strongly suggest if you really really want to buy an actual pump for the new mom, to opt for the manual. In my opinion, I think every mom could get use out of a manual pump, but not every mom could get use out of an electric one.   

This was my favorite pump! https://amzn.to/2HEyypG

Once baby arrives and you go to visit and get your baby snuggles in, don't just swoon over the little one. The incidence of postpartum depression is on the rise and many moms need support. Having a little one enter your life changes everything and there isn't a lot of talk about how to adjust or cope with that. Much of the time women are just expected to figure out how to be a mom and how to keep everything together and it's supposed to be this "natural" instinct that kicks in and you're supposed to love it. It doesn't always work that way and many moms struggle for one reason or another. The best thing I think anyone can do for first time moms or anytime moms is to be there for them. To listen, to support, to ask questions, and to be non-judgmental. Lets share some of the love and excitement we have for the new bundle with the new mom as well.     

So those are my top 15 baby shower gifts suggestions for the first time mom. 

What do you think, did I miss any of your favorites?