Giving and Receiving Baby Gifts

For those of us who have children we already know just how much excitement, joy, and love a new baby brings to any family.  For those who may not yet have any young ones you can look forward to these things when that time eventually arrives for you.  No matter what category you fall into here one thing is for certain.  The majority of people know how fast a baby grows and how quickly their needs change.

When a baby is announced there is of course the congratulatory remarks from friends and family but along with those come gifts which usually consist of baby clothes and accessories for both mom and dad.  Of course it’s always easier to shop for expecting parents if they know what the sex of the baby is however even with such knowledge it can be difficult to satisfy the fastidious tastes that some parents have. 

My wife and I are the proud parents of two little girls.  One is nearly six while the other is just shy of two so we’ve been through experiences where a friend or family member has given Baby Furniture and baby clothes as gifts.  There have been multiple instances where we were less than satisfied with a style or design but politely nodded our heads and thanked our loved ones for the baby gift.  We have also been on the side of the fence and experienced this as givers of gifts rather than recipients.

No matter how much you feel you know your friends or family members this knowledge is put to the test once the time comes to deliver gifts for a baby, be it for birth or for birthdays.  I can recall when my nephew was six months old and my family was preparing for a visit to my sisters house.  I thought it would be a fantastic idea to bring my sisters son some new baby clothes, more specifically onsies while my wife wanted to buy our nephew some Baby Bedding.  We finally agreed on the onsies and my initial thought was to buy something boys would typically like.  We ended up purchasing four onsies that looked like polo shirts with Spiderman and other comic book and cartoon characters imprinted on them.

Fast forward to our arrival at my sisters home and to the moment where we told her and her husband that we had brought something for the baby.  Their faces lit up with delight when we told them the news but once they opened it their smiles turned to looks of confusion.  I asked if everything was ok but my sister respectfully explained that they were going to raise my nephew free from the constraint of gender stereotypes and that dressing the baby in clothing with these characters embroidered on them would go against what they were trying to achieve.

I only see my sister once every six months or so as we are separated by a large distance and while I can understand what she’s trying to accomplish with her son my wife and I were a little disappointed an shocked to say the least.  I’ve always been close with my sister and thought I knew her very well.  It turns out that I didn’t know her as well as I once that, at least politically.  Luckily for my sister and her husband we kept and brought the receipts just in case the baby clothes we had purchased where either to large or to small.

If you have children be prepared to find some gifts odd or off the wall and if you’re the giver you need to do two things.  First off, take time to ask the parents what they like.  Don’t assume that because a baby is a boy or girl that they have specific tastes or even their own tastes for that matter.  Find out what the parents like, find acceptable, and want for their children.  Secondly, be prepared to be the one who gives the oddball gift as this seems to have happened to everyone I know at least once.