Off-beat baby gifts to request

If you’re the lucky person who already has everything--maybe this isn’t your first child or you’ve already had more than one shower--here are several gift ideas to toss out to well-meaning friends and relatives:

• Diaper service for the first month. If you’re going to be a cloth-diaper user, this will be a big help.
• Cloth-diapering system. Again, if you’re going with cloth, these diaper-and-cover combos are convenient.
• A personal chef or a housekeeper for a day, a week, or a month. Having someone else do the cooking or the cleaning can really help parents get a much-needed break. For more information about a personal chef, contact the American Personal and Private Chef Association at www.personalchef.com. National cleaning services can be found online by putting “house cleaning services” in the search function.
• A birth and/or post-partum doula--a person trained to provide emotional, physical, and educational support for women and their families. For more information, and to locate a doula in your area, log onto the Web site for Doulas of North America at www.dona.org.
• A gift certificate to a local day spa. Let someone else care for you for a change!

“One of my most unusual gifts was...”
Did you receive a baby gift when you were expecting that was extra special or helpful? We’d love to hear from you about your bonus baby gift.

Comments

[Clarissa's Mommy]

Money Saver Gift ($20-$50 depending on brand and place of purchase)

One of the best gifts I received was the microwave steam sterilizer. I now consider this a necessity for most moms.

You quickly hand wash/rinse each item (bottles, baby food containers/spoons, breast pump accessories) and then place it in the container for steam sterilization.

You save money by not running the dishwasher constantly and you also save by not needing as many bottles. Just keep three or four bottles in rotation.

[Newmie]

My company bought each of my kids a Puzzle Step Stool with their name on it. Both our kids love them.
Here is an 'example' of one. Ours were not made by them though. http://mystepstool.com/images/bd_stool_piece.jpg

My company also bought us a 1 yr subscription to a Parent Magazine of our choice.

Both gifts were great as they were outside the norm.

[withheld]

We received a gift certificate and some frozen meals from Super Suppers, which was great.

The thing I really wanted and did not get, silly as it sounds, was a small gift certificate to Victoria's Secret so I could get all new undies after the 'baby stuff' was over with.