Unique & Personal Gifts for New Baby Review

With the summertime months approaching many of us probably have a friend or family member getting ready to deliver a wonderful newborn baby and we are all looking for that special and unique baby gift that no one else will think of giving. After all research indicates that the majority of babies are born in July, August and September.  My guess is that with the holidays people are more affectionate than at any other time of the year.  With these ten gift ideas for newborns you can create a personalized gift that will make the new mom say, Wow, and the newborn baby will have a keepsake for life.

Ten Unique and Personal Gifts for Newborn Baby

1. A Taggy Blanket:  My daughters (ages 3 and 20 months) both have one. One in pink and one in purple so we can tell them apart. They love this blanket and it is their absolute favorite lovey.  It heals all boo-boos and sleep is so much deeper and happier with a taggy blanket in their bed. I got two of them, so that way we always have a back up.  A taggy blanket is a small baby size blanket, approximately 12x12 and the outer edge design is created with the use of 20 visual and tactile tags as a border.  The visual stimulation is due to the wonderfully colorful designs on the tags and the tactile stimulation is created by the use of many different designs you can feel on the tags such as bumps, soft, silky, sheer, or lines.  These are available for $19.99 at Babies R Us, or you can make your own, if you are handy with a sewing machine.  
2. No new mom will leave the house without her diaper bag filled with every item she "thinks" that her newborn baby may need. But what happens with the baby is grown; the diaper bag gets tossed out, sold at a garage sale or given away.  Not so with a Personalized Diaper Bag, created with baby's name embroidered on the front.  As the child grows this type of bag will be great for taking your child to daycare, preschool or mother's day out programs.  When they are even older, this gorgeous personalized diaper bag can also be used as gymnastics, dance, or other activity storage bag, making this personalized baby name diaper bag a long lasting keepsake and gift. Choices are available at Pottery Barn and Land's End, or you may choose a bag and have it monogrammed at a local establishment.  
3. Monogrammed blankets, bibs, burp cloths, towels with babies name, date of birth, or nickname are also a wonderful choice for the unique and personalized newborn baby gift.  When I polled the 45 mother's in my play group, all of them said that a monogrammed specialty item like this is at the top of their list of most wanted keepsake gifts. Blankets may become a lovey, or best friend for the new baby once it forms attachments, and parents no longer need to wonder if "it" really is their child's before they leave from the daycare or church nursery.  These monogrammed items can be held onto for keepsakes, re-used in scrapbooks and saved for the next generation of babies in the house.  Many different varieties are available at Pottery Barn Kids as well as Land's End.  If you are handy with a sewing machine, create your own, with its own unique design of a baseball bat, butterfly or other special design; don't limit yourself to names and dates only.
4. A Quaich, (pronounced kweix) is a unique, personalized and very unusual way to celebrate the newborn baby.  A Quaich, is a traditional Scottish gift, it is a two handed drinking cup or bowl and comes from the Scottish Gaelic cuach meaning cup.  They are traditionally made of wood, but also of stone, brass, pewter, or silver. They are often engraved.  It was used for whiskey or brandy, and one famous historical reference is to King James VI of Scotland gave one to Anne of Denmark as a wedding gift. If you are looking for something unique, and that celebrates your Scottish ancestry, this gift is the perfect keepsake.
5. My first piggy bank, AND
6. My first tooth/my first haircut keepsake boxes: This was a gift set that I received with the birth of my third child from another teacher at my school. You can purchase them individually also. Since I was expecting a girl, each was pink ceramic containers and stated their purpose.  One very lovely keepsake she will always have is the first strand of hair from her first haircut kept safe in her "My First Haircut" keepsake box. We have a few years before we will use the "My First Tooth" keepsake box, but I love the fact that this is a gift that keeps growing with your child, first with the haircut, then with the tooth and then with a few pennies saved as a child.
7. Hand or footprint creator kit: There are several different types of these available; however, my favorites are available at Target.com.  You can choose from those that simply make a memory of your tiny baby's hand or foot, or one of each. You can also choose one that is a Tower of Handprints, with five memory tins, so you can capture the growing hands of your 1-5 year old child.  Prices range from $10.00-$24.99.
8. Babyography: This is a "scroll" that may be framed or not, and includes information about your newborn baby. You can include name, date, time, place of birth and other details as well as astrological sign, other famous people born on that day, special relatives like siblings and grandparents and other details. This gift is one of a kind created expressly for this newborn and their family and will remain a keepsake for years to come.  Available at All About Baby.com with frame $67.95, not including shipping.
9. Name meaning scrolls: This has actually become a tradition in my family, with every baby receiving a scroll with their name on it and the attributes, meaning, and personalities associated with their name.  Each child's name scroll is printed on quality paper, with a background specifically chosen with them in mind. An 8x11 picture frame completes the picture, and they each have them hanging or on a stand in their rooms, to remind them of the care that goes into choosing each of their names and what they mean.  First Names Remembered is one of many online sites were you may purchase these gifts; however, we always purchase them in Gatlinburg, TN.
10. Personalized Picture Frames: My youngest was born very near Christmas, and one of her newborn baby gifts was a personalized picture frame with her name and decorated for "Babies First Christmas."  Not only did the gift celebrate the special nature of her name (Grace) but also celebrated one of the most memorable holidays that we parents celebrate no matter how old our child is when it occurs - the first Christmas.  Personalized picture frames are available in a variety of designs from holidays to décor.  If you can't find one you like, visit Hobby Lobby where you can create your own. Use stencils to print the babies name, craft glue and embellishments to create your very own special newborn gift to house any one of those special baby moments in history.

My Viewpoint:  I enjoy best those gifts which celebrate my new baby's past, present and future as well as those individual qualities about him or her. With these presents you will make the new mom in your life, gasp in surprise and delight, "WOW!" while giving a newborn child the keys to their past, present and future while creating new, lasting and forever traditions and keepsakes.