A brand new, cooing, bouncing baby has arrived (or is about to). This is a special time, and as such, you may want to commemorate the situation by giving the new family a baby gift. However, there is a wide variety of gifts you can choose from, which can sometimes be overwhelming. That doesn't mean you should give up. There are a couple of categories of baby gifts which will be sure to please: necessities, memory makers, and gifts for the parent.
One easy and much appreciated baby gift you can give is some form of necessity. Whether the family has had one or ten kids in the past, they'll still need some basic necessities to make it through the first few months. What might be an example of a necessity based baby gift? Diapers. This is something a family will not be able to get enough of. If the baby is already born, and you have a chance to find out their weight, do so, and buy the family a case of weight specific diapers. If the gift is for a baby shower, play it safe and buy newborn baby diapers with a gift receipt in case the baby is larger. Other ideas for a necessity based baby gift include blankets, ointment, wipes, lotion and spit rags.
However, if basic supplies are not your thing, consider giving a baby gift that can be considered a memory maker. A memory maker baby gift allows parents to commemorate the birth of their child in their own way. For example, you could give parents a disposable camera, photo album and gift card to get the disposable camera developed. This gives parents the chance to photograph the event of their choice, be it the arrival of the baby, homecoming, first bath or a special outing. The photo album is the key component of this baby gift, as it takes far less time to assemble than a scrapbook, which any parent will tell you is important when you have a newborn.
Another very kind idea for a baby gift would have nothing to do specifically with the child, but instead, the parents. Anyone who has ever had kids will tell you that the first year can be incredibly trying. It is rare that you get a moment to shower, let alone do something purely for yourself. Why not have your baby gift be something for the parents? Think about giving a coupon booklet for babysitting to the parents so that they can get some alone, adult time outside of the house. If you aren't too good on the whole babysitting thing, think about giving them cash for a sitter and gift card for some sort of pampering, like a manicure or massage. The parents will thank you first, and their kids will thank you for a well rested parent.