Baby shower gifts can really put the pressure on. You want to get your friend or family member just the right thing, but you’re not sure what’s going to do justice for the occasion. With that in mind, many people turn to creative, do-it-yourself inspired gifts if they’re too late to snag something useful from the registry. These gifts are all great ideas, and vary between the practical to the decorative. When you’re pressed for time and need to get something for a baby shower now, you can turn to these.
A Diaper Cake
If you’re picturing a cake shaped like a diaper, that’s not what we’re suggesting. Diaper cakes are in fact the ultimate baby shower gift these days. They are actually beautifully packaged infant supplies, with diapers as the basis for the layers of the cake. Three tiers of beautifully packaged diapers wrap around some essential newborn products, typically onesies and baby shampoos. This gift tends to be a bit more expensive because of the variety of items that you’re offering. Some people go to a lot of expense and trouble to track down all these items and make a diaper cake themselves, but you can easily find these items online, already packaged into beautiful diaper cakes from sites like The Honest Company. These centerpieces are grand, dramatic, and contain a lot of very useful items in a beautiful package. If you want to steal the show at your next baby shower, or find a pretty way to give a lot of useful items to someone who really needs them, then you should consider this upscale gift.
A Breast Feeding Resting Pillow
If you know that the mommy to be is going to be breastfeeding, a great gift is an ergonomic breast feeding pillow. These wrap around the mom’s waist and give her somewhere to rest her baby while she’s feeding him. Babies get heavy fast, and breastfeeding can take up a significant portion of the day. These pillows should have cases that are easy to unzip and toss in the wash just in case things get messy when feeding baby. These gifts are available online, but someone with a basic knowledge of sewing can whip them up out of durable fabric, one zipper, and a firm pillow stuffing material. If you’re up to crafting it yourself, this can be a deeply personal and thoughtful gift.
A Simple Hand Embroidered Piece
Whether you know how to embroider or this would be your first project, if you want a purely decorative gift then a hand embroidered piece can be just what you’re looking for. There are many stylish and simple designs available online that will give the new baby’s room a touch of handmade caring. If you invest in a wooden hoop at the start you don’t even have to worry about framing it or removing it from the working hoop, according to Thinking Closet. You can finish the embroidery, cut the threads and hand it over to the new mother with your congratulations.
A Butterfly Mobile
Mobiles are a baby’s best friend (and parents’ best bet at bed time) and they’re also very easy to make. All you need is a little hot glue, some cotton thread and colorful felt, and you have the basics that you need to put together a great mobile. You can find butterfly patterns online (and folded felt is easy to cut out using techniques similar to those for making paper snowflakes.) There’s not even any sewing required, so don’t worry that you won’t be up to the task of tackling this gift idea. Use a plastic hanger in a bright color as a base and thread the cotton string through holes in the bright butterflies. Hang at different lengths and you’ll have a gorgeous, brightly colors mobile to keep baby entertained for hours.
A Yarn-wrapped Letter
This is a last minute gift that’s actually sure to wow. If you need to, you can even put it together on the way to the baby shower. If you know the name of the baby then all you have to do is go to a craft store and buy a wooden letter that can be mounted on the wall. Then pick a blue or pink yarn that’s variegated. This means that there’s more than one shade of the color in the skein. That will form a pretty pattern when you wrap the yarn around the letter. You can crisscross to make patterns or you can just wrap it around smoothly for a polished, pretty yarn letter. Tie both ends around the letter and you have a professional looking gift that took you minutes, according to Spoonful.
These gifts are great for do it yourselfers, people pressed for time, on a budget, or just don’t want to get the all important new mom a generic or forgettable gift. Break out these specialty items to provide the thoughtful support that says “you can always count on me.”
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
A diaper cake. LOL. I’d like to get a bite out of that one.
Hi David,
LOL!
I love diaper cakes! I crochet small toys as baby gifts when I am able to make the time for it…
Hi MaryAnne,
I’m going to add the links to your crochet projects. I am not great at crocheting but your toys are so adorable!
Adorable baby doll crochet project from Mama Smiles: http://mamasmiles.com/amigurumi-inspired-baby-doll-crochet-pattern/
Clothes for this doll: http://mamasmiles.com/waldorf-inspired-crochet-doll-overall-shorts/
Aww, it makes me miss my babies!
I love the idea of something handmade. Love embroidery hoops and mobiles and what a great idea to make a nursing pillow!
Hi Ann,
I can’t do many homemade items but I can embroider a little. It is fun to give or get a homemade gift from the heart!
My favorite baby shower gifts were board books with cute stuffed animals to accompany them. And those are the ones I still remember and treasure, even though it’s been YEARS since I had a baby shower – my kids are tween and teen age!
Hi Laura S.,
I once got Goodnight Moon with the stuffed bunny and I agree with you; it was the best gift ever!!
Feeding resting pillow is really new concept for me for making better presents on babies related gifts.
Hi Gautam,
I used the Boppy and it was helpful.
Thank you for this wonderful post. It’s helpful for mommy like me so much
Hi Georgina,
I’m so glad! Thank you for your kind words!
These are some thoughtful and useful gifts. Best baby shower gifts ever… It’s awesome! I think this is useful for anyone who does not have any children and would not have a clue what practical items to buy.
Thanks so much Jessie!
OMG! This article really useful for me. Thanks a lot to Mia Wenjen for sharing such an informative article about 5 Thoughtful and Creative Baby Shower Gifts. I love baby care. I have read your valuable page and gotten much information and I confused for choosing the Baby Shower Gifts information what would be the best for everything but now my confusion has cleared by your review. Keep it up………..
Thanks for your kinds words Alicia!
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Thanks for your kind words Walter!