Baby shower gift?

[torontogal12]

Looking for a cheap baby shower gift that looks like I spent a lot of money. I know coupons and SC people can help make this happen!

I don't have any coupons for baby toiletries and I don't get inserts so I think gift baskets and the like are out of the question unless those coupons are easy to acquire (have no clue). Any advice on toys or other stuff? Give her adult toiletries from my stockpile? She doesn't have a registry as far as I know.

She is already getting a lot of hand me down supplies like car seats/carriers/toys/ that kind of stuff from her sister

Scratching my head on this one. I would just give her cash/gift card but I did that for her wedding shower and it mysteriously went missing so I will not do that again.

[DianneS]

watch the baby clothing section at Target. I got really cute Osh Kosh pants, shirts and sweatshirts there after Christmas.for $5 each. I always buy size 12 or 18 months because people get so much small stuff that some of it doesn't even get worn. Carter's and Childrenz Place also have great clearance right now.

[bargain_hunter_lola]

Target! Their baby section has loads of clearance items right now.

I just bought a bunch of shower gifts: Jolly Jumper with musical mat for $17.99 (reg. $69.99), playmat for $20.99 (reg. $69.99), baby toys (super cheap - most 70% off reg retail price), clothes (again super cheap. I got a 4 pack of onesies for $3.99).

Also a great idea are books if you get amazon.ca codes from SB, etc. You can never have enough books to read your little one.

Good luck and happy shopping

[Zonny]

If you can find baby toiletries and diapers on sale, a diaper cake is easy to make (even for a non-crafty person like me!), and you can make it as big or small as you want.

[lizzie bargain]

I second the Target 12-18 months clothing and book ideas. Recently I bought 2, $5 dollar outfits at Target and a container of Bristle Blocks for 1/2 price at SDM after Xmas to have in stock for the next new babies that come along. Often Costco has nice baby clothing at reasonable prices too. As well if you have a Winners nearby I often buy Wooden Melissa and Doug Puzzles there for $5-$10 along with little board books under $5. Between these places hopefully you can easily assemble a nice gift for $5-$15. I personally don't worry whether my gift looks like I spent a fortune. I buy something of good quality that is cute and practical and if the parent doesn't think it is the correct brand name or expensive enough I see that as their problem!

[torontogal12]

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions! Will make the trek to Target for sure. Winners is easy for me to get to.

The reason why I want it to look like I spent a lot is because she is one of my best friends and I could not afford to replace the missing cash from her shower gift so I feel like I owe it to her. (They didn't open the envelopes in front of everyone and she messaged me days later to ask if I had given a gift at all, and I was really generous to her… Anyone at the shower could've taken the envelope but how do I prove that. Now this is my way to make up for someone else's crime)

[lizzie bargain]

Wow that is the pits to have your cash gift stolen-note to self not to give cash gifts. Who would have thought. Thanks for letting us know so we can learn from this nasty experience.

[torontogal12]

Yes do NOT give cash. Give a cheque if you want to do that.

Wow that is the pits to have your cash gift stolen-note to self not to give cash gifts. Who would have thought. Thanks for letting us know so we can learn from this nasty experience.

[torontogal12]

Ok so talked to her sis, turns out she will be getting a lot of hand me down clothes too.

What about books and DVDs? Baby books but DVDs they can use for years like Lion King/Finding Nemo/similar ones to that?

[bargain_hunter_lola]

Ok so talked to her sis, turns out she will be getting a lot of hand me down clothes too.

What about books and DVDs? Baby books but DVDs they can use for years like Lion King/Finding Nemo/similar ones to that?

Depends on the person. I know we can never get enough books (we have a huge bookcase full of Children's books). I read them out loud while pregnant and I still read the same books to the kids (5+ years), now DD is starting to try and read the same books to me, plus they can be passed down to grandchildren.

I'm not overly fond of DVD's. I didn't let my kids watch TV for the first 2 years. Now their TV time is very limited. We have a lot of movies (many given as gifts) but most just collect dust since they don't get a lot of time to watch them.

On a side note, what I always do when giving cash (or a GC) is I put it in an item (like inside a book, picture frame, photo album, etc). That way people just think I gave a book until it's unwrapped and opened. HTH

[Shirnette]

If she likes book , sure..books for baby & unique toys are fine too since clothing & toiletries are out of the question. I'm invited to a baby shower on Feb 8th & I'll be doing a gift basket(since I can offer a variety of useful items)

[sweet sparrow]

I was just going to say if she's getting a lot of things from other babies, she'll be swimming in clothes. Yesterday, I was opening up a huge U-Haul box of children's cloths, washing and hanging each little top, sock, etc. I was just thinking that people seem to buy a ton of onesies/undershirts. We may have put our kid in a onesie less than five times and she's nearly six months. She screamed like the dickens if you try and put anything over her head. It was just too much hassle because then you need pants, socks, jacket if it's cold... Newborns feed every 1- 3 hours and if she's doing skin-to-skin, she may be spending all her time changing diapers, dressing/undressing, feeding, and laundry. Ours lived in sleepers. So, if she doesn't have any, I'd say the onesies that button up the front for newborns are useful (3 for $10 at WM). For some reason, not a lot of companies make these.

We received so many blankets from others, new and used. I think it's by far the gift we received most.

Books are nice too.

Washcloths we bought new as the babies we borrow from are still using theirs as they grow. The other thing that's great is toiletries. Are you near RCSS? They have a tax-free day today and I saw the Aveeno baby pack yesterday on clearance for $9.97. It has diaper cream, fragrance free lotion, and hair and body wash in a pretty box with purple label. If you have the $3 Aveeno coupon, it's less than $7 for what they're currently selling at SDM for $23.99. You might also find a coupon or two at healthyessentials.ca.

If you're downtown, I (and many other parents around me) have a bag from MEC. It's the Expresso (Espresso?) one for around $30. It's bigger and sturdier than a diaper bag and you can use it for many, many years after the child has outgrown diapers. They're so well made and hold everything we need.

I got a lot of hand-me-downs as well, and those were the things I needed. Most of the new clothes, bouncers, activity mats, and blankets we received went back to the store for a credit. I can barely keep track of what we've borrowed, much less new ones!

Hope that helps!

[torontogal12]

So helpful, everyone!

So giving adult/baby toiletries is acceptable at a shower?

Something for the baby and something to pamper mommy? This is only the third baby shower I've been to, the other ones I just bought off the registry so I'm not sure

[sweetmomma]

I love baby showers! Yes, I think toiletries are a perfect gift! What about some Children's Tylenol/Tempra, kids toothbushes? These are 2 things I really used a lot of and made sure to include them with gifts for new moms to be. Books are awesome too or some type of learning toy.

I second Target for baby clothing! They don't have a wide selection but unique items. There is a 20% off Circo infant printable couponon the Target website

[MrsSunshine]

How about a nursing pillow... maybe one on sale on kijiji?
or a GC to local restaurant/take out
or photographer, even for a 30 minute shoot
or a coin set from her year of birth.
or a bank account opened in her name.
or offer to babysit or houseclean yourself for the first week/or month (a few hours a month.. or whatever is convenient for you)
any new mom will tell you, once dh goes back to work and il's leave its still nice to have someone watch baby while mom has a shower. gets her hair cut or even naps..
a priceless gift.