Hey bargain shoppers baby shower gift help

[highwayg]

I received an invite to a shower for my cousin today. Money is a little tight now (out of work due to surgery) Her registry is a bit pricey, (and her in laws are a bit pompous and they seem to influence most of their decisions--they make me thankful to have such a great MIL!!!) so I am not sure if I can deviate from what she has picked out.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I wish I had stocked up on baby products with coupons all along but I think it may be too late to start stockpiling now.

 

[ah1126]

Can you make something for her? If not, you should be able to find some coupons for wipes and diapers.

 

[21yankees]

Diapers, diaper wipes. Both are things she will need. Lots of Huggies coupons available online too. If you want to do more I would put in the card a creative coupon/ticket good for a home cooked meal for you to bring to their family after the baby comes home. I loved it when a friend brought a meal over after my youngest was born.

steph

 

[zachsmomie]

I say don't worry too much about the list. There are always lots of "staples" new babies need-baby bath, lotion, diapers, onsies, etc.

Another option that I have given is a digital keychain...you know the kind that holds multiple pictures. Every mom I have given it to has loved it and most have used it. (I've seen them at work/parties/family gatherings and such)/ I always include a note about them being able to take the baby wherever they go (esp. if they are not going to be a stay at home mom). Sometimes I include a frame and sometimes not. Depends on how much I am spending.

Hope this helps.

 

[justwinnie]

The little things tend to add up, so if you can't find items on sale, I wouldn't bother.

Go with a theme--
soothing: little lovey blankie, pacifiers, cd of baby lullabies, night light, teething ring
play: toys for different stages (check Target and Kmart for toy clearance now)
bath: bath toys, wash cloths, bottle of baby wash, hooded towel
basics: burp cloths (pack of cloth diapers), onsies in different sizes, socks, bibs, flannel blankets
diapering: pack of diapers, diaper cream, vaseline, disposal bags for on the go, pack of wipes, "dipes and wipes" set like this: http://amzn.com/B002WYJTPY
books: you can find lots of children's books in bargain bins at Barnes and Noble.

Another thing you can do is buy clothes of different sizes (lots of out of season stuff is on clearance at Babies R Us and Carter's-- search for Carter's store coupons online), buy a pack of clothes pin and a clothesline and "hang" the clothes. Place this in an inexpensive laundry basket (woven willow laundry baskets at Michaels' are just $4 or so with a 40% off coupon). You'll get a lot of ohhs and ahhs over the presentation. Even if you buy a pack of onesies, socks and just 2 or 3 outfits, once everything is separated on the clothesline, it'll look like a lot! You can even buy a two pack of one-piece play clothes from Target (Circo or Gerber brand) for under $10. Add some bibs too!

If you have an Ikea near by, they have lots of reasonably priced children's items. They have bibs, towels, step stools, nice wooden toys, etc all at great prices.

If you're crafty, make some personalized onesies with iron-ons that you create and print.

Don't feel like you HAVE to go with registry items. You're giving a gift and that's what counts.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

What about offering to watch the baby so that her and the new Daddy can go out to dinner one night.
I would go on to the computer find a gift certificate template which you can find on Microsoft's web site and create a gift certificate to give her. Put on it that it is good for one night of babysitting.
You could give the gift cert and a inexpensive gift such as a blanket to her.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

One of my favorite gifts that I used the most was the Fisher Price Healthy Care booster seat. I had it, all my friends had it, had a spare at my parents house and now my Mom buys it as a "grandma's gift" for all her friends. I even used to bring it in my luggage on vacation. You can typically pick it up for under $25, they sell it at all the big box stores. I say go ahead and deviate from the list, just make sure you give a gift receipt. Some of my most useful gifts were not on my registry!

http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?e=product&pid=27475&st=2002

 

[pampam]

Can you make something for her? If not, you should be able to find some coupons for wipes and diapers.

I recently learned to crochet and 2 weeks later I made 2 lovely baby afghans for a set of twins. They were the highlight of the shower gifts. Each one took about a week to do, since I was a novice. Actually each one was a huge granny square. It was very economical, for the 2 gifts. I went on line to learn how. You tube had some great instructional videos.

 

[sksjasams]

One of my favorite gifts that I used the most was the Fisher Price Healthy Care booster seat. I had it, all my friends had it, had a spare at my parents house and now my Mom buys it as a "grandma's gift" for all her friends. I even used to bring it in my luggage on vacation. You can typically pick it up for under $25, they sell it at all the big box stores. I say go ahead and deviate from the list, just make sure you give a gift receipt. Some of my most useful gifts were not on my registry!

http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?e=product&pid=27475&st=2002

I like this idea. Don't be afraid to deviate from the registry, just be sure to include a gift receipt. Its only $23 on walmart.com and gets 5 stars in reviews.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Care-Deluxe-Booster-Seat/10727393

If you are looking for something else, you can register as a rewards member for free for toys r us/babies r us. Here are some coupons only good for today:

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/med...146215824&csc=896249&csa=146215514&csu=898356

A bouncy seat is also a great gift, not too pricey and comes in a sizable box.

 

[starann]

Get some Diapers....

target.com has target Huggies diaper coupons
and
coupons.com has Huggies diaper coupons

Add then together and it $6 or $7 off a thing of 8.99 diapers!!!!!

Good Luck!

 

[Alexander]

I've made those layered cake things with the receiving blankets, cloth diapers, bibs, etc. There are some cute ideas on youtube. They look adorable and don't cost too much to put together.

 

[highwayg]

Wow thanks! Those are some great ideas!!! I had forgotten about the booster seat!! We used one of those for both our kids instead of a highchair!! I loved that thing! Of course she doesn't have it on her list, she has a $400 highchair.

I love the clothes basket idea!!! And its a girl, so the clothes will be so much cuter than boys!

Thanks so much!!!!

 

[Shannon84]

Typically when attending a baby shower I am off to Target or Wal Mart's baby section. There I pick out lots of essential bath time items (shampoo, etc) and I just find a creative (cheap container) to arrange it all in. Sometimes I have found that those stores or Babies R Us (if you have one near you) has the hooded baby towels for cheap as well!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

go to your big bookstore and buy children's books on clearance. books are a great gift!

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

We cloth diaper so I'm no help with that kind of stuff.

But the best gift I got at my last baby shower was a baby first aid basket. It had a boo boo bag, infant tylenol, motrin, rash cream, toothbrush and gum cleaner, teething tablets, teething gel, thermometer etc. It was pretty simple and had the generic brands of everything. It was awesome though and everything will actually be used.

 

[sherry7]

I was at the Carter's Outlet recently, and they had lots of summer baby clothes on clearance. If you search online, you can find a printable coupon for 20% of a $40 purchase.

If you purchase clothes, it is always a good idea to include a gift receipt. To give an example, I received 29 summer baby outfits in the 3/6 month size. My baby probably won't grow into that size until the middle of August, and it will be too cold to wear summer stuff by the middle of September. That means that she will probably only wear each outfit one time each. I really do appreciate the gifts I received, but it really is such a waste to have so many in the same size. I wish some of those clothes had been fall/winter outfits in larger sizes, or spring/summer outfits in a size she could wear next summer.

Diapers and wipes are always needed. Make sure you buy unscented wipes though, since a lot of baby's are sensitive to the scented type. Google "diaper cake", which is a really cute way of presenting a gift.

 

[highwayg]

Thanks for all the suggestions!
I used some of your ideas! I got the booster seat for the table from amazon using swagbucks!!! Then I am going to take a child size suitcase that says Going to Grandma's that my aunt (the mom of the mom to be) had given me for my kids to visit my Mom (who passed away a year and half ago). I am going to put a couple of outfits in it and a little cross stitch bear my Mom was working on (I'll finish it)

THanks for all the help!! I appreciate it!

 

[Disney st8 of mind]

Sorry if this was already mentioned (I just skimmed through some of it) but what about a gift card to a portrait place. Most new moms do the every 3 months for the first year thing.