Whenever a baby shower is thrown, women everywhere tend to fall back on the “old faithful” gifts … baby clothes, diaper bags, bath sets, and large awkward objects like swings, playpens or strollers. Nowadays, these items are not necessarily needed, wanted or recommended for a variety of reasons. For example, Enfamil and Similac both give free diaper bags at hospitals and doctors’ offices across the country.

Baby Powder and Baby Oil have both been deemed dangerous to children’s health, some incidents even resulting in death. Large swings, playpens and strollers are often heavy and difficult to move around making them undesirable and quickly replaced with their smaller, travel-sized counterparts. And don’t even get me started on baby clothes…

What is new and desirable is constantly changing, and shopping at Babies R Us can easily cost you $50 or more. What’s a gift giver to do? This Author and Mother of two has some viable and useful options, all of which are less then $25. Buy any of these products, and the new mom you are shopping for will most likely thank you in person later on.

1. A box of Huggies Diapers, 112 count, size 1. Cost: $25 at Target. While you would think that any box of diapers would do, Huggies is actually the best. They are the least likely to leak, super absorbent, do not cause irritation, and can be found anywhere. Pampers, on the other hand, commonly causes rashes with infant girls…the Kmart and Walmart brands leak, Target brands can cause irritation and most grocery store brands are a 50/50 chance of being worthy. With Huggies, you just can’t go wrong, and size 1 will fit newborns up to 14 pounds.
2. Box of Enfamil Formula Packets, 16 count. Cost: $10 to $12 anywhere formula is sold. Although most women nowadays prefer to breastfeed, I have had so many women call and thank me for purchasing such an “odd” yet useful gift. They never realize how often they may get stranded somewhere they cannot breastfeed, and their child wants to be fed NOW. With a room temperature bottle of water and a packet of Enfamil, they can instantly give their child 4 oz. of nourishing formula. (I do recommend Enfamil over Similac. In my experience, Enfamil is gentler on a baby’s stomach.).
3. 6 Pack of Plastic Baby Bottles with the Clear Slow Flow Nipples. Cost: $6 to $8 anywhere bottles are sold. New parents will go through baby bottles faster then a 4-pack of toilet paper in a household of women. Although a new mom may not realize how essential a busload of bottles is, she will be grateful when she can’t find a single one. Clear nipples are best because the yellow ones get sticky and have to be thrown out in about three to four weeks; clear nipples do not. Also, the slow flow is recommended for infants since medium and high flow often cause a child to dribble, and can make Colic worse.
4. 5 Pack of Receiving Blankets. $10 at Target. Although you would too many blankets is a bad thing, it’s really not true. A baby’s blanket is used for warmth, drool, and as a napkin. Receiving blankets are especially nice since they can be doubled up for extra warmth, used alone in the summer, block light, and are small enough to pack several in a diaper bag.
5. Baby Bouncer: $20 to $25 at Target depending on the model. Nothing soothes a tired baby faster, and any tired new mom will be extremely grateful for the break it offers. This is truly a gift that can save a new mom’s sanity.
6. Easy Care Booster by Safety First. Cost: $14.99 at Burlington Coat Factory. While many people consider getting the larger, more expensive high chairs, this little booster/high chair is the best deal in my opinion. Not only can it be used to feed a child, but it is small enough to be used in a bathtub (parental supervision recommended), and it can replace the $40-50 Bumbo Baby Sitter as a chair that teaches baby to sit up.
7. Simple Step Diaper Pail by Safety First. Cost: $10 at Target. Although most new moms drool over the Diaper Genie, the Simple Step Diaper Pail is more cost effective. With the diaper genie, the mom has to constantly buy custom trash bags, which can be very expensive in the life of a diaper-wearing child. The Simple Step Diaper Pail can use any grocery bag as a liner, and it really does keep a room smelling fresh.
8. Homemade Towel Blanket. Cost: Depends on fabric. Choose one yard of any color toweling or terry cloth at your local fabric store. Sew it together with one yard of Anti-Pill Fleece and you have a mom’s new favorite blanket. The toweling works very well at bath time, and fleece is water resistant keeping the child dry and warm even when the towel is damp. Simply sew the four sides like a pillowcase, flip it inside out, and close up the fourth side. Add a satin binding for about $6, and it quickly becomes baby’s favorite blanket as well. Ten minutes to make, and you get extra points with mom because it’s custom made for her child.
9. RazBaby Pacifier. Cost $3 at many grocery stores. Although most people would think any pacifier would do, the RazBaby is special. It has a unique mechanism on it that snaps closed over the nipple when dropped thereby keeping the nipple clean. It is one of those rare gifts that really works and really solves an important need.
10. Nuby Infant Feeding Set. Cost: $6 at Burlington Coat Factory, and $5 to $10 on Ebay. The Nuby Feeding Set consists of two baby jars with nipples and covers and a feeding spoon. What makes them exceptional is that they are for baby food…not formula or milk. An entire jar of baby food can fit into one bottle and a baby then sucks it down just as if it were mother’s milk. Very clean, very convenient, and dishwasher safe.

Although there are millions of baby products out there, these are the ones I’ve found to be most effective and most often used. Buy any combination, and you will be the new mom’s new best friend.