Kids Ain't Cheap

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The Best (and Worst!) Baby Shower Gifts

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baby shower gifts

Baby showers. Some love them, some hate them. While I love buying things for little people, I dislike attending baby showers. Nothing against the expecting family, I really just hate everything about traditional baby shower games. I’m at the age where there is a stark increase in the amount of showers I get invited to, though.

Between the number of showers I’ve attended, and the ones I’ve been on the receiving end of, I feel like a bit of a baby shower expert, and I’m here to give you my opinion on the best, and wors,t baby shower gifts.

Best Baby Shower Gifts

There are some baby gifts that are more useful than others.  These are the ones that almost every new parent will appreciate.

Large, Expensive Gifts

First time parents will likely welcome large, expensive gifts that they have on their registry such as a stroller, crib, playpen, and rocking chair.  These gifts are usually too expensive for one person to buy on their own, so feel free to chip in with other people and give a group gift.

When we were expecting our first, my co-workers went together and bought our stroller/car seat combo.  I was so glad that we didn’t have to buy this ourselves because our money was tight then.

Baby Carrier

baby shower gifts

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Some babies are only consoled when their parents hold them.  This can lead to both tired arms and frustration.  Getting anything done around the house is difficult when the baby fusses as soon as she’s put down.  A baby carrier can be a fabulous gift because it gives parents the opportunity to keep the baby close AND get things done around the house.

Restaurant Gift Certificate

No matter what kind of birth you have, the perfect natural drug free delivery or complicated c-section, no new mom, experienced or not, feels like cooking in those early days. Life is chaotic and having a gift certificate or two to fall back on is a huge help!

Clothes the Kid Can Grow Into

Too many people will show up with exclusively newborn clothes.  Sure, they’re cute, but they’re also impractical.  All three of my babies were nine to ten pounds at birth.  They never fit in newborn clothes, and they only stayed in size 0-3 month clothes for about the first four weeks.  Had I gotten many outfits in those sizes, they would have been wasted.

Having a few outfits/PJ’s in larger sizes the kid can grow into is always appreciated. Kids grow fast, so they’ll get into that cute outfit sooner than you think!  They’ll likely stay in the larger size outfits longer, too.

Burp Pads/Wipes

Newborns make an insane amount of mess. They vomit and spit up everywhere, all of which requires being cleaned up. No mom can have enough burp pads/wipes/bibs for kids since they will go through about 25,721 per day. They also get stained beyond recognition and eventually tossed, so don’t spend too much money on them.

Diapers

Kids need diapers in many sizes. Find out if the parents plan on using disposable or cloth before buying, though.  Even if they get a lot of diapers, it is a gift always well appreciated.

Worst Shower Gift Ideas

And then there are the gifts that well meaning friends and family give you that are, honestly, worthless.

Nursing Bras

Unless you’re in the change room with the new mom, there is no way you’ll get this right. If you think it’s a gift mom would like and want though, get a gift certificate instead.

Expensive or Impractical Baby Clothes

baby shower gifts

Photo by Luke Michael on Unsplash

Babies, especially newborns, are messy. They do not need fancy, expensive and fussy clothes! You are literally wasting money when you buy these clothes, no matter how cute. Same goes for newborn shoes. Unless the kid is walking (usually past 1 year), they don’t need shoes with proper soles. Even in the winter, small children don’t need them; most baby snowsuits will take care of foot coverage.

Likewise, avoid impractical baby clothes.  When I was expecting my first baby, a co-worker bought me a towel and a baby bathrobe.  Sure, the set was cute as can be, but how practical is struggling with a baby to put on a bathrobe only to dry the baby off and put on his clothes?  I returned that gift before I even had the baby.

Non-seasonal baby clothes

Find out when the kid (should) be born before buying seasonal clothes. If the child is born in December there’s a good chance they won’t still be in newborn size swimwear come July. Pay attention to sizes when buying such items.

A Word about Baby Registries

If the parents did create a registry, look it up. Chances are they spent time to figure out what would work and what they need for their family. Sometimes, showers aren’t the best time to be reinventing the wheel, so-to-speak. If they took the time to research a monitor they liked, for example, don’t bother buying a different one because you liked it more; there’s a good chance it will end up getting exchanged.

One More Thought on Gifts

It’s not to say new moms think of everything, though. As a mom myself, there were things I received from experienced friends and family that I never would have thought of and was so appreciative of.  If you go this route, just make sure to include a gift receipt so they can return the item if it turns out not to be something they would want.

Final Thoughts

If you are invited to a baby shower, keep in mind some of the best baby shower gifts to give.  I still remember which of my friends and family gave me the gifts I most appreciate and found  most useful.  Now, when I attend a baby shower, I try to do the same for new moms.

What is your favorite gift to give for a baby shower?

Read More

5 Ways to Add Eco-Friendly Baby Products to Your Routine

After the Shower: How to Save Money with a Young Baby

5 Printable Baby Shower Games

 

How to Save Hundreds on Diapers

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You might have seen those scary numbers that tell you the cost to raise a child is over $200,000 from the time of birth until the age of 18.  While there are plenty of ways to cut costs when raising your children, there’s one expense that hits you as soon as your child is born—the cost of diapers.  We had two kids in diapers for 1.5 years, and I remember being so glad when they were potty trained as we got a large chunk of our budget back.  While there’s no way to avoid this expense, there people do learn how to save hundreds on diapers.

How to Save Hundreds on Diapers

How to Save Hundreds on Diapers

There are many techniques you can use to save, but you’ll save even more if you put several of the strategies together.

Use Cloth Diapers

How to Save Hundreds on Diapers

Photo by Padmavathi Ashok Kumar on Unsplash

The best way to save is to use cloth diapers.  Most people dismiss this idea because cloth diapers aren’t allowed at daycare.  If that’s the case, use cloth diapers at home and buy disposable for daycare.  You’ll still see significant savings this way.

Buy Cloth Diapers on eBay

I cloth diapered my son almost exclusively.  I bought several lots of used cloth diapers on eBay with mixed results.  I ended up with some very nice diapers, but I also ended up with some worn out diapers that I couldn’t use.

Do Your Research First

If you’re going the eBay route, first research which diapers you’d like to use.  (There are so many brands of cloth diapers with so many different features.  Cloth diapering is not like it was 30 years ago!)

If you buy new, your diapers will likely last through several of your children.

If you buy used, check the quality description carefully.  You don’t want to end up with diapers that have very little life left.

How to Save on Disposable Diapers

There are quite a few strategies to save money on disposable diapers.  Use as many as you can to save even more.

Buy Off Brand Diapers If You Can

Of course, the biggest diaper brands, Huggies and Pampers, cost the most.  However, there are many off brand diapers that are much cheaper than the big brands.  Look for Target Up and Up diapers, Walmart’s White Cloud diapers, or Luvs.  Likewise, Walgreen’s and CVS each have their own house brand of diapers that are cheaper, too.

Use Amazon Subscribe & Save

If you have an Amazon Prime account, make sure to use subscribe & save.  When you go to put the diapers in your cart, you’ll see an option to make a one-time purchase or to make the item subscribe & save.  Thanks to Amazon Family, when you choose subscribe & save, you save 20% off your diaper purchase every time.  You just have to make sure you have five or more products on auto-delivery at the same time to the same address.  (FYI, baby food is also included in the eligible products list, so you can save there, too.)

Use Coupons

There are many, many coupons for diapers.  You can check out Coupons.com, Ibotta, or Checkout 51 for diaper coupons.  You can also email the company and sign up for their email.  (Luvs is known to be especially generous with their coupons when you sign up for their mailing list.)  Even Costco and Amazon have coupons for their diapers occasionally.

A Covert Way to Save

Diaper packages generally have a size range.  For instance, Huggies Snug & Dry size 2 one-month supply has 222 diapers in a box and fit babies weighing 12 to 18 pounds.  Size 3 of the same has 200 diapers and fits babies 16 to 28 pounds.  Some moms save money by keeping their child in the smaller size diaper as long as they can because you get more diapers per purchase in the smaller size.

You’ll know it’s time to move up to the bigger diaper size when your baby has frequent leaks or blow outs.

Build a Diaper Stash

How to Save Hundreds on Diapers

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Another option is to build a diaper stash before baby is born and when you can find diapers at a great price.

Some women ask each person attending their baby shower to bring a box of diapers or wipes.  Other women start stocking up the minute they find out they’re pregnant.  (You can find quite a few good sales on diapers in nine month’s time and end up with a nice diaper stash.)  If you’re not sure what sizes to buy, there’s a handy chart one mom created documenting how many diapers in each size her daughter used during her first year.

One caveat here—be careful building a diaper stash.  I’m actually glad I never built a diaper stash.  Why?  All my kids were born over nine pounds and didn’t even fit in the newborn size diapers.  Second, one of my children had very chunky legs, so Pampers’ slimmer cut didn’t fit her well.  We had to keep her in Huggies.  If I would have stocked up on Pampers, I would have lost all of that money.  Some babies are allergic to some diapers, so those can’t be used.  For these reasons, I’d actually discourage new moms from building a diaper stash.

Buy in Bulk

If you can afford it, buying diapers in bulk is the way to go.  The bigger the box you can afford, the less you pay per diaper.  Costco is a great place to buy diapers if you don’t have an Amazon Prime account.  Target also has sales for boxes of diapers where you buy a certain amount in diapers, say $100, and then you get a $25 gift card.  This deal gives you a great incentive to buy in bulk.  (Don’t forget to get and use the Target Red card to save 5% off your purchase.)

Final Thoughts

While diapers are expensive, there are strategies to learn how to save hundreds on diapers.  Use some or most of these techniques and see how much you save.  And remember, while diapers are a big expense temporarily, this expense will usually go away in three years.  Then, it’s on to the next expense for you child.