Gift-Box
Preparing to have a baby is one of the most, if not THE most, exciting times of a woman’s life. Not only is there the gorgeous little bundle of joy at the end, but you get to actually prepare to have the baby which basically means lots of cute, adorable outfits and fun toys to buy. When I was pregnant, even my single friends were excited about the prospect of buying “cute, itsy-witsy” little presents for bub. We all love it. So all the ladies get super excited about the baby shower, am I right? But there are always three problems that accompany a baby shower and the above approach to buying presents.
  1. You undoubtedly end up with a gazillion toys and/or outfits for your baby. This is great, except for the next problem, which is usually;
  2.  You most likely will end up with double ups – because  everyone is thinking of buying the EXACT SAME cute outfit/toy/blanket/swaddle. This means you’ll be spending more time on your local ‘Buy, Swap, Sell’ than you will actually enjoying the gifts you’ve received and your impending arrival. This also leads to the last problem;
  3. You usually hardly end up with truly useful, practical presents.
Let’s be honest – we all want to buy the cute, fun, “awwwww” inspiring presents, but is motherhood really like that? Gosh no. Within 5 minutes of putting baby in that gorgeous outfit or giving them that fun toy, it will have been pooed, vomited, weed, and munched on until all essence of the cuteness is gone. Not so cute now, huh?
I received the best baby shower present from a friend of mine who is a mother of 3 and just GETS what motherhood is about. She knew what I needed, and it wasn’t cutesy. In her words, it was ‘unsexy’. It is the unsexy, practical gift pack that ALL mums need. Here is what the gift pack from her included:

“In her words, it was ‘unsexy’. It is the unsexy, practical gift pack that ALL mums need”

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1. Nipple Cream

Because let’s be real, nipples hurt when you start breastfeeding. They hurt a lot. Even if you’re not breastfeeding, you may be expressing or pumping which also hurts your nipples from the suction. Sorry ladies, but YOUR ‘ladies’ are going to be sore for a while. My friend put in a nipple cream to help with the pain and discomfort new mums feel in those early days.

2. Nursing Pads

To accompany the cream, she included some disposable nursing pads to help clean up those lovely leakages we all know and love (NOT). Reusable nursing pads would also work just as well and are more friendly for the environment.

3. Moisturising Cream – for Bums and Tums

Organic-Baby-MoisturiserA lot of babies can get nappy rash due to their sensitive skin. We were given a generic moisturising cream which was fine for this purpose, but then as time went on we found out our son had a bit of eczema. With his eczema, we have to constantly put cream on him, especially after his bedtime bath, and the only cream that seems to work for this has been a natural moisturising cream. Bamboo Lulu stocks a very similar cream in their shop that we use for this purpose (and have also started using for the nappy rash as it works and we’re not using multiple creams).

 

4. Baby Sunscreen

Following on from the above point, a natural sunscreen will help protect bubs outside and is also free of the nasty chemicals that can be found in most sunscreens. This was something I didn’t even consider until it was gifted to me, and now I use it all the time. As babies have much thinner and more sensitive skin than adults, they need as much sun protection as possible. We also bought an adjustable hat and sunglasses for our boy, so you could always consider adding these to the kit if you really wanted to buy the cutesy baby things.

5. 1L Water Bottle (for breastfeeding)

As breastfeeding is demanding on your body and makes you thirsty, my friend bought me a HUGE, reusable water bottle that I could keep with me whenever I breastfed. It has also come in handy to wash sticky fingers too!

6. Travel Pack for Baby Wipes & Reusable Baby Wipe Container for Home

A small travel pack of baby wipes and a larger container for home have been equally helpful for us. You could fill them with natural wipes (we use wet wipes because they are gentler on our boy’s sensitive skin) as well so they are ready to go when bub arrives.

7. Disposable Nappy Bags or Reusable Nappies

We were given the disposable nappy bags as a helpful option for when we are out and about, especially when you’re dealing with a poo explosion and extra-vommy clothing (sorry ladies, that is definitely a WHEN, not IF). If you are looking for a more environmentally-friendly option for your expecting friend, you could include a couple of reusable nappies in the kit.

8. Hand Sanitiser (travel size and one for home)

As babies are extremely messy (not just for changing, but just constantly – drool, eventually food, vomits) my friend got me a small hand sanitiser for my nappy bag as well as one for my ‘change station’. Great gift.

9. Maternity Pads

Because child birth is messy (sorry) and you’ll need these for a few weeks afterwards. Totally unsexy, but totally necessary. (Plus the disposable nappy bags can come in handy here too).

10. Baby Nail Clippers

Another item I would not have even considered needing until my son’s nails grew into wolverine claws, but SO glad we had them early on. Baby’s nails grow quick and sharp. These are an essential item, and I was pleasantly excited about receiving them (yes I know that’s a bit sad).You can also get some that come with a magnifying glass to see those tiny suckers – how brilliant!

11. Personalised Lists (for hospital bag/nappy bag/change table)

By far the cheapest and most USEFUL present in the kit, my friend had created 3 lists of items that I needed: items to take to the hospital when I gave birth, items to put in my nappy bag, and items for my change table. This helped me to get super organised super quick, and was one less stress for me to worry about later on.

What unsexy baby shower presents did you receive? Is there anything you would add to this list? Comment below, we’d love to hear them !

Fi Morrison is a first time blogger and mum from Sydney, Australia. To read more of her work, visit her blog.