Gifts for New Parents

The gift that lands with new parents removes a task. That is the whole filter, because a newborn arrives into a house already stacked with things other people chose. The most useful items in this collection are the unglamorous ones: an Electric Baby Nail Trimmer Set for the job nobody enjoys, a Baby Bath Support Foldable Reclining Chair that turns a two person bath into a one person one, and a Portable Newborn Baby Easy Bathtub for a flat with no room for a full sized one.

Sleep gear is the biggest group here and the one to be careful with. There is the Baby Comfy Safety Lightweight Bed Side Crib, the Smart Bedside Remote Control Multifunctional Baby Crib, a Cuddle Nest Newborn Lounger Bed, a Breathable Newborn Baby Nest Pillow, an Infant Baby Crib Hammock and a Baby Sleep Positioner Support Pillow. Parents hold strong opinions about how their baby sleeps, safe sleep advice moves, and the sleep item they did not pick themselves is the one most likely to stay boxed. Ask what they have registered for, or buy from a different shelf.

Feeding and everyday things are safer ground. A Newborn Baby Anti-colic Feeding Bottle now, a Baby Fruit Nibbler and an Infant Fruit Squeezing Station for the weaning months later, plus the Ultra Soft Fluffy Baby Sleeping Blanket and the plain Newborn soft blanket. Blankets are the one gift nobody has too many of, because on any given day one is in the pram, one is in the car and one is in the wash. The Winter Wrap Baby Stroller Mommy Blanket is worth a look because it covers the parent as well as the baby, which is rarer than it sounds.

The keepsake corner is the thing new parents want and never get around to buying for themselves. This collection has the DIY Newborn Baby Footprint InkPad, the Newborn Baby Footprint Imprint Kit, the Infant Baby Handprint Footprint Imprint Kit and a DIY Newborn Baby Footprint Mold. Hands and feet change fast, so the window is short, which is precisely why it works better as a gift than as a purchase. A wooden Nursery Decor Sign does a similar job on the wall and needs no timing at all.

Two things to skip. Newborn size clothing: they already have boxes of it and the baby grows out of it quickly, so if you buy clothes at all, buy the next size up and check the chart on the listing (the Spring Unisex Baby Christmas Clothing and the Cute Style Little Baby Girl Suit both show sizes on the page). And anything that eats an afternoon of assembly in the first weeks. The Minimalist Wooden Baby Activity Gym Playground and the Futuristic Nest 3in1 Baby Stroller are good products that work better as a planned purchase than a surprise. If you want to give without guessing, the Mavigadget Gift Card lets them buy the thing they discover they are missing at three in the morning.