What’s the most meaningful gift you received for your baby?

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3words_catpenbook@reddit

We bought a beautiful illustration of our daughter's name, for her first Christmas at a few months old. It hung in her room for years. There were gorgeous animals interwoven around the letters, and lush colours. I appreciate you can only do this once a name is decided, but you mentioned graphics, which jogged a memory.

Have fun!

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Sweet-Connection6684@reddit

Hi can I ask for a link where you got this from?

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3words_catpenbook@reddit

I'm really sorry, but it was nearly 20 years ago, and I have no clue where we found it, nor whether they're still operating. It was probably etsy, back when there was good handmade stuff there.

I'd suggest looking for local craft markets or Hand Made in [county] schemes, and supporting local artists. I hope that helps.

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NLTC@reddit (OP)

Because I’ve had so many lovely comments here, I thought I’d share what I’ve ended up getting, for anyone who’s interested. Basically, I’ve split the gift into a hamper (affectionately named her “Cool Kit” 😎) to give to her mam at a little party we’re having before she’s born, and a “happy birthday” present to give once she’s here.

Cool Kit:

Books - - Baby’s First David Bowie - My favourite book when I was little (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) - My favourite book now, which also happens to be a kids’ book (The Little Prince) - A lovely book I came across about what’s special about a family home

Clothes - - A Welsh language babygrow (says “bore da” = “good morning”) - A tiny little kimono style baby grow in her dad’s favourite colour with little rabbits on it (she’s been called Bunny all through the pregnancy. I can’t believe how perfect it is!) - A Green Day baby grow because I was obsessed with them when me and her mam were friends in school 😄 - A Wu Tang Klan babygrow - A little jumper that says “Of all the stars, you are my favourite” because I have a lovely memory of seeing my first ever shooting star with her mam!

I’ve also asked mam’s own mother and her closest friends to each write a letter to the baby, which I’m going to make little decorative prints of.
Me and a friend will also be taking your fantastic suggestion of making and freezing meals for the first few days after she’s born.
Some PJs for mam

Birthday Present:

As previously mentioned, baby is half Welsh, half Chinese, so I’ve got a little Welsh dragon teddy and a little Chinese dragon teddy.
A Welsh love spoon

I really hope they’ll like these gifts, and more than anything, I hope they’ll show how loved she is! Thank you so much again for the lovely comments.

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NoahLittleR42@reddit

Ur sitch reminds me of a perf xmas memory! IMO, u shld think abt getting a srsly adorbs illu of ur kid's name, includin a rad mix of colors & animals. Might only wrk if u've picked a name, tho! Wld make for a gr8 decor piece!&&

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parrotandcrow@reddit

My daughter just bought two mugs with the names of each parent on one, and written underneath the name,

'Literally licensed to parent'

The parents to be have just finished a gruelling series of tests/education, and are now accepted to be adoptive parents, so I think the mugs are wonderful.

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AgreeableCake8529@reddit

My best friend got me the Tommee Tippee UV steriliser - brilliant gift although pricey, but you can get them on ebay. If she doesn't have the perfect prep machine then that's an absolute must have for anyone who bottle feeds. I'd also second the suggestion above of a baby book in Welsh (hungry caterpillar has a Welsh version I think). Personally I got almost 20 of those tiny toys holding small blankets so wouldn't bother with them.

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furrycroissant@reddit

Those machines are not recommended anymore because studies show they have a sterilisation rate of 85%. I had no idea until my midwife brought it up. Better off doing it the old fashioned way with Milton solution and hot water

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AgreeableCake8529@reddit

I can't find anything negative online about the steriliser and my health visitor said they were great. The prep machine has been criticised recently for not reaching boiling point I think?

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furrycroissant@reddit

That's what I was referring to sorry, the prep machine is definitely one to avoid.

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roseflower1990@reddit

My mum left a hot dinner in our porch every evening for a few weeks and text us to say when it’d be there, so if it was a bad time we didn’t have to see her. Things like lasagne or shepherds pie would mean we could microwave a small amount at a time and it’d last a couple of days.

My MILs friend knitted him a blanket and it was so soft but not air tight like a fleece, we used it for all day for probably over 6 months.

Ask them what they need from the shops, it’s daunting being left with a newborn whilst your partner goes out, but it’s also daunting taking a newborn out.

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bishibashi@reddit

If we’d got a wu tang babygro it would have been that. However the gift I always remember when our first was born was a friend who was big into cooking bringing us a load of separated portions of Heston Blumenthal recipes he’d made for the freezer. Posh ready meals.

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NLTC@reddit (OP)

Oh that must’ve been a lifesaver! I’m no cook, but I was thinking about sticking a gift card for a few days of takeaways in with their gifts, so they don’t have to cook for the first few days. Dominos is no Heston, but it’s a lot better than I could do!

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beartropolis@reddit

If there is a COOK near them I'd recommend a gift card for there. One of the best gifts we got after we had a baby and now my go to for friends with new babies

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Natabel89@reddit

Yes! She'll appreciate it loads. My BIL cooked a load of meals for us and stuck them in the freezer so so helpful. The most thoughtful thing we received wasn't even really for baby it was for me mostly. My BIL also did a hamper. There was a small gift for baby but there was also things like paracetamol, body spray, maternity pads, a bath set, breast pads etc. It was so lovely I do one for my friends when they have babies. Baby will no doubt get absolutely loads but it was nice for me to be thought of too, especially when I wouldn't be thinking of myself for a while. Also the Wu Tang baby grow slaps!!

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Ok_Log_8088@reddit

Time.

We’ve got several kids and the best thing you could give is your time, honestly, even just like watching the baby for half an hour so they can get a nap is a lifesaver.

A rabbit hole we have now fallen into is babywearing, it’s fantastic, baby is very content, keeps your hands free and they nap quite happily, I would recommend a voucher for https://oschaslings.com For beautiful woven wraps made in Scotland, once you get hang of tying the wrap (or using a ring sling) it makes life so easy, the kids love riding in the wrap.

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NLTC@reddit (OP)

Oh don’t you worry, I’ll be snatching that baby from them every chance I get!

A wrap’s a lovely idea. I’ll have to find out how she feels about them. Now I think about it, we’ve still got the one my nan used for my dad (who’s now 61), so it was obviously very special to her, for her to keep it that long. I’ll definitely keep that idea in mind. Thank you! 😊

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stripybanana223@reddit

For me, I didn’t want people to hold my baby - I wanted them to do my chores so I could hold him!! So also offer to wash up, make her tea, bring a shop round etc

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SongsAboutGhosts@reddit

For us, it's stuff for nicely making memories we can hold on to (like this); stuff that shouts out to our own hobbies/interests/personalities so we can share them with the babe (for us this includes a nice newborn-safe teddy, knitted DnD dice, books for the baby - especially in German, as we're attempting bilingualism); or practical little bits that save us getting them (car window shades, pram toys, black and white books or tummy time cards, sleeping bags, to name a few).

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NarwhalsAreSick@reddit

Sorry, this isn't strictly sticking to the question, but I recently asked a friend this and I really liked their answer.

One of my close mates was having their first baby, so I asked another mate what I should get them. He said the best thing they got when they had their first was a mate who'd got them a couple of those really nice M&S dine in meal deals and some nappies. Everything is so hectic and you get given a lot of baby stuff they'll grow out of quickly. So something that makes life easier for the parents will go down well.

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DontCatchThePigeon@reddit

A graphic design friend did a lovely framed print for each of my boys showing the stars/ constellations overhead at the time and place of birth. She wrote a lovely message on the back of each, saying how much she was looking forward to being involved in their lives.

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TastyLittleNoodle@reddit

My Welsh friend gave my daughter a Welsh love spoon that's hung in her nursery! It's a tiny thing but just so thoughtful, also helps they look beautiful. My other friend hand knitted a baby blanket to give to my daughter as well and that one almost made me cry tbh, it was a lovely gesture he poured weeks into.

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fergie_89@reddit

So I don't have a baby nor want one. However my bestie is expecting twins.

For them (after a lot of input). I've bought several outfits, spit up blankies, socks etc. I also bought books, Gregg the sausage roll etc.

It's also my intention to get them bracelets. I know it might not be wanted or kept but they'll have their names engraved on them and they're silver bangles that adjust so as the babies grow, the bracelets do too. I got one when I was born (sold it when times were hard after my parents died but it was never engraved). So it's something for them to look after and cherish.

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Lilacloulou@reddit

Buy a newspaper for the day the baby is born and present them with that, it will be lovely to look back on. One of the best gifts we got was off a friend who gave us £10 ( it was a while ago) and a bottle of wine. She told me to spend the money on a takeaway and enjoy it with the wine, and we did! You’ll be the best Aunty!

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somethinglikegem@reddit

Whilst not exactly meaningful, the gift I received following birth that i was most grateful for was a pamper/self care bag for me which included new pj's, stretch mark moisturiser, my favourite chocs, a new posh notebook and pen.

One thing I wish our friends and family had done in the first few weeks for us was to give us pre-made meals we could just put in microwave or oven. The added stress of 'what shall we have for tea tonight' with a newborn is not fun. Plus the time is so precious neither of us wanted to spend it in the kitchen cooking but we also didn't want to live off high-processed food and takeaways as I was breastfeeding.

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Flat-Pomegranate-328@reddit

For me what the most significant gift from friends was them bringing their favourite things from their childhood. So say if you had a special blanket, but a special blanket etc, remember your favourite book/ toy and buy a new one. I had these Beatrix potter plates and cutlery which I loved until I was about 11!! or if you were say into swimming - look into baby swimming classes and buy a pack of swim nappies, floats etc. There are a lot of life skills that a child needs to learn and if you can the ‘aunty’ that say takes a lead on something it is sooo helpful

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TheWelshMrsM@reddit

There are some lovely Welsh gifts available on Etsy, happy to send some recommendations.

There’s also Welsh toys available online - Si Lwli do a star & dragon that play Welsh tunes instead of the usual English nursery rhymes!

We’ll known books like Spot, Dear Zoo, The Gruffalo etc. are also available in Welsh.

Stay away from soft toys if you can because everybody will buy them! Although I do have matching personalised snuggies for both my kids which I love.

It’s difficult to get Welsh products - especially anything with ‘mam’ on them so if you can get ahold of any onesies or anything with ‘mam’ I’m sure she’d love them! I also had a sleep-suit with ‘Croeso i’r byd Name’ on it and I love it!

Oh and there are some lovely Welsh milestone cards available online too! More than one design. They can get pricey for milestone cards though.

We were gifted a wrap (one if asked for) but unfortunately I wasn’t a fan of wearing it! A ring sling works way better for me. Maybe you can do some research and see if there are any sling libraries around your area (might be tricky because of covid) for your friend to try out first.

As a mam some gifts I’ve appreciated for myself are: flowers (not practical but I enjoy them), a bath pillow, bath salts, slippers, comfort clothes (there’s a theme here…) I was also gifted a voucher to a spa with the intention of me getting a maternity massage but I didn’t get the chance so now I’m saving it for the future.

I’ve also had family come and help do a deep clean before the baby arrives & my husband hired a cleaner to do a once-over close to the due date.

My best friend has also sent me a card for each of my pregnancies with some really supportive messages on them reminding me how awesome I am, will be a fantastic mother etc. It was so thoughtful and such an amazing pick-me-up!

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Mother-Traffic1065@reddit

So many people get the baby treat your friend to a pamper basket and a spa day x

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Dazzling-Nothing-870@reddit

My friend made a framed cross stitch of my daughter's name which I still have today (daughter is now 16 years old).

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Why_So_Slow@reddit

A music box. It's been years and my daughter still winds it up before sleep. It's lovely, quiet and meaningful.

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Crafty_Ambassador443@reddit

I hate to mention it but my work gave me a really really nice personalised bath towel. I love it so much. Its soft and has their name on it. My little one looks like such a cuddly bear after their bath.

But yea my workplace went above and beyond and I'm astounded. The gifts were all so nice and practical.

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notmerida@reddit

i’m 39 weeks pregnant and some of the best gifts ive gotten are an £80 COOK voucher from work, my friend embroidered babygros with lyrics from my fave bands, another friend made tiny baby band merch. another friend got a lino print with some other of my fave lyrics on. think about stuff that’s personal to your friend and her partner and that they’d like to share with the little one - music is a huge part of our lives and we’ve already got him tickets to festivals with us next year so all of these things made me cry haha

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elgrn1@reddit

I have bought both a personalised wall hanging and a personalised pillow before. Both had meaningful words on them about family and love and health and happiness. It seems cheesy but the pillow definitely came in useful for late night feeds. Something special to decorate the nursery could be amazing, especially if it's personal to you and them.

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candiebandit@reddit

Perhaps you could get something meaningful printed on to some babywear? My best mate is a graffiti artist so I vectored up one of her pieces and got it printed on to a onesie with “[best mate’s tag] is my mum”, also got some bibs printed with her tag on and paired with some tiny air max.

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AutoModerator@reddit

As the leading UK "ask" subreddit, we welcome questions from all users and countries; sometimes people who ask questions might not appreciate or understand the nuance of British life or culture, and as a result some questions can come across in a different way than intended.

We understand that when faced with these questions, our users may take the opportunity to demonstrate their wit, dry humour, and sarcasm - unfortunately, this also tends to go over the heads of misunderstood question-askers and can make our subreddit seem hostile to users from other countries who are often just curious about our land.

Please can you help prevent our subreddit from becoming an Anti-American echo chamber? If you disagree with any points raised by OP, or OP discusses common tropes or myths about the UK, please refrain from any brash, aggressive, or sarcastic responses and do your best to engage OP in a civil discussion, with the aim to educate and expand their understanding.

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