I've been meaning to write this post for awhile now... considering our little dude is now 13 months, it's clearly long overdue. Baby showers (and kids in general) are something people love to buy gifts for... and sometimes it's stuff that's totally unnecessary. A baby can only wear so many outfits, ya know? This list is by no means a registry guide... it's more of a summary of the things I found useful and a handful of fun, impractical splurges that are totally worth it. Oh, and if you're into it, scroll on down to the bottom to enter to win a $50 Gunn & Swain shop credit!
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Cleobella Hendrix Tote - A year in and I've found that I've ditched the bulky diaper bag and just use my Cleobella tote for everything. It's got loads of room for diapers, toys, books, snacks & water bottles and looks stylish to boot. And, yes, mine weighs about 95 pounds
Camp Wolf Vest / Jacket - This was the first thing I bought for my son. I mean, how cute is this? The Camp Wolf girls source vintage jackets & vests and hand-sew the Pendleton fabric onto these. Such a fun gift idea.
Babies Moon Salve - I put this stuff on everything -- from diaper rash to dry skin. It's so gentle on baby's skin and has tons of uses. I'm a huge fan of Fat and the Moon and we carry a bunch of their products in the shop.
Gunn & Swain Baby Moccasins - I may be biased here but I think these are the best baby shower present ever. These were one of the main inspirations for starting Gunn & Swain. My mom discovered these on a trip to Taos, New Mexico and every trip since then, she always buys more to hoard for future grand babies;) We found an artisan whose work we LOVE and commissioned these styles just for G&S.
Bink & Boo Bib - Aside from our G&S moccasins, my other signature baby shower gift is booties from Bink & Boo or some of their bibs. My friend Bianca sources the most gorgeous vintage fabrics from all over and hand-makes all of the amazing products in her shop. She also has a fantastic collection of vintage children's clothing.
Burp Cloths - You'll never have too many of these. This style shown is super cute and heavy duty, which is great but you also can't go wrong with good 'ol Gerber cloth diapers.
Honest Company Diapers - These are a mix of both practical and fun. I love the designs on these and actually found that in the early days of very messy poops, these Honest Company diapers did a great job of keeping it all contained. They're also pretty expensive, which makes them the perfect gift because I've found that I really only buy these as a splurge. That sounds like a weird thing to "splurge" on. #youknowyoureamomwhen...
Washable Nursing Pads - There are so many things that seem so obvious to me in hindsight that I didn't realize when I first registered or even right after giving birth. I registered for throwaway nursing pads, got a ton for my shower and went through boxes and boxes of them before realizing that there were reusable ones. Don't be like me. Mother earth will thank you if you get the reusables.
Aden & Anais Muslin Swaddle Blanket - This was a really cute present a friend of ours gave us and I thought it made an adorable blanket... then a friend of mine told me to stash one in my purse and use it as a nursing cover and I was like BINGO. Lightbulb moment. Gram hated nursing under a thick, dark cover but these are so thin they let light in and are totally breathable. Plus they're adorable. We also loved the Aden + Anais Easy Swaddle Sleep sack.
As far as other essentials and favorites, I would recommend...
The Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair as a splurge item. Gram never really dug the Bumbo seat but has always loved the Stokke high chair. And it's beautiful.
I could NOT figure out how to use baby wraps FOR THE LIFE OF ME. My mom and I watched loads of YouTube videos and we just felt so stupid trying to figure it out. Maybe it's just that Gram was super wiggly but he just never really went for it... Ergo Baby Baby Carrier to the rescue. When he grew out of the newborn insert but was still a bit too short to see over the top, I got a hot tip from a mama friend to roll up an Aden & Anais Muslin Swaddle Blanket and stuck that at the bottom of the carrier and he fit perfectly.
Style-wise, I think the best strategy is to invest in a handful of fun pieces (like the moccs & jacket above) to layer over basics. I found that most days Gram wore a white onesie and that's it. For some other fun options and reasonable prices, I'm a huge fan of American Apparel -- they even make tiny baby tees in 3-6 months.
Finally, I highly recommend the Boppy Lounge. It was such a random thing to me when a friend of ours bought it. It seemed like one extra thing that we didn't need and I considered returning it. Thankfully I kept it around because Gram lived on that thing for his first 6 months! He loved it. It's super soft, easy to snuggle up next to and the perfect position to read with to babe on the couch or floor. We loved it.
So that's it! Those were my favorite gifts and the pieces I found most useful and fun. If you've got other recommendations, I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!
AND if you want to enter to win a $50 shop credit to Gunn & Swain to stock up on baby shower gifts or just to treat yo self, check out the options for entry below & good luck!
___________ GIVEAWAY CLOSED. WINNER: MIYA JIN. THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!