Gifts for a New Baby – what should you REALLY buy?

Shopping for gifts for a new baby can be so much FUN!

But also a little… stressful.

If you’re like me, you really want to get the perfect gift – something that will be appreciated, used and loved. You know, something that your money will be well spent on. (Because let’s face it – we have all received gifts that, while we were grateful for the sentiment, make us think… I REALLY wish you had just given me the $25 so I could buy what I actually want.)

If it’s been a while since you had a baby (or if you’ve never had one!) it can be hard to know exactly which gifts for a new baby fit the bill perfectly.

(THIS POST PROBABLY CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. OUR FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY IS REALLY BORING, BUT YOU CAN FIND IT HERE.)

WELL, if there’s anyone who can tell you what gift a new baby (and his mom) would LOVE to get – it’s someone who’s recently had a baby – and is expecting another one. (SO it’s me, I’m that person.)

(And hey, if you’re the mamma to be, you NEED to  Create an Amazon Baby Registry, just FYI. People buy things online these days – and there are great discounts + an extended return period for YOU on the Amazon Baby Registry.)

This is the most complete list of baby gift ideas that you are gonna find – right from  under 25 up to 75$, the frivolous gifts to the practical gifts (and some ideas for more expensive gifts in case you’re buying for some special or as a group!)

Related: The BEST gifts for SECOND Babies
Related: 20 Awesome Baby Hacks for New Parents
Related: The Best Unique Baby Shower Gifts

PRACTICAL gifts for a new baby – under $25:

First – the VERY USEFUL and PRACTICAL gifts: 

Useful and practical baby gifts are NOT a boring thing. Think of all the money new parents spend on this stuff in the first few years – just because they need it. It might feel less FUN to buy useful or practical baby gifts, but that certainly doesn’t mean they won’t be soooo appreciated!

You could pair these first two items together, and you’d STILL be under 30 bucks  (if you know mom and dad aren’t opposed to pacifiers). We got this set of MAM pacifiers as a gift and one night when my baby just WOULD NOT quit crying we pulled these out, handed them over and he’s been hooked on them ever since. He didn’t like other brands, and I was’t even going to bother opening these – until I was just too desperate not to. I could NOT have been more grateful for this gift that night.

MAM Orthodontic Pacifiers – We were given a set of these as a gift, and they were the only ones the squishy baby would take after that. But my favorite thing about them? They come with a plastic microwave sanitizing case.

Cute silicon teething pacifier clips – for a few reasons. You certainly won’t be needing the “teething” function of it  while babe is a new born, but I just hate having to  buy anything twice that I could buy once. When they are itty bitty you can use it just to keep track of the pacifier, and when they are bigger it’s an automatically built in teether. Plus they look cute (and stay cute longer).

The second thing we got that I pulled out and used in desperation (and then offered prayers of thanks for) was this baby nasal aspirator.

Munchkin Clear Nose Nasal Aspirator – This is just not one of those things you want to be in need of at 3 am and not have on hand. It works AMAZING, unlike these ones – don’t get that kind. Put it right in the cabinet next to to the baby Tylenol and the thermometer. (And, JUST in case you didn’t know – like I didn’t know – go for a dye free painkiller like this one, to keep chemicals to a minimum.)

You could put in it a gift basket with a few other baby first aid type things – this baby bum balm is a miracle for sore bums, and vicks babyrub is always good to have on hand.

Baby bath tub with sling – We gave our baby his first couple baths in the bathroom sink and he really really hated them. Plus it was hard to support him properly and keep his head from bumping against the sink and truly, NO one was having fun. Then we got a bathtub like this one with a sling, and from that day on he LOVED bathing! (Even at just a week old!)

Wrap it up with fun adorable bath toys  or this baby body wash and you’re still under 30$.

Backseat mirror for the car – this is something we had to run out and buy by the time the baby was about 10 minutes old. (Kidding, but the drive home without one was awful.)

FUN gifts for a new baby – under $25:

Baby Memory Book – Mommy is exhausted and this is precious time with precious memories zooming by. She needs a place to write it ALL DOWN! We got this exact book as a gift, and it’s one of my favorite baby gifts ever.

Baby Footprint Keeper – Same idea here – one of those things that Mommy will really appreciate, but just might not think to get for herself in those first few exhausting months. And this is something you want to have SOONER rather than later – those little feet grow so fast.  

Milestone Stickers – For memory photos. By the time I realized I should have had these and been doing this, my baby was already 4 months old.

A good quality baby bath towel – Truly, this isn’t a necessity, so I’ve put it under fun gifts. A baby can get dry just as well with a boring towel… but it’s just so much fun to have those sweet little bath pictures of your babe all wrapped up like an elephant. We got a nice baby bath towel and I LOVED it, but probably wouldn’t have been able to justify buying it myself.

Taggies Blanket – A newborn doesn’t really need toys. BUT the day I noticed that babe was interested in holding things was also the day I noticed  that none of the awesome toys we had for him were age appropriate. This was the only thing he could hold onto and enjoy for any length of time. I also loved (really loved) that I could throw it in the washing machine.

Musical activity cube – We didn’t get anything like this a gift for our babe, and this was our first sanity saving purchase when squish was old enough to want to be entertained. (Maybe 5 months?)

PRACTICAL gifts for a new baby – under $50:

Carter’s Just One You Sleepers – These are the most awesome sleepers I’ve found. They fit the best, they seem to be the best quality… and zippers! (WHAT is with all the snaps?! 3 am and I want to fight with 10 snaps in the dark? No thank you.)

aden + anais Classic Muslin Swaddling Blankets – I love these because they are BIG and breathable, and gorgeous. I’m also finding that they wash well, which is pretty important.

A baby food maker – This is so much nicer for making baby food than a regular blender, and comes with sippy cup + food storage containers to boot. Throw in a package of baby spoons and this is an AWESOME gift for a new baby.

Marpac Dohm-DS All Natural Sound Machine – We actually don’t have THIS one, we have a different one and it’s not as good. My sister has two of these for her girls, and this is the one I would go with.  Baby will probably sleep through anything as a new born, but I think it’s beneficial to start using the sound machine when they are really little so A) they learn to associate it with sleeping and B) you don’t wake them with loud noises by accident. Sound machines are really popular now and mom + dad probably WILL end up buying one themselves if they don’t get one as a gift.

A big box of diapers –  This is actually just like money in mom + dad’s pocket, but they don’t have to run to the store themselves. Yay.

FUN gifts for a new baby – under $50:

A personalized blanket – baby blankets were something that we just couldn’t get enough of. We were given a few absolutely gorgeous blankets, and we STILL had to buy a few more. (If you don’t know baby’s name yet, you can opt for a super sweet but non-personalized blanket like this one.) Personalized gifts for a new baby will be treasured forever!

An infant activity mat – These are just awesome – they entertain tiny babies from the start (well, from as soon as they’re awake long enough to need entertaining), and give them something safe to “reach for”.  We borrowed one from my sister, and just loved it.

An activity table – There was very little in the realm of “toys” that we actually went out and bought, but this one one thing we decided we NEEDED. We noticed that babe really wanted something his height that would entertain him… he has used and loved this table for months.

Larger baby gifts (75$ and up):

An Amazon Prime Membership – 99$, or an Amazon family membership (with family, you get 20% off all your diapers, all year long, plus exclusive coupons and deals from Amazon Family and exclusive baby registry benefits) not to mention FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items. I use this ALL THE TIME. Give the Gift of Amazon Prime or Join the Amazon Family 30-Day Free Trial. 

A complete wardrobe set for babe  – These little 15 piece sets are SO sweet, and really good quality. They’re a REALLY good too, considering everything you get.

A video monitor – the peace of mind I get from being able to SEE my baby while he sleeps is so important to me. I’m pretty sure MOST mothers would be thrilled to receive a video monitor as a baby gift.

DockATot Baby Lounger– I kid you not we tried 5 different baby beds to see what would work for us AND him, and the second I SAW this one, I knew it was the winner, hands down. For the first two months we used a different sort of the same bed and that was fine, but the hard plastic edges were a pain I felt that if baby had been more “snug”  he would have slept better. I am so excited to have one of these for my next baby, already in the house just waiting! This would be an AMAZING gift for a new baby.

Have suggestions for the best gifts for a new baby?

What were your favorite gifts you received for your baby? Things you just couldn’t do without? Or what are you HOPING to receive?