Presents!

Sala

My good friend is due and I need a present idea. I usually buy nice clothes, but she is financially strapped so quantity is probably better than mini designer jeans if you know what I mean!? I presume you end up with a lot of rubblish, or 50 0-3 month babygrows that you will never use. I would like to be personal, but more importantly I want to be practical. Is cash acceptable in a card? Or a voucher? Someone else told me not to bother with a voucher for mothercare or the like as they are a rip off anyway. She is not the type of girl to ask for anything and if you want to buy her something she needs she won't tell you what it is anyway.

John Mason

for my friends i made up hampers

anna karmel baby cook book, feeding spoons which change colour temp, bowls, food storage containers, bibs etc,

or
a teething necklace, chew toys, bongella, teetha etc.

Sala

John Mason wrote: »

for my friends i made up hampers

anna karmel baby cook book, feeding spoons which change colour temp, bowls, food storage containers, bibs etc,

or
a teething necklace, chew toys, bongella, teetha etc.

Thanks for this. I have no kids... so where would I buy these things!? As I said, I usually get outfits in Next etc, I have never bought baby utensils and the like.

Sarah Bear

A voucher for whatever shopping centre is nearest her might come in handy or a one for all voucher.

John Mason

you can get them online, in chemists, tesco and believe it or not woodies have a big anna karmel range.

if you go to amazon you will find loads of anna karmel, adn it will say "people who bought this, also bought this'

Moonbeam

A Boots voucher or a little hamper.
Nice baby blankets are always welcome too.
A good play mat or bouncer are always needed.
A nice foot muff eg a Lodger Bunker


The Anabel Karmel stuff is expensive and I don't see it as being any better then the own brand/cheaper stuff.

If you are buying clothes buy 9 months +

I would ask her though sometimes when people know that you are going to buy something anyway they will tell you,but the problem with a 1st child is you have no idea what you need

icescreamqueen

I got a few of the one for all vouchers and they were much appreciated as I had the freedom to buy what I needed and quite a lot of stores accept them. Clothes were handy but I have a lot of the one size which she'll probably never get to wear unfortunately. One thing I would say too is don't forget the Mammy! After all her hard work, the baby gets all the presents lol. Even a little box of chocolates would be really thoughtful.

sleepytrees

A hamper is the way to go of practical thing imo,

Water wipes, Vaseline, nappies, nappy cream, cotton buds, hand mitts, hats and pack of vests or babygros (as you go through about 10 a day at the beginning) maybe some chocolates for the proud mammy If she is bottle feeding you can get pre paid bottles that are already sterilized in the brand she uses. Its 12 euro for 5 but they are such a handy thing to have.

pwurple

John Mason wrote: »

for my friends i made up hampers

anna karmel baby cook book, feeding spoons which change colour temp, bowls, food storage containers, bibs etc,

or
a teething necklace, chew toys, bongella, teetha etc.

All of those are gifts I would avoid to be honest! The parents might do baby led weaning, in which case all the spoon feeding stuff is useless to them. Loads of people avoid unscientific stuff like homepathy(teetha) and the necklaces are not safe for under 3's. Bonjela is only safe for use for over 16's, so I wouldn't put that in a baby gift either.

Babys just eat, sleep and poop. A big bundle of nappies in various sizes is useful. Wipes are handy, water wipes in particular are unlikely to offend.

We were given a personalised blanket which was lovely, and it gets loads of use still.

Toy-wise, as moonbeam said, playmat and bouncer get the most use.

meeeeh

Another vote for nappies and baby wipes here. Maybe not the smallest size because they are out of them so quickly. Bouncers, mats and similar are good presents if you know nobody else is getting them. The same goes for electronic thermometer. It is really handy but you need only one while all the nappies get used. Every uses different stuff but in our house preprepared meals weren't really eaten because I was in a good shape the second time and cooked what I wanted to eat, I didn't feel like having chocolate, we didn't need or want to use any teething stuff, we got too many clothes and we bought our own bouncer and mat. One of the handiest presents were pampers disposable mats but those worked for us snd might not work for somebody else.

I'd get something small and a voucher. I think that is the best option because cost at beginning is quite high.

dollybird2

Best presents I received were hampers and nappies. Clothes are grown out of so fast, and bottles/feeding items were trial & error so some items weren't used and were wasted.
I now always give expectant friends hampers. If you cannot get a basket, use a box with some crepe paper, cellophane & a ribbon for presentation purposes. Include baby wash, nappies, a hooded baby towel, cotton wool, water wipes, a baby brush, nappy cream, muslin squares - etc. A walk through the baby aisle of Tesco/Dunnes or any supermarket will give you plenty of ideas. Vests, babygros & bibs can be included if you wish.

If you do wish to buy an outfit, include a gift receipt. I didn't buy any outfits in 0-3 for my baby as I thought I'd receive loads, but I got plenty from 6 months + and none for a newborn.

I hope your friend has a healthy baby

Hello Lady!

I would say buy a nice box or basket and put a few nice bits in there - nothing wildly expensive, just some small items so that you have something to give that you chose yourself. Then in addition, get a prepaid credit card. This is better than a one for all or voucher for a specific place. That way she can use the credit card anywhere and for anything - even if she is short of a few bob for grocery shopping.

My sister has a lovely gift box for my arrivals, and has a few baby grows, a teddy, some blankets, some toiletries etc. Nothing majorly expensive, but just some inexpensive bits to give when they arrive. She adds something most weeks usually from tesco - even if its just a pair of socks or a bib she buys something small. I think a few little bits with the credit card would be the best idea.

bp

I got about 10 blankets (all generously given but they are piled up in a press) and three picture frames.

I also go sooo much talc and vasiline ect which I haven't used so it is sitting under the bed.

Nappies are ideal but choice of brand depends on the mother. Muslin squares as a god send!! If buying clothes consider the season - I got snow suits for summer so they were never worn.

Books and toys were lovely (esp Jelly Cat) - very soft and great for when child is older as saves parents buying toys. The books are also great for when kid is a little older and saves the parents money later.

Present for mammy is super 😄

Mrs Fox

bp wrote: »

!! If buying clothes consider the season - I got snow suits for summer so they were never worn.

I got the same for my spring born baby. And it was from a mother of two young kids!


How about a voucher for a studio photography session? Giggles and Smiles in Malahide is excellent (assuming your friend is within reach?), also PixiFoto in Mothercare outlets.


Edit: whoops just noticed there that you're looking for quantity gifts, so yeah, a hamper of wipes and nappies are spot on. Don't forget to include bibs too. Can't have too many bibs.

Lola18

sleepytrees wrote: »

A hamper is the way to go of practical thing imo,

Water wipes, Vaseline, nappies, nappy cream, cotton buds, hand mitts, hats and pack of vests or babygros (as you go through about 10 a day at the beginning) maybe some chocolates for the proud mammy If she is bottle feeding you can get pre paid bottles that are already sterilized in the brand she uses. Its 12 euro for 5 but they are such a handy thing to have.

Totally agree with this, little hamper with a mix of creams and little hats/ mittens which I found penny's great for as nothing fits for long enough to get worn out! Little cuddle blankets are great too I thought.

Carrie6OD

My friend made an emergency/s.o.s. kit and I found it to be the best gift ever. It had things like bibs, muslins, bepanthen cream, silcock's base, bonjela for babies (not the adult one obviously!), calpol, nurofen, sudocrem, lanolin, breast pads, etc etc a lot of it is still in the kit unused (calpol nurofen etc) but knowing its here in the house has given me peace of mind.