Unique and Best Baby Gifts for New Mothers

How many baby showers have you been to where the mom to be unwraps more baby oil and lotion then she could use on her own skin circumference in a year? It's time to spice those baby showers up a bit, add some flair. Bring out the new mom's personality a bit because us veteran moms know that once that baby gets here the nine months of "ohs" and "ahs" and "let me get that door for you", "no sit, you must be exhausted" disappear into "well you've almost lost that baby weight just what 50 more lbs to go", "oh your baby's crying here you take her back."

OK, yes I think motherhood is a beautiful thing but the new mom often gets lost in all the soft pinks and blues. Let's talk unique baby gifts that will thrill the mom on a personal level without forgetting the baby.

First you need to think about the mom to be. How well do you know her? Can you answer the following? Favorite movie Favorite type of music and favorite artist Favorite color Favorite book Sci-fi, mystery, or romance Sports enthusiast Dietary preferences: vegan, allergies, organic, processed Allergies or skin irritations Avid exerciser or serious couch potato

Don't stress if you only know the answer to one. Go with that one. Let's talk baby shower gifts. Chances are if our friend has a skin irritation and say vegan then the 10 year supply of baby lotions and oils mentioned above will actually offend her. To stay on speaking terms with her look for a botanically based, hypoallergenic, vegan approved baby oil and liquid soap. Then add some flair. Using the following recipe, create home-made baby wipes. Package the wipes with the recipe, a few rolls of paper towels, and the remaining oil and soap.

With a serrated knife cut a role of thick paper towels in half, forming two smaller rolls. Remove cardboard tubing. In a cylinder container combine 2 cups water, 1 tbsp Baby Wash, and 2 tsp Baby Oil. Place one of the half rolls in the container with the liquid (save the second roll for next time). Close the container and wait until the roll has completely absorbed the liquid. Flip the container over and let it sit for 10 more minutes. Keep the wipes in an airtight container to keep them from drying out.

What about unique baby gifts that will touch the mom's heart? Let's go back to the questions. So let's say our friend is a big Gone With The Wind fanatic. Prepare her for baby's first Halloween with a southern belle dress for each of them (assuming she is having a girl). Or maybe our friend is into Star Wars. My son was given two Star Wars Disposable. One with Yoda's face and the words "Size matters not" and another one with Darth Vader and the words "Who's your daddy?" My husband and I dressed him in it so much Yoda's ears wore off before he outgrew the outfit.

Is her favorite music jazz or Christian? No matter what her genre there are children's Cd's available. Why not pair it with her favorite artist? Better yet, make a mix with some of her favorite songs so she can share her love of music with her new child. Whether you are looking for a unique baby boy or girl gift it simply requires a small amount of information paired with creative thinking.

Personalized baby gifts are always fun. If the mom-to-be has not divulged the child's name then prepay for the item at the store with a little extra for shipping. At the baby shower give our friend a beautiful card with a picture of the item and a note saying waiting for the naming. Make sure she knows that all she has to do is call and they will ship it out to her. Another way to personalize a baby gift is to make it yourself. If your talent is sewing offer to create the bumpers, sheets, and skirt for the crib. If your gift is painting or drawing offer to stylize the room with a mural or paint canvases to hang.

Being a new mom can get tough. Learning to balance the chores, sleepless nights, a tired husband, and a little me time is tricky. Help our friend out. Here are a few ideas that are all about the new mom.

Schedule an appointment for her to receive an in home massage and then take the baby for a few hours so she can enjoy.

Give her a membership to a pizza of the month club (or whatever her favorite food might be, cheesecake would work for me).

Go to a Pass Your Plate or Supper Club and make enough meals to fill her freezer.

A gift basket with bubble bath, chocolates, and a calendar of the next 6 months. Sit down with her and mark out two days each month that you will take the little guy and give her bubble bath time.

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Top Baby Shower Gifts

Heading off to a baby shower? If you're having gift dilemma, your safest bet is to choose off the registry - but what if there isn't one? Check out our top baby shower ideas when it comes to choosing a gift:

1. The essentials. While most moms will want to pick out the major stuff on their own - diaper bags, car seats, play arches, etc. - stocking them up with the basics that they can never have enough of is a smart gift. Yes, it's a little boring, but a sample of outfits to get baby through the first year, receiving blankets or burp cloths, tiny socks and hats, pacifiers and more are all things moms will need in spades.

2. Memberships or gift cards. New moms need excuses to get out of the house, so why not spring for a membership to a kid-friendly activity or event for a unique spin on baby shower gifts? Baby yoga classes, a zoo membership and movie tickets for mom and baby screenings are just a few gift ideas that will help a new mom get out and about when she needs it most.

3. Home cleaning or meal delivery. Tread lightly on this one, but many new moms could use a hand or two around the house as they adjust to their new life. Look for open-ended gift certificates for cleaning services, and arrange for meal delivery at a time that is likely to be convenient. Or better yet, deliver the food yourself and square it away in the fridge or freezer, so mom doesn't have to lift a finger.

4. Something handmade. If you've got a talent, whether it's sewing, carpentry, knitting, scrapbooking or what have you, a handmade baby gift is something any mom-to-be will treasure.

5. A gift card. Again, it's a little boring, but you can never go wrong with a gift card at a baby shower. Shopping for baby is an exciting time for a mom-to-be, so a little extra spending money at her favorite baby store, maternity store or furniture store could be just what she needs. For an extra touch, plan a special day of girl time that includes lunch out and any other fun activities you normally do together.

Baby Shower Gift Tips Whatever gift you choose, keep in mind that the last thing most moms want is for you to stress about it. If you're choosing from a registry, don't feel pressured to exceed your budget - you can always make a contribution toward a larger gift, if you know there's something your friend really wants.

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Make a Baby Shower Diaper Cake for Under $30

My sister in law is expecting her first baby, it's going to be a boy. They live in a different state and come back home to visit every two to three months. On their last visit home my husband and I gave them a baby gift since we knew we would be out of the country when the little one arrives.

Several weeks later we receive an invitation to my sister in law's Baby Shower. We didn't even know they were planning on coming back for another visit, so instead of showing up empty handed for the Baby Shower I thought I'd make a Diaper Cake to use as a center piece for the gift table. I figured I could make a Diaper Cake for under $30 and low and behold I did.

I'm not going to tell you exactly how much I spent, that's tacky, but if you have a dollar store and department store like Target nearby, you will have no trouble at all making a Diaper Cake for under $30 and staying within your budget. I only went to three stores to get my supplies, a Dollar Store, department store and our local crafts store.

Here is a list of items I purchased at each store:

Department Store - 100 pack of size 1 diapers (unisex), 1 pack of assorted rubber bands, 1 small bottle of Johnson baby powder.

Dollar Store - 1 small bottle of baby lotion, 1 large children's book (you can also use a large piece of cardboard wrapped in baby wrapping paper or a round pizza plate), 2 packages of baby toys, 1 roll of wide ribbon (pink or blue depending on if it's a girl or boy Baby Shower), 2 ribbon bows for decoration.

Crafts Store - 2 yards of frilly fabric.

Now, let's get started with the Baby Diaper Cake project. Start out by rolling all 100 diapers and secure them with a small rubber band.

Set the baby powder on top of the children's book and align the rolled diapers around the bottle, secure with a medium sized rubber band. Make another row of diapers around the first one and hold in place with a large rubber band. Cover the outer rubber band with the wide ribbon and secure with glue or a diaper pin.

Set the lotion bottle on top of the baby powder and align a row of diapers around the bottle, again secure with a rubber band. Make another row of diapers around the first one and hold in place with a large rubber band. Cover the outer rubber band with the wide ribbon and secure with glue or a diaper pin.

Now set the remaining diaper rolls on top of the cake, secure with a rubber band and cover with the wide ribbon. You now have a three tier Diaper Cake.

Decorate the outside with small toys, baby socks or bibs. You can also hide small items like pacifiers or little duckies inside the Diaper Cake if you choose.

Wrap the Diaper Cake in see through fabric or cellophane and attach ribbon bows to the top.

Try this easy to make Diaper Cake for your next Baby Shower. It is a very fun DIY project that will only take about 20 minutes to make, once you have gathered all of your supplies.

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