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Last Updated on October 3, 2024 by Samantha Flores
First-time parenting is rough. You have no clue what you’re doing and you really don’t know how to prepare. No matter how many books you read or what advice you hear, your baby and your experience will be different. Many baby shower gifts are geared towards big items.
You will learn an exponential amount about parenthood along the way and you just have to ride the waves. One of those lessons will be which baby shower gifts you will actually use.
A true testament to my new parenting skills was the day we went to do our baby registry. We went to Babies R Us when I was barely 12 weeks pregnant and started our baby shower gifts registry. We didn’t even know the gender of our baby at this point!
I think I was just over the moon excited about finally sharing the news with everyone! We wanted to visualize how the baby’s room would be.
Truthfully, I had no clue what to put on our registry. My husband and I walked out of the store with 14 items on our list. The majority of those items were probably impractical in a sense. We had items on there that the baby wouldn’t even be using until close to their first birthday.
Related: The Best Baby Onesie: Comfortable, Breathable, and Cute!
When creating a baby shower gifts registry, you really want to focus on items that will get you through the newborn stage up until about six months of age. After that, you can probably choose things that you want to try with your baby as they develop and hit those milestones.
As I’ve gone through the first year of my baby’s life, I have experienced what kind of things worked for us and what items I would definitely not go without should we choose to have another baby in the future.
13 Baby Shower Gifts I Couldn’t Live Without
Aside from the necessary clothes, diapers, and wipes, below is a list of 13 items that made life doable for us with our baby. The list contains suggestions based on my own experiences.
1. Bassinet
Every family chooses the sleeping method that is best for their family. For my little family, we decided not to bed share. However, we wanted our baby to be near us so we decided to room share. Having a bassinet was important to have in order to make this sleeping strategy work.
The bassinet we chose was lightweight and easy to move around our home if needed. It also came with a canopy that zipped up in the middle. This was very important to us because we had two cats. The canopy was sturdy and it had mesh covering that allowed us to still clearly see inside when the baby was sleeping. This also allowed the cats to see and smell the new little being that was inside.
2. Baby Swing
As joyous and sweet as it is to hold your little bundle, sometimes you need a break to just breathe a little or even run to the bathroom. Our baby swing was a lifesaver! It had a cozy little bucket seat and rocked side to side.
Oftentimes, it rocked our baby to sleep for us. On the other hand, our baby was also very nosy and wanted to see everything! The swing helped him to be propped up when we needed to set him down. We could also move the swing to another area so that he could see what was going on.
3. Car Seat
This one is extremely important as you need a car seat in order to leave the hospital with the baby. There are SO many choices in car seats and it can be overwhelming to choose from.
We decided on a Graco brand car seat for our registry that had a click-connect feature. This made it easy to click the car seat into the base that was installed in the car. This feature made getting the baby in and out much smoother.
Related: 5 Things to Do When Preparing for a Baby
4. Stroller
My baby was born during a cold part of the year so outings were not exactly at the top of our list. However, when I needed to go to the store or take the baby to his doctor appointments, having a stroller was nice to use.
We actually were fortunate enough to have been given two strollers that fit different needs. One stroller was a Snap N Go Stroller that was convenient for those quick grocery shopping trips. The other stroller, Graco Jogger Stroller, was a heavy-duty stroller that made going for walks effortless. We could click the car seat right on top of the stroller and off we went!
5. Baby Bathtub
Newborns don’t need to be bathed as often as you would think. When a bath was needed, it was nice to have a little tub to place our baby in. I had heard from others that taking a bath with the baby was easier to do.
However, babies get incredibly slippery when wet and sudsy so that method was not for me. In the baby bathtub, we had more control over the baby’s movements and were able to manipulate his body parts as needed when washing.
6. Rocking chair
When you think of a rocking chair and a baby, you imagine sweet moments of rocking and singing lullabies to a baby who is looking intently up at you and your heart just melts. While these moments do sometimes happen, that was not the primary purpose of our rocking chair.
We placed our rocking chair in the living room as this was where we spent most of our time during the day. I used our rocking chair mainly for breastfeeding, burping baby, and pumping. It was also used for me to quickly scarf food down my throat between those newborn cat naps.
If you decide to get a rocking chair, make sure you get one that provides a ton of cushion because you will be using it quite often!
7. Boppy Pillow
Because I chose to breastfeed our son, a boppy pillow was something I knew we would need to have on our registry. The boppy is a horseshoe-shaped pillow that allows you to put it around your body and gives you some extra support while holding the baby to feed. It also came in handy for my husband to use while bottle-feeding our son.
Plus, as your baby gets older, you can use the boppy to prop baby up as he/she learns to sit up on their own.
Related: Preparing for Baby #2: How is it Different from Your First?
8. Little Remedies Saline
My son’s pediatrician recommended that we use newborn-safe saline for him when he was still a newborn. The saline helped break up the built up mucus in his nose that he couldn’t get rid of on his own.
A baby’s body goes through so many changes once they are born and not all of their little systems are working at full speed yet. His glands were a little plugged up after birth and the saline helped with drainage. (Make sure to get the okay from your child’s doctor before use.)
9. Baby Nasal Aspirator NoseFrida
I can’t say enough good things about the NoseFrida! I know it looks gross and the method in which it is used seems even more disgusting. But it has been such a crucial tool for use on my son throughout his entire first year of life. I would be doing others an injustice by not mentioning how wonderful it is to have on hand to clean out those little nostrils.
10. Cloth Diapers as burp cloths/rags
Cloth diapers were not for us, but we did get some as a gift at our baby shower and we were told to use them as burp cloths. It seemed a little funky at first, but it was so true!
Cloth diapers are made to be absorbent and that’s what you need when you have a baby spitting up constantly. They are also pretty good sized so that you can fold them up and use them over your shoulder when burping your baby. They are soft on baby’s skin when you have to wipe them up as well.
All around, they are versatile and great to have handy.
11. Bibs
I don’t know what it is, but when our son turned two months old it was like the floodgates opened up and he was drooling everywhere!
I later learned that around this age, a baby’s glands start to become functional and everything is on overdrive until their little body regulates itself. Bibs on bibs on bibs were necessary to get through this phase.
And then later when baby starts teething, bibs are needed for the extra drool there. Then when baby starts eating table food, you’ll want to have bibs on hand to prevent some of the mess.
I don’t think you can have too many bibs with the amount of drool, spit-up, and messiness that is coming in the near future!
Related: Baby Shower Gifts for Moms: 18 Useful & Thoughtful Gift Ideas
12. Owlet Smart Sock Baby Monitor
Before we found out we were pregnant, I had learned about this device called the Owlet. It looks like a little sock that wraps around your baby’s foot. The device uses hospital technology to monitor the baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels. You can watch these levels via the app on your phone and monitor how your baby is doing while they are sleeping.
The device notifies you when baby’s levels drop below a certain threshold. The goal of the device is to decrease the risk of SIDS because you’re being alerted when your baby is in potential distress and you’re responding quickly to the alarm. (This device is not supposed to be used in lieu of safe sleep practices. Always use safe sleep practices with your baby.)
I cannot tell you how much more sleep I was able to get because of using this device. It gave me peace of mind to know that my baby was safe and if anything was wrong, I would be alerted to it. We were gifted the Owlet when my son was around six weeks old so I know the difference of life with and without the Owlet.
Trust me when I say that waking up every 20 minutes in a panic to check if your newborn is still breathing is not the way to live! Especially when you’re already not getting much sleep to begin with.
13. Diaper Genie
As I previously stated, my baby was born during the cold months so taking the trash out every time he had a dirty diaper was less than appealing. Thankfully, we were gifted with a diaper genie that made throwing away dirty diapers more ideal.
The diaper genie seals in the diaper, its contents, and the smell to make it so you forget about it until it’s time to change the pail. You can fit quite a bit of diapers in there before having to change out the pail making our trips to the outside garbage few and far between for diaper purposes.
Nursery Inspiration!
For the mamas who find themselves nesting waaayyyyy in advance like me, check out these adorable nursery art prints from GoodnightFox.com! Kylie’s shop has a wide range of nursery prints and these fit our nursery theme perfectly! They are adorable and affordable; what’s better than that?!
Oh, how about some ‘baby on board’ tags? Get all your baby goodies from Kylie!
Enjoy your baby shower!
On baby shower day, everything will be so special and so sweet as your family and friends gather to shower you with love and gifts that will help with your transition into parenthood. Baby shower gifts are worth getting excited about and there will be things you get that you’ll soon find out you can’t live without just like I did! I hope my list of baby shower gifts provides some inspiration as to what to register for or helps others decide what to get expecting parents.
Don’t forget to add THIS cute baby onesie to your list of must-haves!
Always,
Samantha❤
Related: Preventing Postpartum PTSD: A Comprehensive Guide
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Sandi Morse
March 1, 2023 at 10:16 pmHi, I’m Sandi, about to become a Grandma, and, boy, 39 years ago most of the stuff on your gifts for baby shower weren’t even invented yet! I found myself daydreaming a bit about how much simpler things would have been if only!! But, I have to thank you for putting this on Pinterest for everyone to think about what to get that 39 yr old and his wife for their baby boy, due mid to end of this Summer! It is a great way to avoid our “Great Sleeper Party” where we received 17 sleepers, some of which he outgrew before he could get to wear them! Please pray for a healthy delivery as there are some problems, but we are hopeful!!
Samantha Flores
March 5, 2023 at 6:44 pmThank you so sharing your story! It’s so fun to learn how much things change. Congratulations on the soon-to-be newest addition to your family!
Elizabeth O
July 5, 2019 at 6:50 amIt’s really hard to find gifts which are really useful for the baby and at the same time mom will be overjoyed when they open them. Great list!
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 7:04 pmIt really can be a challenge, Elizabeth! You are right. Moms are appreciative of the baby shower gifts they receive. However, because each baby is different, some baby shower gifts will be more useful for some babies while other babies might not need certain gifts. It’s tricky! I really wanted to be a resource for other moms to know what to include on their baby shower gifts registry. Therefore, this list was made based on my experience and I would definitely include them on my next registry for future babies. I appreciate your input and thanks for reading!
amayszingblogs
July 4, 2019 at 4:50 amGreat list for mommies. Now I have a perfect gift for my friend this Sunday for her baby shower 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 7:02 pmThank you so much, Amayszingblogs! Which baby shower gifts did you end up purchasing for your friend’s baby shower? I am sure she appreciated all the baby shower gifts she received. Baby shower gifts are a great way to get prepared for the arrival of a baby. As first time mom, I had no idea what to put on my baby shower gifts registry. However, now that I’ve had experience with using the baby shower gifts I received, I feel like I would be better prepared for what to include on my registry for future babies. I appreciate your input and thank you for reading!
Sanjota Purohit
July 3, 2019 at 8:31 pmWow! You have everything here. Great ideas for baby shower.
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 6:59 pmThank you, Sanjota! I really tried to include beneficial baby shower gifts for moms to be able to reference. I felt that these baby shower gifts were so helpful in my journey of motherhood, especially as a first time mom. I hope other moms find value in these baby shower gifts that I listed in my post. What baby shower gifts have you purchased? I appreciate your input and thank you for reading!
Martin - MPG TRAVEL TOURS
July 3, 2019 at 2:36 pmSome really nice stuff. Baby’s are so expensive.. Some really nice ideas for people who may be stuck on ideas! Thanks for sharing.
Shoppers Gossip
July 3, 2019 at 9:37 amThe best gift ideas ever. Thank you for sharing with us. I really need this gift ideas. My sister and her husband are expecting next week.
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 6:57 pmCongratulations on the new addition to your family, Shoppers Gossip! Babies are precious! I hope everything goes well for the delivery for your sister. I am sure she appreciates having a caring person like you in her life. What kind of baby shower gifts did she receive? As a new mom, I didn’t know what to expect in that postpartum stage. If you feel inclined, please visit my post about postpartum depression as it is a resource for mothers to know the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression. I appreciate your input and thank you for reading!
Beth
July 3, 2019 at 1:39 amI can see why these made your must have list!
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 6:52 pmThank you so much, Beth! I’m sure every mama has their preference of baby shower gifts they are hoping to receive when preparing for a baby. However, these baby shower gifts were such lifesavers for me when having my first child. What kind of gifts have you purchased for baby shower gifts? I especially appreciated having the Owlet during that first year for sure. I appreciate your input and thank you for reading!
Jackline A
July 2, 2019 at 9:17 pmGreat list of baby essentials. Super useful list for anyone looking to create their baby registry.
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 6:47 pmThank you so much, Jakline! I’m sure every mama has their preference of baby shower gifts they are hoping to receive when preparing for a baby. However, these baby shower gifts were such lifesavers for me when having my first child. What kind of gifts have you purchased for baby shower gifts? I especially appreciated having the Owlet during that first year for sure. I appreciate your input and thank you for reading!
You, Me and Benny
July 2, 2019 at 7:35 pmthese are great ideas!! I’ll have to come back to it next time I have a shower to go to!
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 6:41 pmThanks, Ashli! I loved the baby shower gifts I received and I’m sure every mama appreciates the help when preparing for baby. What baby shower gifts have you purchased before? I honestly didn’t now what I needed on my registry because I was a first time mom. However, now that I’ve had the experience, I know what I will need for future babies. I appreciate your input and thank you for reading!
Riana Shahid
July 2, 2019 at 3:32 pmThese are all such great ideas! Especially the Owlet device since SIDS is so scary.
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 5:06 pmI totally agree, Riana! SIDS is scary for all parents. Even though my son was not a good sleeper for the first year of his life, I felt that what little sleep I did get was thanks to the Owlet for the peace of mind. It is a great device! And it is constantly evolving each year so I am curious to know which adaptation we will get for our future babies. It was a truly live saving gift among the many baby shower gifts we received. Have you had the opportunity to try the Owlet device? I appreciate your input and thank you for reading!
vivirewellness
July 2, 2019 at 2:36 pmThis is a very helpful list. You have gathered all of the essentials for new moms.
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 4:57 pmThank you very much, vivirewellness! I really wanted other new moms to benefit from this list of baby shower gifts and I had a wonderful experience with my first child. I felt better prepared (or as prepared as I could be) after receiving such wonderful baby shower gifts. What kind of gifts have you purchased for baby shower gifts? I know baby shower gifts are always evolving so I’m curious to know what other might find helpful as well. I appreciate your feedback and thank you for reading!
Cendu Param
July 2, 2019 at 1:38 pmGreat list of baby essentials! My must have was the bassinet. it made it so much easier to have baby right next to me but not in the bed for the first few months
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 4:54 pmI totally agree, Cendu! While I am aware others prefer to bed-share, I was too afraid to do that so the bassinet was wonderful for us as well. Which other baby shower gifts were helpful to you when you had a baby? I know baby shower gifts will differ with each baby so I am wondering what others liked having for their child. I appreciate your input and thank you for reading!
Sarah Emery
July 2, 2019 at 3:08 amWhat a great list! I’m always wondering what are useful baby shower gifts and this list provides the what and why! Great post!
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 4:51 pmThank you so much, Sarah! I appreciate your positive feedback. It can be difficult to determine what you really need for baby. Therefore, baby shower gifts can be so important for new parents because it gives them a chance to stock up on things. Some babies might require items that differ because all babies are different. However, the baby shower gifts on my list provided me comfort to have so I will make sure to have these items again if we decide to have more babies. Thank you for reading!
sarganser
July 2, 2019 at 1:33 amBabies I do feel need just as much stuff as adults.Thanks for a very informative list.
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 4:48 pmThank you, Sarganser! I feel like babies need a ton of items! I know others disagree and say babies just need a few things. But when you’re preparing for baby, you don’t want to be without items that you’re having to hurriedly buy from the store. I think baby shower gifts are a great way to stock up on items to have in your arsenal just in case! Thank you for reading and I appreciate your input!
Hailey Almsted
July 1, 2019 at 10:17 pmSuch great gift ideas! Especially bibs-lol!
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 4:45 pmThank you, Hailey! You can never go wrong with the bibs for anyone’s baby shower gifts. When you think you have enough bibs, that’s when you run out the quickest. Babies are in constant need of them for sure. Have you purchased bibs for someone’s baby shower gifts before? I appreciate your input and thanks for reading!
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Sanjota Purohit
May 2, 2019 at 8:22 pmI have to attend friend’s Baby shower function. This post came at the right time.
Qarrey
May 3, 2019 at 6:26 amNot yet into baby showers.Will consider this when the time comes☺
gloriousheights
May 1, 2019 at 6:48 pmGreat post it contains all the necessary important items.. I’m also a huge fan of Graco love all their products.
CARMEN | Wellington World Travels
May 1, 2019 at 1:22 pmThis is a great list. For my first one, I got a monitor, boppy pillow, and swing. But for my second one, I told my friends i only need lots of diapers and wipes. lol ANd they did only give me boxes and boxes of diapers up to size 3 and wipes. (which saved us a lot of money)
Samantha Flores
May 3, 2019 at 5:47 pmSeriously! Diapers and wipes are always needed.????
halfpintpartydesign
May 1, 2019 at 6:55 amI love that bonus mommy gift! Thanks for sharing!
Samantha Flores
May 3, 2019 at 5:46 pmThank you! I really feel like moms deserve a little something extra for themselves.????
Nursery Rhymes
April 30, 2019 at 4:33 pmThanks for writing this post. I found what I wanted.
Samantha Flores
May 3, 2019 at 5:45 pmGood to hear! Thanks for reading.
Nicole
April 30, 2019 at 3:15 pmThese are great gift ideas and perfect timing!
Samantha Flores
May 3, 2019 at 5:45 pmThanks, Nicole! I hope these are helpful.????
Gareth Fosberry
April 30, 2019 at 2:53 pmGreat advice and tips for parents and would-be parents too.
Gareth Fosberry
April 30, 2019 at 2:02 pmGreat tips and advice for any parent or would-be parent. Thanks for sharing.
Samantha Flores
May 3, 2019 at 5:44 pmThanks so much, Gareth!
D'ondra Howard
April 30, 2019 at 12:14 pmThe bassinet and baby swing were the ones I wanted. I should have thought to have a rocking chair too, but I didn’t.
Samantha Flores
May 1, 2019 at 3:37 pmThe rocking chair definitely helped put baby (and me) to sleep!????
Jeff
April 29, 2019 at 5:00 pmNice, there is a lot on this list I would not have thought of.
Samantha Flores
May 1, 2019 at 3:35 pmThere are so many things out there nowadays for babies! Thanks for reading.????
my10kday
April 29, 2019 at 3:59 pmGot a baby on the way…took a lot of searching out the way! Thanks
Samantha Flores
May 1, 2019 at 3:34 pmCongratulations to you! Glad you found this post useful.????
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ZyraKuma
November 21, 2018 at 2:51 pmOooo these are some great gift ideas for bwby showers!
Samantha Flores
November 25, 2018 at 4:37 amI hope the mommas-to-be agree!
The Beauty Flicks
November 21, 2018 at 7:28 amDon’t have baby yet but whenever I have I will use one of these. Thanks for sharing.
Samantha Flores
November 25, 2018 at 4:37 amI appreciate you reading!
Neil Alvin Nicerio
July 2, 2019 at 11:20 pmI appreciate this article as many of my friends recently got married. I will share this to them when the right time comes. 🙂
Samantha Flores
July 10, 2019 at 6:51 pmThank you for sharing, Neil! I hope these baby shower gifts are helpful for your friends in the future. As a first time mom, I had no idea what to include on my registry. After the experience with my first child, I feel like I would be better prepared for what to put on my baby shower gifts registry for any future children I might have. I appreciate you reading!
Madel
November 21, 2018 at 6:12 amI could not have a baby anymore, so I can’t have a baby shower. But those are really pretty baby things.
Samantha Flores
November 25, 2018 at 4:32 amThanks for reading, Madel!❤
experiencingtheglobe
November 20, 2018 at 3:42 pmThis is a great list! It’s so hard to find a present when you don’t have kids. Thanks for sharing ????
Samantha Flores
November 25, 2018 at 2:51 amI appreciate your comment! I hope my list comes in handy.
SHWETA M
November 19, 2018 at 12:14 pmAmazing! You’ve saved me a ton of searching! Thanks and really nice a read!
Samantha Flores
November 25, 2018 at 2:46 amThank you for your feedback! I hope my list is helpful.