Here at Leafcutter Designs, we've always been of the opinion that gift giving is more of an art than a skill. And when it comes to baby shower gift ideas, there are way too many predictable options. In our experience, you've got to take at least a little risk with your gifts if you want them to be memorable.
Think of each baby shower gift as an opportunity. It's a chance to show your expecting friend or relative how well you know them. And how much you hope this next chapter of their life will be full of fun, excitement, and surprise!
Below is a round-up of some of our favorite baby shower gift ideas. We scoured the internet to find thoughtful, handmade and creative items ranging from clothes to toys to gifts for new moms. They're all delightfully creative and unique. Many are also handmade and available from small businesses or directly from the maker. Hope you find just the right gift for the mom-to-be!
Clothing
Felt Food Booties
These super cute handmade felt booties will keep those new toes cozy. My favorite is the Taco Booties but this company also makes other foods and cute animals too. Not only are these functional and handmade, but their purchase supports a good cause, giving women in Kyrgyzstan steady jobs and income while preserving their national craft (read more about that here). These are exclusive to Uncommon Goods so you can't get them anywhere else!
- Retail price: $25.00
- Where to buy: uncommongoods.com
- Maker: Gulnara Kydyrmyshova became passionate about reviving Kyrgyz craftsmanship in 1991 when the country gained independence. She helps to relieve her nation of poverty through the trade of handmade felted works.
- More Reviews: My baby hates shoes, but left these on, because they entertained her. These are good looking and they are eco-friendly. You can't beat that. These are made of soft wool so they will last a long time with proper care.
Stay On Baby Booties
Some babies will not keep shoes on their feet and this is a perfect solution to that problem, while being absolutely adorable. These feature an elastic bootie with a snap cuff to keep them on those chubby legs. If you are handy with a sewing machine, you can opt to buy the sewing pattern for $5.00 and whip up a pair or two yourself.
- Retail price: $20.00
- Where to buy: A Tale of Two Threads (etsy.com)
- Maker: The pattern was created by Kate of the etsy shop Beautiful Pie Shop who was inspired to create the pattern after her baby girl kept kicking off her shoes. After everyone kept asking where she bought those booties, she opened her etsy shop for the sewing pattern and has her friend A Tale Of Two Threads make and sell the finished shoes.
- More Reviews: These don’t budge from my baby’s feet. Adorable and perfect for helping me keep my little ones feet warm this fall/winter. Love these boots as they're easy to get on and more importantly won't come off. The sewing pattern is easy even for beginners.
Organic Cotton Snapsuit
With the overwhelming amount of clothing choices for newborns, this snap style one-piece is a definite must have for new parents. There are snaps at the neck so that the shirt won't have to be tugged over baby's precious head and snaps at the bottom for ease of diaper changing. If utility wasn't enough, these onesies are made from soft organic cotton and eco friendly dyes in trendy prints and colors. Even the construction of these garments is a cute breath of fresh-air from your standard white cotton snap-suit.
- Retail price: $23.00
- Where to buy: finnandemma.com
- Maker: Finn + Emma was founded on the mission that baby clothing should be sustainable and stylish. They make sure that their garments are produced in fair trade settings to allow social and economic independence for their workers.
- More Reviews: I love putting something so soft and also stylish on my baby's sensitive skin.
Accessories
Tortilla Baby Swaddle Blanket
New parents are taught to swaddle their infants tight like a burrito. With this cute and hilarious tortilla-printed blanket, now that infant will look the part. The blanket is breathable enough to prevent baby from overheating. For parents who are lacking in their rolling technique, there is a 4-step “Burrito Roll” recipe right on the packaging.
- Retail price: $47.99 for blanket and hat set
- Where to buy: bon-vivant-baby.com
- Maker: Katherine Harlan Owens created Bon Vivant Baby from her home in San Francisco. Inspiration came from attending dozens of baby showers for her friends and family and seeing the same boring gifts at each one. She wanted to design US made, standout gifts for people with great taste and a sense of humor.
- More Reviews: The fabric super soft and warm and the image is high quality. My child still uses this blanket even though he has outgrown the swaddling stage. This set is such a hit at baby showers, that this is my go to gift...and it is useful and unique.
Portable Cloth Highchair
This is one of those items that a new parent doesn’t know they need. Instead of lugging around a bulky booster seat, this cotton “chair anywhere” highchair adapter can be folded up into the diaper bag. This is a great solution for parties, restaurants or other places where your child needs a secure seat. The seller will custom make this in any fabric design. Again, if you are handy with a sewing machine, you can purchase the sewing pattern for $10.00 in the same shop and make it in a few hours time.
- Retail price: $50.00
- Where to buy: Picket Fence Creation (etsy.com)
- Maker: Katie Eller of etsy shop Picket Fence Creation finds inspiration in her two children. She makes each item "with love in hopes the one who will use it will be blessed."
- More Reviews: Works great, perfect for travel. Great for babysitting since I don’t have a highchair of my own. Perfect for visiting friends and family without young kids.
Toys
Foreign Language ABC Blocks
Uncle Goose makes some truly beautiful wooden blocks. All their different sets will appeal to design savvy new parents while keeping baby entertained with textured sides and bold colors. These are blocks that one wouldn’t mind being left out on the playroom floor. The foreign language blocks (they offer 23 different languages) are a great way to get kids on a bilingual path as soon as possible.
- Retail price: $43
- Where to buy: unclegoose.com
- Maker: Uncle Goose handcrafts every set of blocks in their Grand Rapids, Michigan factory. They use choice materials from around the Great Lakes including non-toxic, child-safe inks. They have lots of other wood block baby shower gift ideas so be sure to poke around their site.
- More Reviews: The blocks are premium-quality, well made and easy for small hands to pick up. Perfect for bilingual families or those hoping to introduce a new language and culture into their children's lives. The only drawback is the blocks have sharp edges (not sanded down) so adult supervision is required for small ones under 2 years old.
Wood Teether Play Key Set
This set of wooden teethers is beautiful in its utter simplicity. Handcrafted from maple and finished only with certified organic flax seed oil, these teethers are a safe and natural alternative for conscious parents. The rest of this shop’s toys are also simple, yet appealing to both babies and their parents.
- Retail price: $25.00
- Where to buy: Little Alouette (etsy.com)
- Maker: Joe and Amy of etsy shop Little Alouette started creating hand made wooden toys for their own children after years of collaborating together on many projects involving woodworking and restoring old homes.
- More Reviews: Beautiful quality and perfect for little hands. Gorgeous materials and workmanship, 100% natural and safe teether alternative.
State Baby Rattle
Here is another independent shop that makes heirloom quality wooden toys. Their line of U.S. state shaped baby rattles would make a great gift from a loved one in another part of the country. Gifting your home state to the new baby will be a constant reinforcement of your love. We especially like the option for custom laser engraving, so you can further customize this thoughtful gift.
- Retail price: $18.00 and up depending on customization
- Where to buy: Bannor Toys (etsy.com)
- Maker: Bannor Toys owners Jesse and Stacey Bannor started off hand making toys for their own children and those in their daycare. Soon others were requesting custom toys and the rest is history!
- More Reviews: Great design and craftsmanship. My baby’s favorite toy, loves chewing on the edges. Cute and very well made, a lovely gift to give.
Keepsakes
Letters to My Baby
This beautifully designed paper time capsule delivers a gift that is personal, priceless, and sure to be treasured forever. The innovative letter/envelope format is more fun than a blank diary and the topics are thoughtful and sincere. With a set of twelve creative letter writing prompts and envelopes, its easy to share words of wisdom, favorite memories, and high hopes for your little one.
- Retail price: $14.25
- Where to buy: leafcutterdesigns.com/shop
- Maker: Leafcutter Designs
- More Reviews: Love the clever design and the thoughtful prompts that make the letter writing so easy. This is so meaningful for the mother now, and will make a great graduation gift to the child when they are older. A great time capsule for the new parents to freeze this moment in time. A great gift that I have on hand for new parents.
Little Animal Lover Memory Book
The problem with most memory books is that the sleep deprived new parents never have the energy to fill them out. Blank pages can be so daunting (and sometimes guilt-inducing). This beautifully designed and illustrated memory book solves that problem in a great way. Parents can quickly and easily record those first years with help from prompts and spaces to write short ideas and memories. The website even has a blog with helpful tips and tricks for filling the memory book’s pages.
- Retail price: $34.99
- Where to buy: http://www.lucydarling.com/collections/memory-books
- Maker: Lucy Darling began when Haily Meyers, a graphic design artist became pregnant with her first child. She was initially inspired to design baby stickers and opened her first online shop with 3 sticker sets. Now her company offers a variety of baby accessories created and printed locally in the USA.
- More Reviews: Most baby books are pink and blue and outdated looking, this one is fresh and modern. The book is simple to fill out, and has plenty of room to document exactly what you want to.
Dreamcatcher Modern Baby Book
This is another great take on the baby book for the modern age. Each book is made of 50 pages with the option to add or subtract pages. The makers of Mushybooks wanted to provide parents with a simple and sleek memory book that could be personalized and adorned exactly to personal taste level.
- Retail price: $62.00
- Where to buy: Mushy Books (etsy.com)
- Maker: Etsy shop Mushybooks was created by Lesley Hobbs after she had 3 babies in 3 years and 3 ugly baby books. After realizing that other moms hated the design of most baby books on the market, she designed her own to give parents an option that wasn't pink and blue.
- More Reviews: The book is well made and the paper feels high quality. This book is nice and simple, lets me personalize it exactly how I like. The design is modern, not cheesy like most books out on the market.
Baby Shower Gifts for Mom
Glass Locket
Lockets are always a classic gift, especially for baby’s first photo. These glass lockets are a beautiful new take on a timeless idea. They come simple as shown, or the seller can add the baby’s name, birthdate, birthstone, and more on a coordinating charm to create a one of a kind piece of jewelry.
- Retail price: $74.00+ depending on customization
- Where to buy: You Can Quote Me on That (etsy.com)
- Maker: Vicki Casillas opened her shop YouCanQuoteMeOnThat as a way to work from home after the birth of her first child. Vicki has since opened 2 other etsy shops and acts as the Owner, Designer, Manager, Buyer, Marketing, Shipping, Accounts Payable/Receivable for all 3 businesses.
- More Reviews: High quality item from a great seller. The seller is very easy to work with to create the perfect custom piece. These are very beautiful necklaces and can’t wait to show it off.
Sterling Silver Teething Necklace
These made in the USA sterling silver necklaces were created by a mother who was tired of picking up her child’s teether off the ground. She decided to start wearing a plastic teether around her neck to solve that problem until she remembered that baby accessories used to be made in sterling silver for generations. Momma’s Jewels necklaces are long enough that baby won’t tug and stylish enough that they can be worn “off duty”.
- Retail price: $179.00+ depending on the style
- Where to buy: mommasjewels.com
- Maker: Stacy Rosenthal, founder of Momma’s Jewels
- More Reviews: Tasteful, practical jewelry when you have a little one who tugs on necklaces. I love wearing sterling instead of the silicone that other teething jewelry is made of. This is a nice gift that is as much for mom as it is for baby.
New Mommy Trade Tokens
Here is another unique product that we make by hand here at Leafcutter. These 1.5” wooden tokens are to be used as infinitely reusable coupons. This New Mommy bag is a set of 6 tokens that you can give to your favorite new mom to cash in when she needs some support. Tokens include: Good for one hug / Good for one pep talk / Good for babysitting / Good for one lunch on the town / Good for one diaper change / Good for some home cookin'
- Retail price: $6.95 per set
- Where to buy: leafcutterdesigns.com
- Maker: Leafcutter Designs
- More Reviews: These are great and carry very personal feel as a gift. Once you hand one out, you are starting a chain of love that can continue to spread.
Books
The Wonderful Things You Will Be
A lovely book about all the possibilities for the new baby. Author/illustrator Emily Winfield Martin does a beautiful job capturing the excitement and love that parens see in their children. The illustrations are cute and whimsical as are the words that accompany them. This is a very modern book in that its gender neutral, showing for example, a boy at a sewing machine and a girl as rock star. Since the book just came out in August 2015, this is a soon-to-be classic addition to new baby book collections.
- Retail list price: $16.99
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Author: Emily Winfield Martin
- More Reviews: The words create a great poetic rhythm that is a joy to read aloud. The kids portrayed are ethnically diverse. The story is less about professions and more about personality, overall a great message.
Last Stop on Market Street
This book is a must have for anyone who lives in the city. The wonderful story follows a boy and his grandmother as they ride the bus, and all the colorful characters they see along the way. The grandmother teaches her grandson that while they may not be rich with money, they are rich emotionally. The fun geometric illustrations perfectly compliment the urban tale of seeing the beauty in everyday life.
- Retail list price: $17.99
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Author: Matt De La Peña, Christian Robinson (Illustrator)
- More Reviews: This book is a great way to teach children that material things are not the most important things in life. This is a great book for grandparents to read to their grandchildren. The story celebrates the diversity of all the folks you'll find while traveling through the city.
Baby Love
The words to this simple story form a cute song to sing to your baby: "Rosy cheeks. Button nose. Little fingers. Tiny toes” and so on. The song celebrates everything precious and lovely about babies while the images show a family of three going through their daily routine. Children will love looking at the illustrations of the family dog, the garden, the bath, and other places around the house that they know.
- Retail list price: $17.99
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Author: Angela DiTerlizzi, Brooke Boynton Hughes (Illustrator)
- More Reviews: This is a very sweet book that turns interactive, its a great way to bond with your new baby. Everything there is to love about a cuddly baby is encapsulated by this book.
Other Fun Baby Shower Gift Ideas
Mason Jar Solar Nightlight
This handmade terrarium-like mason jar light is as cute as it is useful. The solar powered LED light turns on automatically in the dark like magic. That way you won't have to stub your toe during those late night feedings. There are several charming options to choose from to perfectly match the baby nursery's theme. Kerri Lee also makes an entire range of cute vintage inspired baby accessories in her studio in Long Eddy, New York.
- Retail price: $38.00
- Where to buy: treebykerrilee.com
- Maker: Tree by Kerri Lee started off with Kerri creating things at her kitchen table and selling them at local craft fairs. After exhibiting at trade shows her line gained national attention and is now retailed at hundreds of stores around the country. Everything is made from sustainably sourced wood and child safe paints.
- More Reviews: A perfectly sized night light that conveniently turns on when the lights go out. The only drawback is that the jar's solar panels must be in direct sunlight to charge well.
Tiny Packages
To round out our list is an item from our World’s Smallest Post Service. We offer several designs that are great for congratulating new parents. Since our packages are fully customizable, you can really choose any of our tiny objects along with a heartfelt message to send to the soon-to-be or brand new parents.
- Retail price: $11.00
- Where to buy: leafcutterdesigns.com
- Maker: Leafcutter Designs
- More Reviews: These are perfect for brightening someone's day and making someone smile.
The post Baby Shower Gift Ideas: Cute & Creative appeared first on The Leafcutter Blog.