5 Gifts Your Baby Won’t Outgrow In A Week

When our daughter was born, we received gifts from family and friends. The cards accompanying them cheered, ‘Welcome to the world, little one!’ and “Warmest congratulations on the birth of your sweet baby girl!” While it remained to be seen whether Ella would indeed be ‘sweet’ the sentiment was lovely.

But sadly, some well-intentioned gifts we received were hardly used. For instance, a cashmere onesie that fit her in mid-August, or a pair of baby Uggs she outgrew within two weeks. Gifts that spent the remainder of their lives in an attic box labeled ‘Ella: 0-3 Months’. They were eventually donated or passed along to close friends.

I started to wonder. What are the best baby gifts to welcome a child? Baby gifts that remain useful beyond a week or a month. I also thought, who benefits the most from a well-thought-out baby gift? Many of the best baby gifts are equally useful for dad and mom. Some of the best baby gifts will last for years to come. Perhaps, you just need to know where to look.

Best Baby Gifts: A Top 5 List

There’s no lack of information and lists when it comes to sourcing the best baby gifts. But finding the ones that stand the test of time is a different fairytale altogether. Read on for five baby gifts to inspire your next purchase. Whether you’re treating yourself, your baby, or another newborn in your life.

5 / Best Baby Gift: A Child’s Library

We are a family of readers. When we aren’t eating or asleep, we are reading. That goes for our kids too, who have been reading or read to, since birth. One of my favorite baby gifts to give is a hand-picked library. I go to our local book store (yes, those still exist) and choose a range of titles. From classic board books like ‘Goodnight Moon’ to picture books like ‘Ivan The Terrible Monster.’ Books that provide entertainment from birth to elementary school and beyond. I like to gather a variety of my kids tried and true favorites. Ones I still can’t part with, even 15 years later, like ‘The Snail and The Whale’ and ‘The Day The Crayons Quit.’ These stories will make bedtime sweet for years to come. A gift for both parents and children alike.

4 / Best Baby Gift: Travel Wall Map

Exposing children to the world is a priority for many parents. Some parents choose to get their child a passport well before they sleep through the night while others prefer to armchair travel through stories of faraway lands. Whichever suits your family’s style, a wall map, or even map wallpaper, is a wonderful way to teach kids about the world and other cultures. Maps come in a variety of forms and sizes. From hand-drawn ones with illustrations of the Eiffel Tower and Bengal Tigers to more technical versions with thumbtacks to mark your travels. A wall map will grow with your family, become a teaching tool for years to come, and add a touch of wanderlust to your lives. Don’t be surprised one day when your 18-year-old decides to put off college for a year and live in Africa, or Nepal. You will only have yourself to blame. Take my word on this one.

3 / Best Baby Gift: A Baby Book of Milestones

This baby book of milestones falls firmly in the parent appreciation column—for about 18 years. Then it becomes your child’s gift of a lifetime. Keeping up a baby book seems daunting at first. But if you spend even 15 minutes once a month, you’ll notice how rewarding it is to track first words, first steps, locks of baby hair, and handwritten letters you cherish. I’ll admit, my daughter’s baby book is overflowing with school photos, report cards, and Pre-K drawings I thought belong in MoMa. My son’s is a little less, ummm, in-depth. But both of my kids have thoroughly enjoyed looking through them as they’ve gotten older. And one day I hope they will show them to their own kids. The varieties of baby books are as varied as kids themselves. Is a wire-bound version with archival paper and a monogrammed chambray cover your style? Or is simplicity key, with mostly blank pages so that the author can be even more creative? Either way, it’s a way to treasure your child’s early milestones forever.

2 / Best Baby Gift: Tooth Fairy Pillow

When you have a baby, the thought of them losing a tooth seems light years away. That may be true, as any parent of a newborn knows that a single day can sometimes feel like a month. But the Tooth Fairy is an integral part of a child’s growing up. A time when they still enjoy the wonder and awe of the world. A time when imagination rules. A plush toy or pillow that doubles as a tooth holder is one of my favorite baby gifts to give. It can start out as your child’s soft sleep companion before it becomes necessary to add that first baby tooth and note to the Tooth Fairy. There are endless iterations of this baby gift idea, from space ships and pirates to unicorns and monsters. Are you a cross-stitch wiz? One up your friends and create your own tooth fairy pillow. A family heirloom in the making.

1 / Best Baby Gift: Paperclip Diaper Bag

Not only can diaper bags be cool, they can be stylish (yes, you heard me correctly). Oh, and they make for the best baby gifts. One that stands the test of time. These days parents expect much more from diaper bags. First and foremost they need them to be functional. But style and sustainability are top of mind as well. The best example of the modern diaper bag is Paperclip’s ‘Willow’. It goes from backpack to messenger bag and has a built-in changing station among other bells and whistles. Paperclip’s bags are made from recycled materials so that you can feel good about helping Mother Earth while changing your 15th diaper of the day.

Welcome to the World, Little One

There are many ways to celebrate the birth of a child. And while we all want our baby gifts to be used and adored, the best baby gifts need not don designer labels or be made of alpaca fur. The best baby gifts are the ones that are well-thought out and think about the parent and child above all. So, the next time you need to buy a baby gift or perhaps buy one for yourself, consider the longevity factor. Chances are you and your child will treasure those gifts the most.

 

Written by Jamie Edwards

Jamie is an avid traveler, travel writer, and photographer. She launched I am Lost and Found, her adventure/luxury travel website after 25 years of living and traveling around the globe. She has lived in both NYC and Tokyo. Today she resides in Washington DC with her husband, two kids, and two black labs. Jamie’s goal is simple: to inspire travel.