Ask a Real Mom: Best Baby Gifts You’ve Received

When I had my first baby our community of friends and family blessed us with amazing gifts. From new clothes and diapers to meals and books, we got it all in the span of our son’s first few weeks of life. Since I’m in the season of life where it feels like everyone around us is also having kids, I took lots of notes on the best gifts we received.

We can all think of the obvious and very necessary gifts (mostly the ones I mentioned above), but I also loved the gifts I never would’ve thought to buy myself and the ones that are especially thoughtful or memorable. 

I asked our Real Moms (and honestly, all gift-givers) to share the best baby gifts they received. And from the practical to the precious, there’s something for any baby on your list. 

Best Practical Baby Gifts

As a first-time mom, I was so grateful for the moms who’d walked ahead of me and already had kids. They supplied us with the things we never would’ve known we needed. And other Real Moms have shared similar experiences in gift-giving and receiving.

Real Mom Mariah D. said the best baby gift she received was a mini fridge for her bedroom. She exclusively pumped for her daughter’s first few months of life and being able to store milk in the middle of the night without having to make several trips up and downstairs was a luxury afforded by the mini-fridge.

Bonus: Store cold water bottles and any snacks that need refrigeration in here too for those middle-of-the-night feedings or pumping sessions that leave you parched and ravenous.

Real Mom Ashton S. shared that an electric baby nail file was her favorite baby gift. My best friend (and new mom of twins!) Abigail C. couldn’t agree more with this gift. If you’ve been a mom for more than a week, chances are you’ve looked at your baby’s razor-sharp nails (usually right after they’ve clawed you or scratched their own sweet face) and wondered how in the world you can trim them down.

At the hospital with our newborn son, the nurses warned against clipping or cutting our son’s nails so we tried several different kinds of manual nail files, to no avail. Enter the electric nail file. It comes with multiple pads for different stages of growth and it works quickly and quietly so you can file while baby sleeps or eats.

Real Mom Carrie D. said Ikea dishes for kids have been the gift that’s stayed with their family the longest. Even though her babies are now 7 and 9, they still use these dishes! They’re fun, durable and might not be something that’s thought of for a registry or a gift.

If you’re a mom like me, you didn’t even think about snack cups or sippy cups or kid-sized plates and utensils until it was almost too late and your baby was ready to delve into the world of real food! Gifting these favorites is a great way to take something off of a new parent’s plate.

Pick up a cute basket like this one and stock it with extra diapers, wipes, bibs, burp cloths, a change of clothes, a small toy, hand sanitizer, and a snack for mom! It can be kept in the car for emergencies or on another level of the house for convenient diaper changes. As an added bonus, it’s a cute gift that doesn’t need any wrapping!

Now that I’ve had my own kids, I rarely buy newborn-size clothes for friends and family and instead, opt for larger sizes. Babies grow out of newborn size so quickly that cute clothes hardly get worn! The best advice I ever got when it came to gifts for babies was to choose clothes in several (bigger) different sizes.

As my kids grew out of those tinier sizes, I was so glad I already had 6-9 month or 9-12 month clothes in the closet waiting to be worn! To complete the gift, consider adding these size divider hangers as a way for Mom to stay organized with all those clothing sizes.

Most Precious Baby Gifts

Not every gift has to have a practical purpose — it can simply be something you love that has sentimental value! We love these suggestions from our Real Moms who’ve chosen to gift the precious and sweet things moms love.

Real Mom Brigitte F. loves gifting Chico Pocket Buddy Lovey and Paci Holder. They’re more than a lovey or a blanket–it attaches to baby’s pacifier and comes in several on-trend colors for boys and girls. I love a gift that is both unique and practical.

Before my son was born, my mom gifted me with a simple baby book. It was the best gift for me because it wasn’t too involved or overcomplicated. It was something I could keep up with even when I was a sleep-deprived mom and I know it will be a keepsake for years to come. For more keepsake ideas, check out this post.

If you’re going to see a new baby or looking for something to add to a shower gift, I always suggest gifting a children’s book. I’m a firm believer that you can never have too many books in your child’s collection and they add more color and fun to a baby’s nursery. 

The books I loved receiving most were the ones friends said were their kids’ favorites. We were gifted with so many Sandra Boynton board books that have now become our son’s favorite bedtime reads.  For one of my baby showers, my coworkers gifted me with a copy of Dr. Seuss’ Oh The Places You’ll Go that they’d all signed with love and well wishes for our new baby. These are some of our favorite children’s books here at RegistryFinder.

I always think a personalized gift is a precious way to go the extra mile. One of my coworkers gifted us with handmade monogrammed burp cloths that matched our son’s nursery. And my sisters-in-law screen-printed this perfect onesie with our son’s birth stats. You can find similar products on Etsy.

My mother-in-law, who raised 7 boys, kept a handful of their most special clothes to pass on to all of us daughters-in-law when we had sons of our own. We’ve got a pair of my husband’s Osh-Kosh overalls and an adorable Christmas sweater he wore as a toddler in our son’s clothing collection and they spark the sweetest memories! 

Fun Gifts and Toys

So your newborn baby probably won’t be playing with toys for a little while, but when they’re ready you’ll be so glad for the friends who gifted you with fun gifts like these.

My mom sent us this Baby Einstein mirror and art cards when our son was still tiny. Little did we know how much he’d love staring at himself in a mirror. This became our go-to toy – perfect for tummy time entertainment and trips in the car seat. Even when he got older, he loved holding the cards and flipping them over.

Now it’s one of my favorite gifts for new friends with new babies. It’s something I know they’ll love!

You can never go wrong with a stuffed animal as a gift. Flappy the Elephant is especially sweet with extra soft fabric and interactive features like singing, peek-a-boo and flapping ears. It’s sure to be a treasured lovey for years to come!

Tubby time has become a beloved part of our bedtime ritual over the last few months. Any toys fit for the bath are guaranteed to be favorites for our son. I love this set of Boon Bath Tubes because you can keep adding on it over time. The more tubes, the more fun! 

There’s lots of opportunity for imaginative play when you combine these with some of Boon’s other great bath toys, like the cogs building set or the stacking boat fleet set (our personal favorites!).

If you’re still not sure what to buy, we always think it’s a great idea to peruse the baby registry for the remaining baby items. Even if the baby shower has already passed we know mom will be thankful! Not sure where to find the registry? No problem! RegistryFinder.com makes registry shopping super easy; you can find all of mom’s registries in one convenient place!

Looking for more tips from our Real Moms? Check out our GiveIt Blog! ‘Tis the season for all the gift ideas for moms, babies, and toddlers and we’ve got you covered!