Musical infant gifts were some of my favorite gifts I received for my baby.  They can be so original and unique, and they are always useful.  Sometimes it was the musical gifts that were the only thing that would calm my little one down. I remember thanking a few people as I finally got her to stop crying by playing a musical item she had received.

Music

Music itself is a great gift.  When thinking about what kind of music to choose for musical infant gifts, I always go with classical or lullabies.  Classical music has been shown to help babies brains grow and to help them think and learn.  Can’t lose with that.  I remember when I was pregnant I used to listen to classical music in the car.  My baby would kick and kick whenever I listened to Vivaldi. It was like she was conducting the orchestra in there.  She still likes Vivaldi and now she’s two.  It’s fun to test out different composers and see what the baby likes the best.

Sleepy Time Music

Music often soothes a sleepy baby and will help them go to sleep. I found some wonderful lullaby albums when my daughter was an infant.  If you are going to get a lullaby album make sure you can listen to it. Sometimes by the middle of the album the beat lifts and gets more active.  This always caused my daughter to wake up.  (You’d think they’d think of it wouldn’t you?)

They also make stuffed animals that play music or a rythmic sound similar to a heartbeat. These can be wonderful for colicky infants.  The rythm of the heart beat makes them feel safe and snuggly like they were still in the womb.

Mobiles and Musical Toys

As infants grow they are able to see farther and focus on things farther away. This is a great time to have  a mobile.  My little one loved her mobile.  She would lay in her crib and just follow it around with her eyes.  There are a wide variety of mobiles available today.  Many crib bedding sets come with matching mobiles, but they generally aren’t as interesting or as fun as others you can buy.

Infants respond to bold patterns and black and white, so keep that in mind when you are choosing a musical mobile.

Musical toys are great for babies as well. They hold their interest and keep them entertained. I think it was a musical toy that inspired my little one to get up and move the first time.  There are so many different types of musical toys, a baby is bound to love them.

To make sure the baby’s mom continues to love you, make sure any musical or noisy toy has an off button before you buy it. Music is great, but after 12 hours of the same song anyone would go crazy!

Personalized Clothing

There are many ways you can create custom clothing for infants.  You can add words or images to clothes and make them personal and meaningful to both you and the new mom.  These personalized clothes are the kind that get put away in the “keep it” box to give to the little one once they are having kids of their own.

Play to Interests

What does the new mom to be love? What are her interests?  Play on those loves when you are looking for infant clothing gifts.  Every infant needs socks, but maybe the mom is really into Ballet.  I saw some adorable socks that looked just like ballet slippers online yesterday.  Those are memorable and will mean something to the new mom.  She will know you know her and thought about her when picking out a gift for her and her new baby.

There are so many places you can find custom clothes suited for just about any interest.  If you don’t know where to look, just think about the hobby or topic and google it + baby clothes.  You will be surprised what you find!

Handmade Clothes

Whether you sew or not, handmade clothes are definitely a unique gift for an infant.  A friend of mine made some adorable nightgowns for my daughter when she was born.  She also made an adorable dress made from Raggedy Ann and Andy material.  What she didn’t know was I had a dress almost exactly like it when I was an infant as well.  It just meant all the more to me.

If you don’t sew, don’t sweat it. There are tons of places you can get handmade clothes, and you will probably be helping out a mom who’s trying to stay home with her kids.  Some sites you can check are ebay.com, etsy.com and you can even google handmade infant clothes and you will have a wide selection to choose from.

Yes, basic baby clothes are what every new mom needs, but she also needs some special clothes.  Clothes that are unique, that only her baby will have.  She will save those clothes and will enjoy telling the story of who they came from and how when her little one is all grown up.

You can give her a gift she will never forget.  Give her a keepsake gift.

A keepsake gift is something she will cherish and remember forever.  There are so many ways to get creative and create your own unique keepsake gift for an infant ~ and the mom to be.

Photo Keepsakes

It is so easy to put together a photo book online.  You can use most photo sharing websites to create this book. You may put together pictures of her pregnancy, or her shower.  You can easily submit the images you want and the website will send you an actual book.  You can also do calendars, and t shirts. These are keepsakes. She will hold on to them forever, and always remember it was you who took the time to do something special.

Milestone Keepsakes

These are great gifts to help a new mom keep track of the milestones.  You can get little tins for the first tooth lost, or the first lock of hair from a haircut.  Sentimental moms love these kinds of gifts.  It will give her a special place to keep the momentos of her baby growing up.

Keepsake Utensils

We received a beautiful silver set of silverware and a silver sippy cup when my daughter was born. These gifts are more to be saved and passed down from generation to generation.  You may even have a set like this yourself.  If you are the grandmother to be, passing down family heirlooms is a wonderful way to share in the process and one of the most unique infant gifts you can give.

Blankets and Quilts

Heirloom quilts and blankets are another amazing keepsake you can give to a mom to be.  My mom gave me a handmade crocheted blanket my grandmother made when I was born. This was a very special gift because my grandmother is no longer with us.  I will treasure this baby blanket and I will always remember who it came from and what it means.

So try to think of something special, something they will remember past the first 30 days of sleepless nights.  They will appreciate the gift and you for it.

Many moms these days are going “green”. When it comes to diapers this can mean using cloth diapers or even the new flushable g diapers.

Cloth diapers are cost effective in the long run, but can cost a pretty penny upfront. It’s hard for a new mom to know which kind of cloth diapers she is going to like the best and which ones will work best for her new baby.

This is where the unique gift part comes in. There are a wide array of online sellers who put together sample kits for cloth diapers. These kits usually come with a couple of each type of diaper, like the basic prefolds and a cover or two, some pocket diapers ~ like bum genius ~ and even one or two all in one or all in two diapers. These sample packages are wonderful to have.

It is a daunting task to spend so much upfront money on cloth diapers only to have them not work well with your child’s body shape or size. Many of these diapers have good resale value, but what new mom has time to try to resell her cloth diapers, and get more in the process.

Sampler packs allow the mom to try all the different diapers and see which ones she will like best.

If you know the mom to be is not going to use cloth diapers, but is concerned with the environment you might considering getting her set up with g diapers. These are a good mix of disposable and cloth diapers. They are a two piece system. You have a waterproof outer layer, and a disposable inner absorbent layer. You just snap the liner in, and when it become soiled take it out and swish it around the toilet and flush.

G diapers are easier to find too. They are being sold in local health food stores and even in large department stores like Target. They are not all the work of cloth diapers, but they do not fill our landfills with dirty diapers. The waste is flushed down the toilet where it can go and be processed just like anything else that goes down the toilet.

Whether you are looking at cloth diapers or g diapers these are diaper gifts that will last the long haul. There are many one size cloth diapers that are designed to last from birth to potty training. Of course these diapers are more expensive but it’s a one time payout, and the savings are huge in the long run. Not only to our landfills but to the pocketbook.

She will be getting tons of baby blankets. There will come a day, in the not so distant future where she will no longer remember who gave her what blanket. A time will also come when she no longer needs baby blankets and will give away the majority of blankets she received as infant gifts.

I know this happened to me, and I felt bad, but I was no longer using them as my little one had grown out of that phase and I had no where to store them all.

Let me tell you how to make your baby blanket be a keeper, and make it past the giving away to clear room for new toddler stuff!

The only few blankets I have left are the ones that were handmade.  I kept all the handmade items I received and will save them in a cedar chest to give her for when she has a baby.

This includes one hand made quilt, from my husband’s aunts. (which is featured in the header), one no sew fleece blanket, (that I made), and a few crocheted baby blankets made by friends and family.

I also received a handmade crocheted baby blanket from my mom that was originally made by my grandmother for me.  This was very sentimental to me as my grandmother is no longer with us.

So you don’t know how to quilt or crochet?

No problem. There are many places on line where you can find artisans and crafts people who will gladly make one for you. You can try etsy.com or even ebay.com.  On etsy you are more likely to meet someone who will make a custom quilt or crochet a blanket for you using specific colors you would like.

You can also make a new sew fleece blanket. They are easy to make, no sewing necessary, and you can easily find instructions online.  I made one of these for my daughter and it turned into one of my favorite winter car blankets for her. It was just so warm and fuzzy and with two layers of fleece I was guaranteed she’d be warm even when it got really cold.

Instead of going out and finding the cute baby blankets at Baby Depot, turn your infant gift into a family heirloom that will be treasured forever.