Holiday Gift Ideas For Babies- Items To Give Or Keep

When I was creating my baby registry I had great tips from tons of people. Someone had sent me a very thorough list with everything from strollers to personal care for post delivery. It was super functional, but not much fun. So I gathered up some fun stuff from brands that I grew to love; things I often gift and recommend. Shopping for babies is so fun. I said that already, but don’t you think?! Keep reading and let me know- did I go overboard?

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Sentimental

My little guy was born close to Christmas, and since then each year has felt more festive. He loves to help decorate and look at all of the ornaments. This year he has been pointing certain ornaments out to visitors. One in particular is his first ornament that my mom bought him. It is a Lenox ornament with his name that is so sweet and one day it will be a treasure that I pass to him. In addition to personalized ornaments, I also included a sweet vintage looking stork ornament for a bit of whimsy, and a few others for newborns. The train menorah caught my eye and I thought little ones would appreciate it too. My friend has a similar nativity set that she would display in her son’s nursery and now he is old enough to set it out. I loved setting out the nativity set when I was a kid and now my son helps me with the same excitement.

I included the growth chart I have because of a recent incident. My mom and fam have been doing some renovations and DIY around the house. The other weekend I get a text from my mom telling me that my high school aged brother was repainting his and my sister’s closet doors and frames. Great, right?? Yes, only their heights were marked along the frame. If you are sentimental about growth charts, buy one that your teenager will not one day paint over ha ha! The last idea here is the personalized pendant. I love the vintage look that can work in a nursery or a big kid room!

Books

I received a ton of great books as shower gifts! Some I had never heard of, some classics, and some that I thought were kind of blah but my babe loved. One of the books was personalized with my son’s name. I included three different versions (seen on top row) here because I thought that was such a sweet gift. I started to read to my little one before he was sitting. Part of it was that I would just run out of things to say to him and reading at least let him hear my voice after I had ran out of songs or when I felt silly babbling away to him. I’d read how important it is to read and talk to your baby as much as possible and ran with it.

The Wonderful Things You Will Be is perfectly mushy. Maybe it was the hormones or exhaustion, but this book brought tears to my eyes almost every time I read it. The illustrations are very pretty too. Besos For Baby and Guadalupe are board books that introduce Spanish words. Lil’ Libros, the publisher of Guadalupe and other titles was started by two moms! They co-author the books as well- how cool is that?? The Indestructibles Books are just that- drool proof, rip proof! Mama And Baby are from that series. These books are great for travel because they are so lightweight. First 100 Words was a gift that I wasn’t too sure of, but my son loved it! He would look at it by himself and be totally entertained. Any mama knows a few minutes of quiet entertainment is a gift ha ha! The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book, was another hit. My son liked to poke his finger through the holes and my husband would pinch them, then our son would giggle and giggle.

Toys

I don’t know why, but I didn’t have any toys on my baby registry! I remember going to visit a friend who just had a baby and she had a ton of toys already while my little guy had some books, bath toys and not much else. We moved out of state when my son was about three months. So moving, house hunting and sleep deprivation consumed me and I suppose I forgot about toys. Luckily I had friends to recommend some things to me.

I included two different stroller toys that can also be hooked to a car seat. The pirate looking one is called Captain Calimari, which cracks me up. With rear facing car seats, my little one would get scared or bored or both and attaching toys to the car seat handle kept him entertained. The teepee is great for tummy time, as are the balls. The bunny is by Jellycat, which are some of the softest stuffed animals. They have a huge variety too. My little guy loves his security blankets and stuffies. It is hard to know what kids will latch onto. If you see signs of your little one latching to a specific toy, it can be helpful to buy a second. This way, you can wash one while your kiddo has the other. Or if you lose one, you will have a backup. I also included a Sophie giraffe gift set that has a hat and booties because Sophie helps the babes during teething like no other! A learning cube and wooden Noah’s ark round out the list.

Linens & Soft Goods

People love to give baby blankets! Handmade, store bought, heirlooms. There are tons of options. My favorite swaddling blankets are by Anais Anais. A friend gave them as a gift and they became my go-to. The patterns are so cute and they also make sleepers. We used swaddling blankets beyond the swaddling months. We traveled with them for naps on plane or car and I still drape them on my son in hot weather sleeping. On a whim I bought blankets and sheets by Little Unicorn when they were on sale at Anthropologie. The cotton muslin is so soft and the prints are so cute. My son still uses his blanket! I just saw that they have a picnic blanket so I included that here; see the dark blue poppy print below! Perfect for tummy time at the park, or well a picnic. I also included a personalized blanket from Pottery Barn because it helps to have names on things if your kiddo is in day care or something similar.

The Boppy newborn lounger was great for setting the baby down while getting stuff done. I just bought one for my friend and she loves it! My little one will still use his to make pillow forts and the like. The clothing items I listed are Burt’s Bees sleeper, Petite Plume pajamas, and Hanna Anderson slipper socks. Burt’s Bees pajamas are soft and breathable. I’m sure you’ve seen their adorable family sets at Target. I buy their clothes for gifts and still buy the pajamas for my son. The Petite Plume rompers in tartan and the navy are too cute not to include. A friend had given me a pair of hand-me-down HA slipper socks that were perfect for cold weather. My sister-in-law loved them for her baby as well. They are thick and toasty!

Hope this gave you some inspiration for any babies in your life or registry ideas. Thanks for reading! As always, I’d love to hear from you- drop me a line in comments!

Looking to make a homemade gift this year? Check out my DIY concrete bowl tutorial!