A special gift for a special baby

January 5, 2023 9:05 PM

Someone important to me is having a baby! I want to give the baby something special that will be of use beyond babyhood.

We live in different countries so I would need to arrange to have this sent over.

Baby's parents live in a small space, so I don't want to clutter the place up unnecessarily. Parents are very unfussy and practical people.

Ideally I would want to give something the child can use when it's older as well.

I have the option of clubbing together with a few other people to give the child something as well.

Usually I give baby gifts like cute onesies etc, but I want to give this kid something that they will be able to use for longer. I don't know about a college fund or anything like that. It seems a little intrusive of me, a non-blood-relative, to give anything overtly financial (but I am happy to be argued out of that).

posted by unicorn chaser to Shopping (19 answers total)

Can you specify the country? Might be helpful. E.g., in the U.S., a savings bond (series EE = 30 years) is an old-fashioned gift for a baby, not very common these days but traditional enough that it would be unlikely to be seen as presumptuous.
posted by praemunire at 9:11 PM on January 5, 2023 [5 favorites]

Stokke Tripp Trapp?
posted by freethefeet at 9:21 PM on January 5, 2023 [7 favorites]

One of my friends has set up an autodeposit made directly to my kiddo's bank account, for $25 on the first of every month, which is such a delightful little monthly inbox hug that really makes me feel like my child has a village. One of the most loving and thoughtful gifts. We don't "need" it but I love it.

Another friend always gives my kid a bday money order for $50 or 100, made out to me, to deposit for my kid's education fund. I love it.

Agree that a Stokke Tripp Trapp chair is good for a long time as well although it's a $300 high chair and frankly the $25 Ikea high chair also does the job really well. The Stokke works well through the toddler / little kid years but my kid specifically wanted to use an adult chair and would not have liked having a special chair after about age 3.

A Nugget sofa is also a gift that keeps on giving - super fun to play with from babyhood all through the kid years. Get a darker neutral colour to hide wear and tear.

I would avoid clothing as it's outgrown so quickly. Books are great but they also get outgrown rather quickly. And soft goods like blankets or stuffies aren't my fave either as they create clutter / allergens.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:52 PM on January 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

Do you specifically want something they can use as a baby, and then beyond? If so, I'd go with the old classics of a nice soft stuffed toy or a blanket. You never know what a kid will latch on to, but both my kids regularly sleep with stuffed toys they were given as babies. Particularly special are the kind of unusual ones, like my husband's aunt sending us a stuffed kiwi bird from New Zealand. Books are nice too, we definitely have lovely special picture books that we received when they were babies and still read from.

If you don't mind if the baby "uses" it but want something long term, other nice "keepsake" gifts are pieces of art (if you're crafty, making something - or commissioning someone from Etsy or something like that) that can go in their bedroom - if you avoid anything overtly baby-ish, that can be in use for a long time. My kid's godmother sent a piece of jewelry for her when she was born (alongside more practical gifts) which is obviously of no use to a baby but I love the idea of her having it when she's older and knowing that someone was loving her and thinking of her from the very moment she was existent.
posted by cpatterson at 11:35 PM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

How about setting the baby up with an e-mail address and password, that friends and family can send photos and notes to as the years go by. Also, save the newspaper from the day that baby is born - the parents may be too busy or tired to remember to do that. Can also give a monetary contribution for their school savings, etc!
posted by leslievictoria at 12:02 AM on January 6, 2023 [6 favorites]

We bought a bottle of vintage port for a newborn to be opened on attaining majority. Which happened in due course and was appreciated. I wonder at our hubris, though, to visit the storage for 2 decades of one random bottle on the parents.
My father bought each of his g-kids a 12cm ⌀ sterling silver dish; a replica of one found on the 16thC wreck of the Mary Rose. I think those are lovely, they can be used early by the kids for storing trinkets and silver holds its value. But it's not worth SO much that the family will have to be precious about it. It used to be trad to give kids silver (or EPNS] christening mugs with or without matching cutlery.
posted by BobTheScientist at 2:08 AM on January 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

My mother-in-law gave a glider and footstool in a neutral gray. It's compact (our house is small), and it was a godsend in the baby stage when my daughter would only nap while being held. Now it's still in my daughter's room and she climbs up there herself to play with her dolls.

We also appreciated a small kit we received, with ink, frames, etc for preserving our newborn's palm and footprints. The finished product hangs in her room and she likes to look at it.

It's a far better memento than the baby book that was sent to me, I was positively wrecked that first year and didn't have it in me to fill out reams of worksheets.
posted by champers at 2:17 AM on January 6, 2023

When my kids were born, I got them all their own cast iron pans, and I cooked with them as they grew up. When they moved out, they got pans that were seasoned with their childhoods. They're pretty special.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 3:03 AM on January 6, 2023 [25 favorites]

I recently bought a child a small cast iron frying pan, it was a great idea and is going to be my go-to gift for now on. Me and their mom are gonna go season it on a nice fire in the snow soon and cook for the baby. I got a small spoon from someone as a child and used it up until I moved away from home, was obsessed with it as a teen. Would love if I still had it, would use now as a middle aged woman #littlespoonmaffia
posted by Iteki at 6:48 AM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

When my nephew was born, I had a similar instinct, to give him something super special. I settled on hiring an artist to recreate a photo of his parents young and in love together before he was born as a line drawing. Then I had it framed. It's in his room now, though I imagine it being more special when he's much older, to have in his own home.
posted by monster_a at 7:09 AM on January 6, 2023 [5 favorites]

If it's a girl I would send jewelry. Obviously babies don't wear jewelry but a child-length, delicate gold chain with an appropriate pendant (if they're religious, use their symbol; if not, a birthstone is fine) is a beautiful gift that makes children feel special when they're old enough.

Love monster_a's idea above. Art is tricky but parents-young-and-in-love is timeless.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:16 AM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

Until this thread I didn't know what it's called (I don't have kids myself), but if you're into buying expensive but useful furniture, my SIL loves her knock-off Stokke chairs (the Steps and Trip Trapp, second comment above) for her littles and would possibly do illegal things for a real one.
posted by cgg at 7:29 AM on January 6, 2023

I too love monster_a's idea. Along those same lines, i have given gift certificates to a local photographer for baby/family pics. That goes over well also.
posted by domino at 7:31 AM on January 6, 2023

Nthing blankets, stuffed toys, and savings bonds or a small recurring check. Or a few meaningful children's books (The Gas We Pass, and Harold and the Purple Crayon, were two I requested; these will be useful for many years).

My grandpa would always give my brother and I savings bonds on our birthdays, and there are some that are only just now maturing for me, and some that have quite a bit to go. Similarly, a "savings fund" in their local currency might be appreciated.

We received four homemade blankets/quilts from relatives across the country for our new kiddo this fall, and they're going to have them for a WHILE. A blanket versus a quilt would have more flexibility in usage imo. They also got a small stuffed bear, which I hope they keep forever; I still have mine from that age up in the attic, and looking at them brings back really happy memories.
posted by OhHaieThere at 7:47 AM on January 6, 2023

My handmade baby quilts, gifted to me as a small child, are still special to me and I use them regularly, although they've needed some mending and are starting to fall apart. I do wish they were full-size, but I use them anyway.

Silver spoons are traditional, pretty, and can be used when the child is a toddler and even into middle childhood.
posted by spiderbeforesunset at 8:06 AM on January 6, 2023

Oh, I especially like that one of the quilts uses colors and patterns that don't have strong gendered connotations. It feels very thoughtful.
posted by spiderbeforesunset at 8:07 AM on January 6, 2023 [3 favorites]

I don't know about a college fund or anything like that. It seems a little intrusive of me, a non-blood-relative, to give anything overtly financial (but I am happy to be argued out of that).

This is not intrusive at all. It's quite lovely and generous and not weird, I promise. It's hard to think of many objects you could pick out as a surprise that will be as meaningful and lasting. You don't have to set up a college fund yourself. You might need to ask them how to contribute.

Also, do they have a baby registry? Because regardless of what you want to provide, if you are giving anything other than money, refer to their list.

If they don't have a registry and you don't want to give money, then I suggest a few nice hardcover illustrated children's books. They won't be as meaningful to a toddler, but the parents might read them to baby and then again when the child is older.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:33 AM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I recently found some hand knitted afghans that my grandma's best friend made for us. They are in solid colors and absolutely beautiful and heavy.
posted by kathrynm at 4:53 PM on January 6, 2023

If you open a college fund you will need the baby's social security number and also name an owner of the account, usually the parent(s). I'd check with them first, as it's pretty common for close relatives, like grandparents, do this. I did this for every grandchild and make periodic deposits. Depositing to an existing account would be far easier than you setting it up.

I recently was given a Series EE US savings bond an aunt had once bought for me when I was small, but she misplaced the certificate and only found it 50 (!) years later. There is a point at which the bond ceases to earn interest, so when I redeemed it I received the maximum amount, but nothing for the 20 additional years. I am pretty sure the original certificate is required to redeem it, so the parents (or you, like my aunt) would need to keep track of it and convey it to the child when it is ready to redeem. Perhaps the policy about having the original certificate has changed, but that's something you could research if you are interested in doing this.
posted by citygirl at 5:02 PM on January 6, 2023