Practical Baby Shower Gifts

Below you will find 17 of the most practical and best baby shower gifts on the market. These include;

1. Bibs

Unless the parents like doing endless amounts of washing, bibs are a must. Bibs can be brought from supermarkets, baby stores, or online. We handmake a range of high-quality bibs that are super absorbent. We recommend gifting 2 or 3 of the baby bib and the same for the bandana-style bib. This way the parents can decide what type they prefer.

2. Swaddles

A swaddle is a lightweight wrap that helps the baby sleep. They vary in size but our swaddles are 120cm x 110cm and are made with 70% bamboo fibre and 30% cotton.

This is such a practical gift as the parents will be using this all the time. Newborns sleep 12 to 16 hours a day in 24 hours. So anything that helps the baby feel comfortable and have a good sleep is a must.

3. Beanies

Baby beanies are a useful gift, especially in the colder months. Due to their low cost, they make for the perfect hamper filler. No need to get many of these, one or two would be ideal.

4. Reusable Breast Pads

Most gifts focus on the baby, but why don’t you get a practical present for the mum and baby. Breast pads are designed to soak up excess breast milk and to keep nipples and clothes dry. We recommend our own handmade range of pads. as they are reusable and are made with bamboo, cotton and PUL fabric to be extra absorbent.

5. Baby Gift Card

If you are still trying to get an original present we suggest getting a gift card or an e-voucher. This way they can get something they really need.

If you are unsure how much to load up you can read our article on how much to spend on a baby shower gift and this will give you a rough guide.

6. Nappies

Nappies are the best baby gifts because it’s guaranteed they will be used. As newborns need to be changed every 2–3 hours the baby will go through lots of nappies, so this gift won’t go to waste.

7. Wipes

Wipes would be one of the most boring baby gifts you could give. But also the most practical. These can be brought from supermarkets or baby shops. And they come in a range of sizes. You can also buy different scented ones but I’d suggest plain non-scented wipes.

8. Wipes Warmer

When using wipes straight out of the packet they can be cold. To make nappy changes more comfortable you can give a wipe warmer as a gift.

The wipe warmer can be brought from baby stores, department stores or online and is a useful idea as it reduces the stress on the baby and parents.

9. Nappy Rash Cream

A nappy rash cream is applied to dry, itchy skin to ease minor skin irritations and can be purchased from chemists, supermarkets and baby shops. We suggest buying 6 tubes so they can put them in the pram, car, bathroom and changing station.

10. Bottle Steriliser

There are many options for sterilising bottles and we found the best way is for an electric steam steriliser. Just add water, put the items in you want to sterilise and turn it on. Ten minutes later the bottles and nipples are sterilised and ready to use.

It reduces the time to clean bottles and feeding accessories and the products will remain sterile for 24 hours.

11. Thermometer

This is such a thoughtful and useful gift because it’s the present the parents will turn to when needing it the most.

The thermometer we love is the Braun Thermoscan thermometer. This is on the expensive side but worth it.

12. Baby Hangers

Baby hangers don’t sound like an exciting baby shower present but they are original and useful. And this is one of the presents we wish we received more of!

You can buy these from most department stores and are very cheap. With the number of new clothes the newborn will receive these will come in handy.

13. Nose Frida

This is a device that clears the snot from the baby’s nose. Babies and toddlers get sick a lot and cleaning up their boogers will help them breathe and sleep better.

14. Rocking Chair

My husband asked me to put the rocking chair on the list. He did a lot of the nighttime feeds so he found it very useful. These can vary in price from $100 up to over $1,000. And as this is such an expensive gift we’d suggest giving it as a group present or from the family.

15. Food

 In the first few weeks of having a newborn you barely have time to shower or go to the toilet, let alone cook. So giving a gift of food is useful. You could make up a series of vouchers for seven days. Or you could give them a cookbook with the meals highlighted on which ones you will provide.

 Whichever way you present it, home-cooked food is a thoughtful and useful gift. If you are not a good cook you can always give some Uber Eats vouchers. Or text the parents to ask what takeaway they want for dinner.

16. Time

Time is something new parents don’t have a lot of. So you could give a gift of your time for a present. You could make a few “babysitting” vouchers where you take the newborn off the parents’ hands for a few hours.

This type of gift is not only practical but thoughtful. It shows that you care for your friend’s health.

17. Baby Zipper Pajamas

One of my favourite gifts I was given was the Bonds zipper pyjamas complete with long sleeves. The zip rather than the push studs make changing the baby a lot easier.

We hope you have found our baby shower ideas practical and thoughtful. If you have any other suggestions we would love to hear them.

This article was written by Luisa Figueroa. She is the owner, designer and maker of the My Little Love Heart range of stylish and practical baby gifts and accessories. She has been working within the fashion industry for over 15 years and specialising in baby accessories for the last 7. Her love of fashion has enabled her to work and study around the world.