what was the best baby shower gift you received?

I'm crashing the parenting board because my kids are so old that I'm really out of touch with baby stuff.

My dear friend is having her first baby, she has 3 sisters & they all have young children. She registered at BBB and I know her family will complete her registry. She's having a boy.
She is a truly kind person that has been a wonderful friend & she's an amazing Aunt to all of the children in her family.
I cannot even describe how excited I am that she is having her first child.

I want to give her something that will always be special and remembered but I know all of the great standards like diaper cakes, clothes lines and that stuff will be done by her sisters.
So I come here, where the experts are to ask for help.

I am crafty & I'd love to make something personalized for the baby's room or spoil her with a designer diaperbag she'd never buy for herself but I figured all of you would have great suggestions based on your experiences.
Thank you!

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

My favorite gifts were the hand knitted blankets and a personalize quilt.

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

Another nice gift idea...is something for her...For my sister, I gave her a hospital bag with a robe, slippers, flip flops for the shower, lotions, etc.

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

My shower was just last week, and honestly, my favorite gift was from one of my sisters's, the baby's godmother. She gave me a bear from "Build-A-Bear" that you record the baby's heartbeat on and insert it into the bear and can play back anytime! I recorded the heartbeat at my doc appointment on Friday, and had the bear stuffed yesterday! It's truly amazing, and people have never heard of that! This is something you can keep forever!!!

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

Thank you for the responses! I love the hospital bag idea & I love the build a bear!!
Keep the suggestions coming!!

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

my favorite gift was my boppy lounger. I registered for it and used it so much that we got another one for use at the sitter's house (i got tired of carrying it with me every day).

my MOST USED gift was my coach diaper bag. Dave gave it to me as a Christmas present (we got it at the outlets, during a sale). It's HUGE, holds more than I can explain(my sister in law is FOREVER amazed at the things i carry in there).....and has been used every single day since she came home.

Once i can no longer use it as a diaper bag, it'll become my laptop bag. (i have some pics in my albums).

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

My favorite gifts were:
Handmade quilt from her nana who is 82.
Handmade knitted blanket that matched her room.
Handpainted piggy bank with her name that matched her room.
My diaper bag filled with baby essentials that I forgot to put on my registry. One of my friends who had a baby recently gave me all the little things she felt were essential.

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

my mother bought me a bugaboo, which i love with all my heart.

i think an ab fab gift is a gift card to stride rite.

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

the best gift i received at my shower was....

a gift card to a restaurant and a gift card to the movies...

My friend made the card saying...DATE NIGHT for the new parents..i loved it and im lookin forward to getting out one night with my dh :)

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

What abut a gift certificate for newborn photos???

I think that would be something they she would LOVE and always remember.

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

Things I received that I did not register for but love:
Personalized step stool/chair
hand made blankets
personalized towels

What I like to give:
books in a personalized basket or step stool because I feel like you can use this for a long time.

Things I registered for and love:
car seat
stroller
PNP
Tiny Love Mobile
FP Aquarium for crib
Lamaze Moose and Firefly toys

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

2 best gifts I ever saw. One I got, it was a handmade moses basket (well the basket was pre-made, but the linens for it were handmade.) It was super useful for DS & I used it for about 6 months.

Recently, at a shower, a friend of the new parents family made the cap for the baptismal. It also came with an awesome poem that she wrote about how one day your son will carry this cap again on his wedding day. There was not a dry eye in the house

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

My $400 pump. I didn't expect to get it, but it must have saved me from some big time anxiety and kept me sane throughout bfing. I told DH so many times that that was the best gift out of everything mentally and physically!

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

Custom made twin toy chests from DH's cousin.

My double stroller from a fellow poster

Handmade blankets from a co-worker

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

OMG so many great gifts.... seroiusly LOVED all that I received, off the registry - from the registry, handmade....

really they all top the list...

BUT great surprise - Diaper raffle!

Instead of a wishing well, Mom and BFF decided upon a diaper raffle, included info on invite - the BEST ever -we recieved enough diapers that got us through 9 months!!!!

AMAZING! I recommend this to ALL!!!!

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

handmade blanket

personalized christening pillow

personalized rosary

personalized clothing

The only thing I wish someone would have gotten for us that I ended up buying myself was a newborn scrapbook. I got a few picture albums but I would have preferred a scrapbook. I wanted to do one for his first year. I bought one already pre-made.

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

One of the coolest gidts I received and did not register for was the


Kiddopotamus rinse and roll bib

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

my aunt painted a picture for both of my kids' rooms and I love them (she's very talented - sells paintings ets)

my mom made raggedy andy dolls - love them

a scrapbook for the first year



but I will say, my BFF is having a baby and I'm buying her a top of the line jogging stroller, b/c she's my running partner and I need her to get back into it

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

The Twilight Turtle......Emmy LOVES hers and can't sleep without it. She just stares and stares.

Scout the leapfrog puppy. I bought it later on but I love the lullaby feature and play it every night for her and now use it to encourage tummy time even more.

I also loved my bathtub and it was FILLED with lotion, soap, shampoo, a kneeler, toys and a water temperature gauge.

We also can NOT live without Sophia and the First Years Star Teether. It's a terry cloth star that has different shapes and textures. She LOVES it!

Re: what was the best baby shower gift you received?

Honestly, we got lots of homemade stuff and use none of it. I would get something useful on her registry or something she doesn't have on there that they could use when the baby is older. Sophie the Giraffe, washable plastic bibs, a really nice diaper changing pad (the ones for travelling), anything by SkipHop, a travel cooler for bottles.