When welcoming a new baby into your own family or that of a close friend, you must celebrate them and get them a gift to mark the occasion. There are many options available on the market for newborns. However, a lot of choices can get overwhelming.

Realistically, you would want to get something that will last or something instantly useful for the parents. Therefore, you will have to decide whether to go for something sentimental; that will last them for a long time, or something useful that will benefit the baby and the parents.

Below are a few options that encompass both of those sentiments.

What to consider before getting a gift

Since the market for newborn items is large, you have plenty of options. Therefore, to make your task easier, you should decide what kind of gift you want. Once you decide, the options will dwindle, and thus, the task of choosing a gift will be considerably easier. Here are a few categories that you can consider.

Practicality

Newborn babies are a lot of work, and they require a lot of items that make taking care of them easier. Toys and other items make for lovely gifts but buying something practical that the parents probably need is a good route to take, when buying gifts. The parents will definitely be thankful to receive something they can use to take care of the babies.

Additionally, such gifts may also save the parents time and money. Some items may be things that the parents didn’t even realize they needed. Thus, it can help reduce the burden on them.

Some items are always a hit with parents, such as diapers, clothes, feeding bottles, etc. One can never have enough of these.

Sentimental Value

If you want to take a different route, you can choose to buy something that has sentimental value. These items are often kept for a long long time and become memory capsules that the parents and baby can look at when they are older.

Some examples of sentimental gifts include scrapbooks, personalized items, etc. Gifts that have sentimental value are greatly appreciated because the early years often pass by in a blur, and the parents may be thankful later on that they got to document these years because of such gifts.

Uniqueness

It often happens that newborns receive multiples of the same thing. Thus, items often have to get donated and returned. To avoid your gift from being the same as everyone else’s you can choose to get something unique, or something that the child may need in the future.

If you think one step ahead then you can get a unique gift that will still be useful in the years to come and sentimental at the same time. To find unique gifts, you will have to think outside the box and come up with an amped-up version of a normal item.

Gift ideas

Once you ave decided what kind of gift you want, the next step is to decide on the actual item. Many items overlap in the three categories mentioned above, so you can get something that is useful, unique, and sentimental. The gift ideas for new parents mentioned below fall in either one, two, or all three categories. Thus they are some of the best gifts for newborns and their parents.

Baby Clothes

Getting baby clothes for a newborn child is an excellent gift idea. There are many clothing items that you can choose from. You can get booties, vests, caps, mittens, bibs, rompers, etc. Everyone likes different styles of clothing, so it would be best to choose something that you know that the parents would like.

Additionally, baby clothes are a super useful gift item, and some items can also hold sentimental value, as baby clothes are often passed down from generation to generation. Furthermore, if you want to make your gift more unique, you can get the newborn something fancy.

Fancy newborn clothes are adorable and may be useful for events, where the parents can dress their child in those clothes. However, babies outgrow clothes very quickly, so your gifts may be useful for a short period.

Swaddling Cloth

Babies are known to make a lot of mess. Thus, their parents have to constantly clean them up and give them baths. Therefore, baby sheets, swaddling clothes, and draping clothes are always useful items to gift.

Swaddling clothes are mostly used to tuck the baby so that they can sleep comfortably. Thus, when you buy one, ensure that it is made of high-quality material such as cotton. Cotton is soft and perfect for babies as they have sensitive skin, which might get a rash if they are exposed to harsh materials such as synthetic fabrics.

You can also opt for draping sheets, which are often needed in large numbers as babies are known to drool and throw up quite a bit. Thus, baby sheets, although incredibly useful are not sentimental items that the parents will keep for their child.

Baby Photo Album

If you are on the hunt for sentimental gifts, then a baby photo album is the best gift you can get for newborns and their parents. With their hectic lives, new parents can often forget to document the first few years of their child’s life. However, if they have this gift, they can remember to take loads of photos and arrange them.

You can also pair the photo album with items that will make documenting the little one’s life easier. Some items you can add include scrapbooking supplies, a polaroid camera, cute stationery, etc. These photo albums are a must have for new parents.

Ensure that the photo album is versatile so that they can record different milestones, print the footprint of their baby, add personal details and anecdotes, etc. Such gifts are greatly appreciated and hold sentimental value as well. They are also extremely useful and remind the parents to slow down and enjoy these precious few years of their baby.

Silver Jewelry Item

Gifting silver jewelry to a newborn is a tradition as the birth of a baby is considered an auspicious event. There are many different jewelry items that you can choose from. You can gift them a bracelet, tiny earrings,s or even a ring that they can wear when they are older. However, you should make sure that the item is not a choking hazard.

The best silver items for newborns can be bangles, anklets, glasses, bowls, and spoons. Silver is known to have several health benefits. Thus, gifting silver is also wishing the baby to have a healthy and happy life. Therefore, it is a sentimental gift they can keep for a long time.

You can also easily customize silver items and have them say their name and birthday for added personalization and sentimental value.

Rattles and Musical Toys

Rattlers and musical toys are a very safe option when it comes to gifts for newborns. Even though they may not be able to play with them when you gift them, in a few months, they will be able to make full use of them and enjoy them.

The market has tons of adorable designs and styles of rattles. You can get loud rattlers that make a ton of noise, or you can choose to get some that make less noise and are more soothing than stimulating.

Rattlers and toys are a great gift, as they can help keep the baby occupied while the parents do important tasks that need to be done. Therefore, they are extremely useful gifts that the parents will be appreciative of and the child will love.

However, do consult with the parents before getting toys that will make a sound, as some parents prefer softer toys that are not as noisy. If they do, many toys are soothing and not as loud.

Room Decor

Another great gifting item is room decor. Most parents decorate a room that has everything that their newborn will need. To help spice up that room and make it more fun, you can get items that they can place in the room to make it look cuter than ever.

There are a large variety of items that you can get, such as lighting, height charts, picture frames, wall stickers, cute hangings, etc. You can also opt to get more significant items like rugs, carpets, drapes, etc.

Before getting such items, be sure to consult with the parents, as often baby rooms are designed with a certain theme in mind. Thus, you would want to get something that compliments the theme and does not clash with it.

Room decor is useful, unique, and sentimental, as parents often keep the decor and redistribute it throughout their house as their child grows up. Some items are also kept as keepsakes that may be passed down.

Cot Mobiles

Cot mobiles are something that every new parent will appreciate. They help keep the baby occupied so that they can get around to doing chores and other things that they have been putting off.

Cot mobiles are also often designed to be soothing so that the baby can be lulled to sleep by the music playing. You can pick out mobiles that are bright in color to help keep the baby distracted.

Conclusion

Gift-giving is something that requires a lot of thought and consideration. When gifting, there are certain things that you need to be mindful of. Newborns, in particular, are sensitive, so you need to ensure that the gift you are buying is something that will benefit the parents.

Most people often go for either sentimental gifts, useful gifts, or unique gifts. No matter what the gift is, the act of spending time and money to pick out something for a new child shows how much love you have for the child.