Looking for the best baby shower gifts? You’ve come to the right place! I was blessed with some seriously amazing gifts for my little guy and many of my favorites weren’t things I registered for. As a first time mom, you’re registering for what you “think” you want, what online reviews tell you is good or what some list you found on Pinterest told you you HAVE TO HAVE. Here’s the thing, every mom and every baby are different so it’s almost impossible to predict all the things you or your baby will want or like.
I found out very quickly that despite what every book, list, and human I came in contact with said…my son HATED TO BE SWADDLED. Do you have any idea how many swaddles I owned when he was born?! Soft ones, stretchy ones, ones with velcro…ALL the dang swaddles because that is what the world told me with absolute certainty I would need. Jokes on me folks because my son didn’t get the memo about loving the swaddle.
My point is, you don’t know what you don’t know so get as much feedback from other moms as possible but also…keep receipts and don’t take tags off of things until you’re sure you’ll use them.
In no particular order, here are the best baby shower gifts ever. Whether you’re pregnant and looking at starting your registry or someone looking to buy a gift for someone else, I highly recommend checking these out.
1. Hello Bello Box
Oh Hello Bello. The gift I never knew I needed but am so grateful for. Cute baby clothes and toys are so fun to shop for, which is why most new moms get more of them than they could possibly need. But having 50 newborn outfits isn’t NEAR as necessary as the big dogs…DIAPERS AND WIPES!
You honestly can’t have enough of either but because they aren’t as “fun” to shop for, I only got them from one person. My friend doesn’t have kids so she asked her mom for advice on what to get me. When her mom recommended diapers and wipes she said…that’s so boring! She took the advice and didn’t just buy me any diapers, no no, she bought me a Hello Bello Box! What a freaking dream! The diapers were so cute, the wipes are wonderful (not like the kind that when you pull one out you get 20), and the box came with lavender nighttime lotion and satin scrunchies for me (which I still use).
I fell in love so hard with Hello Bello as a company that I continue to buy their products for my little guy. The only thing I would advise against is getting newborn or size one diapers that have a colored background because it’s harder to see the line turn blue when the background is blue or purple compared to a white diaper with a fun print. When my son was a newborn or even just a few months old and would cry, I would go down the checklist…is he hungry, is he tired, is his diaper wet. So it was important to me to be able to just quickly look at the front of his diaper for that little blue line. The ones linked HERE are perfect.
2. Dr. Bronner’s Gift Set
I actually used this for myself as well. I had read that since your baby will know you by your scent, it was important to use unscented soap for a while so that your own scent doesn’t get lost in something floral or fruity. The magic healing balm has been great for dry skin, diaper rash and chapped lips. I love Dr. Bronner’s products for EVERYTHING because of how “clean” they are so this was absolutely perfect. Safe for my baby, safe for mama.
3. Nest Indoor Camera
A friend of mine recommended this to me and I’m so glad she did. It’s easy to set up, easy to use on the app, I can see and hear my son clearly and I can move it from room to room as needed. Easy decision.
4. Hatch
I’m on my second one, that’s how much I love this thing. Through no fault of the manufacturer, my first one broke and I immediately got on Amazon and ordered another one. Plenty of color and sound options without being overwhelming, very user friendly app, and very easy set up.
5. Barefoot Dreams Set (Mickey Mouse Plush, Baby Socks, Women’s Socks)
If you’re new to my blog, you may not know that I worked for Walt Disney World for 13 years so this was such a thoughtful gift from one of my husbands patients (he’s a Chiropractor…yes, you should be getting adjusted throughout your pregnancy). The Mickey Plush is so soft, the perfect size, and BONUS…IT’S SO EASY TO TOSS IN THE WASHING MACHINE! I’m not a fan of stuffed animals/toys that aren’t easily washed. And now for the socks. So soft, so plush, they don’t slide down and they don’t squeeze chunky little baby ankles. You need these, your baby needs these, end of story.
6. Aden and Anais Swaddles
This was one of the first gifts I received when I was pregnant. My sister in law bought a candy print and later I bought a set of the Mickey Mouse print. I can’t recommend these enough. I used them for EVERYTHING. They laid perfectly under my son during tummy time so he didn’t spit up or drool on the floor or bed. They’re small enough to keep in my diaper bag so I always took one to doctors appointments so I could wrap him up in something while waiting for the doctor in nothing but his diaper. I used it as a burp cloth. And in the summer, when everyone was sticky and gross, I could lay this over my arm or chest while I held him so we were both comfortable.
7. Angel Care Baby Bath
Small, lightweight and made me feel super safe bathing my slippery little bundle of joy
8. Mama Roo
Between my sister in laws and mother in law, there are 13 amazing kids between them and this is what they all agreed I needed. I’m not one to argue with those kinds of stats. What I loved about it was that it was lightweight so I could move it from room to room if I wanted, had a bunch of different movement and sound options, didn’t take up a ton of space and moved really smoothly (no spastic bouncing).
9. Crib with Storage
There are some really amazing and beautiful cribs on the market. What I loved about this one was that it looked clean, simple, gender neutral, had amazing safety ratings and my favorite feature…..STORAGE. I can never have enough storage, especially for all the baby gear. It’s been the perfect place to store his baby blankets and extra bedding.
10. Bottle Drying Rack
You know what I’m talking about, the thing that looks like grass. I used it every single day for over a year and a half. This was the ONLY thing my husband insisted we needed and he was right…don’t tell him I said that.
Obviously you’ll want and need more than what’s listed here but these were just some of my all time favorites that I’d absolutely buy again. I can’t stress enough how glad I am that I listened to a friend that told me to save all receipts in one place and don’t take anything out of boxes or wash things until I was about to use them.
There were a lot of products that I thought I’d use and then didn’t so it was great not to be stuck with things that I had already opened and washed. None of the above fell into that category though, many were unexpected gifts and all were loved and used regularly if not daily. Shopping for the best baby shower gifts can be tough! Hopefully after reading this, it’ll be just a little easier.
