Creative Gift Ideas

I have a good one for the baby shower. At mine my best friend got us a tall square solid sided laundry hamper and from the top all I saw was: Tissue paper, A small stuffed animal and a string saying "Pull me". When I started to pull the string it was actually a laundry line and it was 20' long. about every foot she had cute onies, bibs, hats, shorts, pj's and more all ranging from 0-3 months up to 12 months. She attached the items to the line with wooden clothes pins... as I pulled the string I had to pass it to the person beside me and the next thing I knew it was stretched around the room and everyone was excited to see all the items. It was the coolest idea I have seen yet... I now use the hamper for my son and everytime I do laundry I think of my bestfreind ;o)... Hopefully more people like this idea.

When I finally got pregnant with my daughter (now 3) I got myself a gift, a book called "my pregnancy". I got it at Michael's. I loved it, I was able to record all my pregnancy highs and lows. I will give it to my daughter some day. You can get a themed gift, ie, bath stuff, and just make sure you include stuff for mom, she will need to be taken care of after baby comes. You can make her a diaper cake. Or if you sew, a special handmade quilt. I had a friend who craved McD's fries, I got her a gift card there.
When my sister had her second baby my mom wasn't sure what to get her, she had all she needed, I suggested a gift card for a photography studio so she could have the babies pictures taken, or even family photos.

A gift we got for our wedding I loved was a bucket of cleaning supplies. It is stuff that you just don't think about, but adds up in price. My sister got me a plunger, toilet brush and a huge thing of toilet paper, it was funny, especially coming from her. I got a movie from my little brother and his friend, one we quoted all the time. Is there something that will make your B-I-L laugh and know you thought of him specifically?

Good luck.

Personally, I would want one big ticket item and maybe some little fun things. That way, those things are usually things that I wouldn't easily go out and buy for myself. For a unique baby item, I found some stuff that I thought were really cool that I'd want when I have another one. Maybe you'll like them too. I don't know what your budget is so here's a handful of ideas:
1) Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe- It lets you swaddle a baby in a car seat. Very handy, if the baby loves being swaddled.
2) BundleMe- My son was fine without major swaddling and so I blanketed him up instead. I wish I would've bought one of these when he was an infant. I have a toddler one now and it's great for use in the stroller when we're outside for longer periods of time.
3) Lilliebaby EuroTote from modernnursery.com- I found this in a magazine. I haven't checked reviews or exactly how it works, but it's a soft carrier that can also be used as a bunting, stroller bag, play blanket, and travel bed. It's cute and sounds really handy.
4) Babylegs- I LOVE these. Babylegs.net sells them, or a lot of other baby boutiques do too. They're so useful for any age. I use them with my son now as leggings for the winter. They're easier to pull of when he is indoors and don't need to be removed to change diapers.

Well, if the couple is active or have a certain interest, you could try to get something that will fit that. Like a backpack carrier for hikers, or a travel playpen for big travelers, etc.

I racked my mind for newlywed gifts, but I can't really come up with anything. Maybe a cool gadget that will fit their interests?

Hope this helps! Let me know what you think and if you need more ideas.

**Edit: Here's another idea that I just saw done at a shower. Get a jar and decorate the outside and fill it with pieces of paper. It's a memory jar and it's for the mom to jot down memories of her baby. This is really cute and convenient because it's always annoying to have to find time to write down the cute thing that baby did. The papers makes this quick and easy.

R.,
For your brother-in-law - unique wedding gift visit www.DebtAtTheAltar.com which is a gift package I created for engaged, newly married couples that teach them how to Talk the Finances Talk before Walking the Commitment Walk.

Hi R.,

I just did this recently and the bride and groom said it was their favorite gift. I gave them six envelopes. In each one was something for them to do together on their anniversary date, such as gift card to Albertsons, with an receipe for a meal and all the ingredients they would need to make the meal together. Another envelope included pizza and ice cream gift certificates. One month might be that hubby has to give his wife a pedicure! I put all these together with two other items. Take your Pick Game and Let's chat rings. These two products I happen to sell, but they are great games. You can visit my website or contact me if you are interested in seeing them. www.teresabevens.simplyfun.com Good luck!

For your neighbor you could get her a journal so she is able to write her experiences down during her pregnancy and after, along with her favorite candy or some food that you know she likes.

For your friend you should look at bellaserababy.com. The owner is awesome and the boutique is so cute and very unique.

I like the gift basket idea...add a coupon book for her to use to enlist your help. I shoulder to cry on, a day of babysitting after the baby comes, that sort of thing. Also a massage gift cert for those angry back muscles once she gets big, or maybe a picture frame for her ultrasound pics. There is also a kit that you can buy at Hallmark that is an MP3 recorder that record family memories, stories and histories, (in everones own voice) which than can be put on CD and saved for the baby when he or she is all grown up.

For the wedding I like to make dolls of the married couple, there are several good books on how to make dolls look like your friends. For the new baby a raggy quilt is easy and useful, or a changing pad, or lately I've been making growth charts (although these are better for a one year old). A crochet rattle in the shape of an animal or truck is also good.

Ooops, I thought you meant to make something, for bought gifts a bumbo is the hip useful baby gift that she probably won't get from someone else, or Moolka.com always has lovely things, if you know she will do cloth diapers a month of diaper service is good, or a not too bright light for nightime wakings is always good

My absolute favorite gift for my first pregnancy was actually a simple one...I liked it way more than the elaborate gifts we received later in the pregnancy. My SIL sent me a pregnancy calendar. She bought it at Motherhood. I still have it...a total record of everything during my first pregnancy.

My next favorite present was received after my daughter was born...a bucket full of personalized diapers...each one had her name on it!

I didn't really have a favorite wedding gift...we really liked money the most!

I just received a catalog from Red Envelope in the mail and they had a couple of items that I just loved and am thinking of buying for myself and a couple of my expecting friends.
They are frames, one is the "Newborn Bracelet Keepsake Frame" and has a spot for a picture and a special place for the hospital bracelet, or the "Sonogram Frame Kit." Red Envelope also has wonderful gifts for the mom-to-be (I received a couple of cherished items from my husband that came from here).
They also offer a lot of personalized items that would be great for a wedding gift.

Well, for the wedding I like to do a gift box for the newly weds. I will get a small trash can and fill it up with things for him and things for her. My husband and I usually do car care things for him and then a hot pad/dishcloth set for her. But I have also done the trash can with an assortment of candies and then related the candies to things that they needed to do to have a strong marriage---like put in the Hershey's Hugs and some Kisses and tell them that they need to make sure that the "Hug" and "Kiss" often. For your friend I would make up a similar gift basket/bag with items that you have found that are really useful for a new mom to have that you wish someone else would have told you about for your first, or of products to pamper her during the pregnancy.