When you have an infant at Christmastime, gift ideas can be tricky. This seems to be the case whether it is your first or fifth baby. You want Christmas to be special, but you also want gifts to be useful and meaningful.
This year, my third baby will be 7 months at Christmas. We have quite a few baby toys and things to grow into, plus his birthday is around the corner in the Spring. So, while Kai might receive a few fun toys, I plan to go another direction this year. Rather than purchase lots of items, I am leaning toward high quality, handmade gifts that are purposeful, support small businesses, and are eco-conscious.
The Inquisitive Mom’s Top 10 Christmas Gifts for Baby 2011
1. A Sling, Wrap, or Soft Structured Carrier. I have fallen in love with babywearing with Kai! I used a (Sleepy) Boba Wrap quite a bit during Kai’s first few months. I also splurged on a Baba sling, which is a more sophisticated, adjustable version of your standard sling and I love the versatility. Most recently, I tried on soft structured carriers and discovered that the right fit is very personal. I decided to purchase a Olives and Applesauce SSC from the FSOT Forum on babywearers.com to give it a try. Close runners up were the CatBird Baby Mei Tai and the Beco Gemini. In my dream world, I’d add a Mei Tai to my collection!
New to babywearing like me? I highly recommend joining babywearer.com! I’ll also do a post about the O & A and why I selected it over other options soon.
2. A handmade diaper bag. Let’s face it, a good quality diaper bag is an investment. There are definitely some great mass produced bags on the market, but I love the opportunity to choose something handcrafted. I recently made the leap and bought my own custom Brooke Van Gory set that includes the upsized expedient, wet bag accompaniment, and matching changing pad. These are billed as Mary Poppins bags come to life and I’m hoping it will fit my cloth diapers and maybe let me slip a sling in there as well, along with other essentials. Choosing all of the details for my bag with Brooke’s help was such a fun experience and I can’t wait to blog about my bag after it arrives! Plus, if you love BVG, stay tuned because Ella is going to review a brand new product soon!
I also recommend Maranda Lee Designs. My MLD bag receives compliments where ever I go and it is a great option if you use disposable diapers or just want a quick trip bag.
I haven’t tried a Maxwell Designs diaper bag, but I have a Maxwell Designs changing pad and I can attest the quality and craftmanship. Plus, Maggie has exquisite taste in fabrics, her bags are made of eco-friendly materials, and she is terrific!
3. Baby Feeding Items. I have my eye on Boon Spoons and Bowls. I have yet to try these, but I think the Boon Squirt is genius. It’s a spoon that holds baby’s food in the handle. You just squeeze the amount you need into the spoon, then replace the spoon with a cap to store leftovers. No contaminating the food so you can’t use it again and less waste. Plus, so easy to put in your diaper bag.
4. Books. Baby is never to young to start a children’s book collection. Want to make it really special? Contact your mom and mother-in-law and ask about you and your hubby’s favorite children’s books. Your moms might even have some to pass down to your child. You can also find great used books at Alibris and Abe Books.
5. A Photo Book. We have 5 years worth of photos on our computer. I started scrapbooking Ella’s first year by hand and it is not even close to being finished. I plan to give each one of my kids a Mixbook this year, to catch up, and to keep up the tradition every Christmas. These high quality photo books are easy to store, simple to create, and a great way to digitally scrapbook without purchasing an expensive program.
6. Donate to your favorite cause in your child’s name and invite others to do the same. My friend Rosemary‘s husband Josh at http://designrequest.com/ made an amazing website for his daughter’s birthday doing just this. hadassahgrace.com is moving, inspiring, and a great reminder to be grateful for all that we have!
7. A Food Processor. Thinking about making your own baby food? This multi-purpose item will allow you to blend up those peas, prunes, and peaches in no time! Plus, I love using mine for everyday recipes.
8. A handmade treasure made and sold By a WAHM. You can find an amazing selection on Etsy or Artfire. I think that Bellabugs Baby Boutique has the cutest bloomers for little girls. I also love the custom hats at Sew Sweet by Kayla
9. Cloth Diapers and Accessories. If you’re thinking about trying cloth or want to add to your stash, why not give diapers, wipes, wetbags, or that diaper sprayer you want, but don’t need to baby for Christmas? Those cool toys you’re eyeing for bigger kids? You can put the money you’re saving using cloth aside and put it towards those later!
What’s on my cloth wish list for 2011? The new Charlie Banana Fashion Collection Prints, Fuzzibunz Elites, and the Bum Genius Free Time AIO.
10. A Scentsy Nursery Collection Warmer and Newborn Nursery Bar. These sweet mid-sized warmers are affordable and the perfect accompaniment to just about any nursery decor. (Plus, this is a shameless plug for my business.)
and if I mentioned half of these things to the only people who buy for us, they’d think I was nuts. *sigh*
Woah, this is a pretty amazing list! I love the photo album idea!!!! We intend on doing as much handmade this year as we can, so I may grab some bloomers for my niece!
I was just thinking of this the other day too: what are some meaningful gifts to give a 4 month-old for Christmas? I loved your list! Thanks for the awesome ideas. You’ve really got the wheels turning in my head now and I’m pretty sure I’ll be referring back to your list again!
Those are great gift ideas! A friend bought us a Scentsy warmer for Rys room as a new baby present and we love it. Those handmade hats are adorable!