The Art of Gifting: The Ultimate Baby Shower Gift Guide
Thousands of products are available to help with a new baby. With so many choices, buying a gift for a baby shower is a daunting task. Giving a great baby shower gift is an art that can be learned by following a handful of simple guidelines. Here's a list of top baby shower gift ideas based on the thing’s babies do most:
Clothing
Babies go through a lot of clothes, so clothing is always appreciated. Parents can never have too many basic items such as onesies, zip-up pajamas, and nightgowns that cinch closed at the bottom to cover the legs. Babies are wiggly, so clothes that are easy to get on and off quickly become favorites. Give clothing in bigger sizes, like 6-9 months or 9-12 months, rather than newborn sizes, when babies are more likely to be out and about and need more choices.
If you want to go beyond basic, choose pieces that have special significance for parents. You can find fun and unique pieces for almost any passion imaginable, from sports teams and motorcycles to fashion and literature and everything in between.
Feeding
Babies also go through a lot of food. In general, it's safest to stay away from bottles and breastfeeding gear unless you know exactly what the mother wants, as these items are very specific. Instead choose other meal time staples such as silicon table mats and bibs, dinnerware designed specifically for little ones, high chairs, and other similar aids.
Sleeping
When babies aren't eating, they're most likely to be sleeping. New parents appreciate anything that will help their babies get to sleep and stay asleep. There are several good ideas for giving the gift of sleep, including parenting books dedicated to sleep advice and techniques, electronic soothers that "shush" the baby to sleep, and special pillows designed to hold the baby securely in place while sleeping. Swaddle transition products such as Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit are also wonderful for helping babies relax and fall asleep.
With the help of these baby shower gift ideas, you should have no trouble finding the ultimate gift for your next baby shower!
Also in Our Blog
What’s the Difference Between a Swaddle and a Sleepsack
Five Questions about Early Morning Wakeups for Baby
The team at NAPS helps you tackle the issue of early wakeups. *BONUS* NAPS is hosting a webinar on February 24th. Register here and use the extra-special code MAGICMERLIN and you can join the webinar FREE of charge!
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The sound of cheery calls of “MAAAAMAAAAA” from the next room may be lovely at 7am. At 4am, or 5 am, not so much. Your baby may be up and ready to start the day, but you probably aren’t.
Answering the questions below may help you get there.
- Is your nap schedule mucking up your baby’s overnight sleep?
This might seem like an obvious question, but your baby’s sleep needs will change fast in the first few years of their lives. A quick look at the average nap number and duration might give you an idea:
- For babies from 3-6 months old, it’s normal to take 3-4 hour-long naps per day.
- For babies 6-15 months old, expect 2 naps with 3-3.5 hours of total sleep.
- For one and two-year-olds, you should expect a single 2-hour nap.
Part of the reason you might be seeing earlier wakeups is that your baby has graduated from one nap cycle to the next.
- Does your baby have enough time between their last nap and their bedtime?
We call this an “awake window,” and it can make a big difference. It might seem strange that your baby went to bed fine the night before, and you’re seeing a response to nap scheduling in the pre-dawn hours, but if your kiddo’s sleep is disrupted at night, it will impact the morning.
- 3-6 months, at least 1.5-2 hours between final nap wakeup and bedtime.
- 6-12 months, at least 2.5-3.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- 12-18+ months, 3.5-4.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- Is the room staying dark after the sun comes up?
Black 0ut curtains can make a big difference here. Remember that our brains signal wakeup when the light changes. So if dawn is at 430am, and even a little bit of light comes into your baby’s room, their little brains will PING with wake up juice.
- Is your baby going to sleep too early or too late?
It might seem counter-intuitive, but a late bedtime can actually backfire on you. Overtired kids don’t sleep as well. If you made their bedtime later and it didn’t fix the problem, try an earlier bedtime and see if that helps. You might be surprised.
- How do you make it better?
Try to make one change at a time; just one. Stick with that change for 3-5 days to see if it impacts things. (One night is usually not enough to see substantial change.) Be as consistent as you can with the change you made. For instance, if you decide to increase the space between bedtime and final nap wakeup, make sure to stick to the wakeup time you planned.
If your baby is waking up and chirping happily to themselves, feel free to leave them there for a little while. Let them get used to being alone in the crib. If you can, try to delay the start of the day by 5-10 minutes each day. This can make a big impact.
Everything else aside, remember that this is a short time in your kid’s life; as they get older, their sleep will become more regular, and so will yours. Don’t let yourself get too discouraged. Things are hard now, and you’re doing a great job.
