Gift Ideas for baby niece?

November 16, 2004 12:57 PM

Gift Ideas for New Niece?

I've got a new addition to the family that I'd like to get something cool and special for but am unsatisfied with the offerings of places like RedEnvelop.com. Does anyone have any neat sites for unique and practical baby gifts?
posted by fenriq to shopping (14 comments total)

I know you want "cool and special" gifts, but I hope you won't mind my recommendation for running in the opposite direction. My husband and I are the boring aunt and uncle that give checks for the child in question's 529 plan (college savings). Mom and Dad seem to really appreciate this, particularly if they haven't started thinking along these lines yet. You can hybridize this with cool giftage by enclosing your check in a funky age-appropriate book like this.
posted by clever sheep at 1:08 PM on November 16, 2004

http://www.babywit.com/babywit has fun tees
posted by amberglow at 1:23 PM on November 16, 2004

clever sheep, thanks for the tip however I should note that the new baby in question has been born into my exceedingly overachieving brother's family and money will never be a problem for this little girl.

But I need to get a 529 plan started for my own little boy so thanks for the reminder!

And thanks amberglow! They have some pretty funny ones, I especially like the political ones "I Already Know More Than The President!"
posted by fenriq at 1:37 PM on November 16, 2004

Like clever sheep, I'm one of those boring relations. At least while the child is under 3 years of age.

Go for the college fund. Anything else at that age is going to get destroyed or quickly grown out of. Splurge on getting heirloom-quality toys when she turns about 3 or 4 - about that age, toys, at least, are played with for a few years. (That isn't to say to deprive poor baby of toys and stuff.)

Practical stuff at the very young age is more about what mom and dad still need to make their life saner - portable diaper changing kits, vaporizer, etc.
posted by Sangre Azul at 1:39 PM on November 16, 2004

Damn, hit submit a bit late. (Still, a big part of come college funds is locking into a tuition rate at today's scale.)
posted by Sangre Azul at 1:41 PM on November 16, 2004

The Right Start has all things practical for baby.
Tiffanys has elegant, but not practical, gifts for baby.

You might want to stick with clothes if you want to be practical. Most parents are pretty well outfitted with baby stuff before junior even arrives, but clothes are always needed.

If you want to go the college fund route, but be a little different, you could buy her some stock or bonds and if it is stock get the actual certificate. If it is stock, something that you can buy and hold for the long term, like Johnson & Johnson, would be best.
posted by caddis at 1:48 PM on November 16, 2004

Several years ago, my coworkers and I contributed to a diaper genie and about a month's worth of diapers for a baby born to pretty well-off parents. Mom -- our former coworker -- was very appreciative, but dad was oh-so-vaguely sneery, raving instead over the hand-painted retro orange crate baby wall clock, the sterling silver cup and spoon from Tiffany, etc. Ages later when I saw him with baby in tow at another social event, he thanked me profusely for all the diapers -- he said it was one of the biggest lifesavers of the first few weeks. (He also hadn't gotten around to putting up the clock yet, either.)

So I agree with not getting too hung up on cool gifts for a newborn. Baby doesn't know the difference, and unless mom and dad are employing a night nurse for the next year, they're going to be desperate for practical stuff -- things like blankets, washcloths, sleeper suits, bottle warmers, etc. mean the world at 3 a.m. when baby's crying and there's vomit to be cleaned up and no one in the house has slept for weeks. Seriously, it's almost impossible to have too many of these on hand.

You can always jazz up a practical gift by including a cool t-shirt (as amberglow noted) or CD, such as those from Punk Rock Baby or this weird/fun collection of tunes from Twink. The cool/funky/retro/boutique stuff is more likely to be appreciated (and used!) after the first year or two.
posted by scody at 2:00 PM on November 16, 2004

i don't know if you're religious, but if you and the family in question are screaming atheists, you might find a child's crucifix interesting. the ones i'm thinking of are hand made here (s america) - small wooden things with a happy smiling stick man painted on the front, dying in agony. i guess you can find similar things in the usa. i find them fascinating, since they're clearly intended for young children, yet depict a scene of torture. and they also look quite cute (i have one in baby blue).
i know it's a bit odd, but thought it might tickle your fancy. i guess the same thing would also be acceptable if you're all strongly catholic, too.
posted by andrew cooke at 2:06 PM on November 16, 2004

It's not really what you're asking, but I usually get something for the mother when a new baby is born. The parents are given a mountain of toys and clothes, most of which aren't useful for very long (babies develop soooo fast), and hardly anyone thinks of poor old Mum. I like things like bath salts, nice soaps, anything that the parents can use to take a break. I also once gave a friend a coffee shop voucher for ten coffees/hot drinks, so that she had to take herself out to the cafe from time to time or risk wasting the present. The baby won't be bummed that it doesn't get something from you, and the parents will be thrilled.
posted by different at 4:29 PM on November 16, 2004

different, I've been looking at several options and getting something specifically for my sister in law is one of those options.

I know that my wife got to feeling a little left out in the hubbub of our baby so I made sure that she wasn't forgotten.
posted by fenriq at 4:52 PM on November 16, 2004

I put $500 in an account for my niece. It won't be huge when she's 18, but it will be something. I also gave her a letter inviting her to visit me in New York City when she turns 18. I wanted her to always be reminded when she thought about that letter that she wouldn't have to stay in hicksville forever.
posted by Mo Nickels at 5:03 PM on November 16, 2004

I've made "library starter kits" for several of my friends' babies: Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Bread and Jam for Frances, etc. It can be a great way to reconnect with your own childhood favorites - you might also write some notes in the book to the child for her to enjoy years later. One of my favorite childhood books has a lovely note from my aunt in the inside cover, and it's a wonderful personal touch.
posted by judith at 8:05 PM on November 16, 2004

How about getting one of those archive-quality boxes and packing it with a newspaper and various magazines from the day/month she was born? You could also put in one of those coin books with 2004 coins (the new quarters are pretty cool). It seems cheap and easy now, but I'd love to have one of these boxes from 1967...

There's also a catalog (I need to check which one) that will let you buy a photo of the sky over a certain part of the world on a certain night...so if the baby was born in, say, London, you could frame a photo of the night sky over the city she was born in on the night she came into the world.

I also remember Wine Spectator had a story once about buying a case of a good wine or Champagne that isn't ready now, but will be in 20 years, and then when they're of legal drinking age, they've got some wine that's really come into its own. You'd need to consult a wine expert for which wine would be a good investment though.
posted by GaelFC at 9:22 PM on November 16, 2004

Mo, judith and GaelFC,

Those are some really good and cool ideas. I am actually going to sort of meld a few of them together.

What I ended up doing for this time now was to get a cool spruce sapling in a silver cup. It was a combination of traditional in the silver cup and something lasting and growing and natural in the form of the spruce.

The fact that they just moved from New York City to the country is the icing on the cake!

Thanks to everyone for their great input! I think I'm going to get a baby present for a couple of other folks in my family as well.
posted by fenriq at 10:43 AM on November 17, 2004