OT: Baby beach gift suggestions

[KEMdisney]

Hi! Im looking for a bit of help from my creative DISers..

My dear friend is pregnant, due this September. It was very unplanned, and quite a big shock for her. Her and her fiance live an adventurous life -- boating every weekend, rock climbing/hiking, traveling and dreaming of moving to California in a few years. Of course she is excited now for this next chapter in her life, but she cant help but feel those exciting days will be long gone. I want to get her some things to assure her that her summers will still be exciting with a little one!

She has been my beach partner for years (I am a school teacher) so I want to get her a beach themed gift for her baby shower. She does not know the sex of the baby, and since the gifts will not be essentially used for a whole year (next summer) .. I have to buy things appropriate for an almost 1 year old. Problem is, most 1 year old beach things are gender specific. (i.e., I cant get a bathing suit, beach cover up, sunglasses, etc. When you get up to size 12 months things are generally pink.. or blue, no neutrals)

So far Ive purchased:
Baby sunblock
Pacifier wipes (to get rid of sand)
Something called a Powder Pouch to remove sand off little ones
a beach hat (white)
a onesie that says BEACH BUM (its more boy geared but I thought it helped support the theme, and it was on sale)
a cute little beach chair, with matching beach umbrella (yellow)
beach toys
swimming diapers
blow up pool toy with cabana

And I also got a certified lifejacket for their boating days, its for 10-50lbs. (who knew they were so expensive!!)

You guys have any other suggestions that I can pick up for her? I want it to be special and creative. Also, any idea of what to put all these little things? I was thinking a basket, but Im not sure if I can find a big enough basket! Plus baskets can be so expensive!

Thanks for any suggestions that i get!

 

[kitsch4]

I was going to suggest getting a bunch of small beach stuff like sunblock, etc. They also have sunglasses for little ones and other sun protection products at Babybanz: usa.babybanz.com

You could put everything inside a huge beach bag to give to your friend.

It's so much fun shopping for babies!

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

A hip hammock to help carry baby is handy on the trek from the car to the sand.

I carry my youngest on one hip and have the beach bag on the other side to balance me out.

 

[LadyShea]

The life jacket will get a ton of use though if they are avid boaters. We had Kiddo on the boat starting at 6 weeks old.

We swear by rashguards, and Old Navy carries lots of neutral colors like orange and green. We have several so one is always clean, dry and ready to go.

Also, I had a travel bassinet that fit on the boat or could be used at the beach (or anywhere), it folded up to a diaper bag. I can't remember the brand name but will look for it. That got a ton of use until he outgrew it at about 18 months. ETA: Looks like Target.com has an Eddie Bauer travel bed on clearance that is close to the one I had.

Also, how about putting it into a giant mesh beach bag? I use one from One Step Ahead. It is huge and you can shake the sand out of it.

 

[NotUrsula]

A pop-up nap cabana? These are little open-sided pop-up tents that allow babies to sleep in the shade while at the beach. Ours tended to nod off a the beach when they were little; the heat and the sound of the waves.

Another good possibility is a water sling. I *LOVE* mine, and used it swimming for the first time when DD was 10 weeks old (at WDW, of course). It's a nice way to take a baby into open water, you can go a bit deeper than you would if you were wading, so that the waves lap their little toes. The solarveil ones are great, but solarveil fabric has gone out of business, so there are not many of those left available.

As to what to put it in, I'd go get a big mesh laundry bag; these are good at the beach because the sand falls out.

 

[msmama]

I got a "How to teach your baby to swim" DVD (check 'em out on Amazon) for my shower.

Maybe a nice big beach towel or neat sheet?

Also, to pack it all up, I like the idea of a big beach bag in keeping with the theme.

 

[AwaitingMagic]

You could put it all in a big rubbermaid container and decorate the outside to say "Beach Toys". We keep all of our stuff in a container like that and then when we go to the beach, we just grab the container and go. They're fairly inexpensive too.

 

[tinkerdoodle]

The first thing I thought of was for my SIL and my cousin's baby shower I used a rubber duck theme. For holding all the ice for drinks, I used a blow up bathtub shaped like a rubber duck (I think it was made by Safety 1st). It looked so cute and everyone got a kick out of it with the ice in it!! I see it all the time at Target, Babies R Us, & Burlington Coat Factory's baby section. You could blow it up and situate all the smaller items inside the tub part. My cousin ended up using it as a baby pool (he was born in Sept. too) in the springtime. It was a perfect size for him.

As for the suit, they have those all in one things with short sleeves now for SPF protection. Maybe in a cute yellow or green.

Also, a cute beach towel instead of a baby towel. They have really cute ones at Target right now with animals & such on them. I personally could not stand those little baby bath towels. They just never were big enough to dry them & wrap them up in them.

Or another thing could be one of those front or back carriers so that while they hike, the baby could "go along"! I had a Baby B'jorn (sp?) and I LOVED IT!

To be honest, it sounds like you've already spent a fortune! I'm sure that no matter what you do, your friend will appreciate so much thought you've put in to this.