About 4 million babies are born in the U.S. each year alone. Odds are you’re going to know to know one of those little ones, and let’s face kids are hard not to spoil. It can be tough to know what to get for the new baby in your life, but here are a few quick ideas for care packages for the baby’s first birthday or the parents’ baby shower!

Practical gift ideas

This section is perfect for new parents since they assuredly don’t have the luxury of things saved from previous kids. However the basics are still appreciated because a lot of baby basics are things parents go through like diapers.

Clothes

Babies are fast growers and don’t stay the same size for very long. Consider getting the newborn in your life a fresh outfit or two. Any size from 0-3 months to two years is ideal.  Remember though babies don’t stay small forever and are usually friends and family gifts for the 0-3 months stage, so think about getting a bigger size. This will come as a small blessing for when the baby is in between sizes and parents don’t know if they should start buying the next size up or not. Here some clothing ideas if you’re lacking inspiration

• Beanies- A beanie for your baby! Not only is it super cute, but helps to keep the head warm. 
• Black socks- while you can get any color socks of choice black socks won't get dirty easily as lighter color socks, go with every outfit, and even when you lose one of them (because all babies go through their fair share of socks) you can just match it up with different socks. Parents will appreciate time saved on matching up with them.
• PJ’s- There’s nothing cozier than pajamas, plus it’s what babies wear most of the time. Specifically onesies are the best. 
• Overalls- Babies in overalls have a classic look and for a good reason; they help pants and shirts stay on!
• Dresses- dresses are good in pinch because they’re basically extra long shirts- so no pants required when dressing up your baby in these. However, you can pack a pair of comfy pants/leggings to go with them to add a little fashion. 

Books

What better gift to give than a bedtime story! Not only do books provide a good bonding opportunity, but encourage children to be interested in reading. Who doesn’t have a favorite childhood story? With so many classics to choose from it’s hard to get wrong. Here are a couple of ideas:

• Anything Dr. Seuss- “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and “The Cat In the Hat,” just name a few.
• “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” by Bill Martin and Jr. John Archambault - It’s a great way to teach the alphabet.
• “The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle - This book is fun and colorful!
• “The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover,” by Jon Stone- this teaches kids to not be afraid, plus it does have Grover from Sesame Street. 
• “The True Story of The Three Little Pigs,” by Jon Scieszka- It puts a fun spin on a classic children’s tale. 
• “The Hallo-Wiener,” by Dav Pilkey- An adorable wiener dog goes on a Halloween adventure. What more could anyone need?
• “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Numeroff- Teaches kids not to feed wild animals. Underrated Lesson.
• “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown- Because didn’t we all have a copy growing up? At least feels that way. Tradition is always a nice thing to pass on. 

Baby Wipes + Diapers

As previously mentioned parents go through diapers like nothing else. Naturally, given these facts baby wipes are also constantly needed. Straight forward and guaranteed to satisfy any parent who receives this in their baby care package! It’s not the spiciest gift in the world, however it is the most useful. No parent would turn down some extras of these. 

Munchkin White Hot Safety Bath Ducky

These are cute bath duckys with a bonus feature! The duck will tell you if that water is too hot for the baby to get into! Functional with a side of cute parents can use every night to assure they have the right temperature.  Benefit to the buyer these duckies can be found at your local Target.

Briggs Baby Nasal Aspirator, Ear Syringe, Snot Sucker, Mucus Sucker and Nasal Bulb Syringe

The Briggs Baby Nasal Aspirator and Ear Syringe absolute necessity whenever a little one is on the way. Removing snot from a baby’s nose will make breathing easier for the baby and will make feeding time a lot easier. Luckily, this tool is multi-functional and will also be great for removing excessive ear wax from the baby’s ear. Although using it as an ear syringe is typically for more serious build-ups. The more gentle way of avoiding ear infections due to wax build ups is using ear wax softener drops from the pharmacy. 

Baby Monitors

Baby monitors are good for a variety of situations the main one being at night of course. Not everyone will have their baby's bed close to them to be able to easily hear their baby wake- up in the middle of night. However, with the baby monitors this isn’t a problem. Place the recorder in the nursery and it will pick up any sound your baby makes. There are also newer, high-end baby monitor options with cameras. There are a lot of reasonably priced versions with cameras, but a high end one will admittedly make for an expensive care package. Although there are plenty of Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales to help counterbalance this out. Here are a few brands and monitor models to check out:

• Cubo Ai Plus Smart Baby Monitor
• Infant Optics Video Baby Monitor DXR-8
• VTech DM221-2 Safe & Sound ® DECT 6.0 Two Parent Unit Digital Audio Baby Monitor
• Motorola EASE34 4.3" Video Baby Monitor
  

Quiet Door Closer 

‍Quiet Door Closers help ensure the room stays silent for the sleeping baby. Sometimes the smallest creek on the floorboard can wake-up the baby, parents, friends, and family just spent hours trying to get to sleep. Rather than risking constantly restarting this process from scratch this gift will help keep the child asleep the first time. 

Bottles + Breast Pumps + Modesty Blankets

Discuss with parents how they plan to feed their babies- there are no wrong options, just better suited gifts for different techniques. Bottles are usually great all around for formula and breastfeeding moms will use them to wean the baby off of the breast. Additionally mothers will pump milk for others who take care of their child like babysitters and extended family. Breast pumps are also good for stockpiles for if a mommy wants to spend a night out. Just keep in mind while alcohol is not recommended for breastfeeding mommas, anyone nursing should wait at least 2-3 hours after a single drink before nursing again. There’s also the modesty blanket. While not necessary these can be useful if any momma doesn’t want to breastfeed in public or wishes to do so without the stare of the public eye. 

Diaper Rash Cream + Baby Lotion

Babies are prone to diaper rash and are almost guaranteed to get once during the first 3 years of their life. Don’t sweat it though diaper rash creams are everywhere over the shelf and come in a variety of options! Something to go with cream is baby lotion. During the cold months anytime between water and the dry air will cause your babies soft skin to get a little dry, but it is nothing a little Johnson's baby lotion can’t fix. 

Pacifiers + Teething Rings 

Babies are happiest when they are sucking on something and nothing proves that better than a pacifier! They help calm the fussiest of babies down. Although if the child is breastfeeding, consider waiting to give this gift, because a baby risks the chance of over sucking on a pacifier and then under sucking when it’s feeding time. Another great way to calm a fussy baby is a teething ring. Anyone who had their wisdom teeth come in know how justified babies are for being upset when their teeth come in- for the wee ones it’s some of the worst pain they have ever been in, you know because of the whole not being alive for that long factor. Still, it's nice for the babies to have a way to soothe themselves during these times. 

Fun gift ideas

These gifts will punch up your baby care package with a little pizzazz. Practical is good, but who doesn’t want to pack a little fun into your care package.

Stuffed Animals 

Stuffed animals are the cornerstone to any childhood. Small, fluffy, soft, and they don’t talk back making them the perfect carrying around companions. Just remember the baby in your life can’t sleep with any of these until they’re at least a year old. Look below on a variety options:

• Build-A-Bear- Build-A-Bear allows for special customization, you can get a variety of stuffed friends here. Classic Teddy Bears, rabbits, and other icons (such as minions) are found both in stores and online. 
• Cuddleandkind hand-knit dolls- These adorable dolls come with a story. For every doll purchased 10 meals are given to children in need. Not only is a lovely doll, but an even lovelier meaning when you purchase one of these for a baby care package.
• Bellzi Plushies- This company ensures their plusies are equal parts cute and safe!
• Wild Baby Microwavable Plush Pal- these plushies are weighted which is good for reducing anxiety. Also as stated in the name they are microwavable allowing to provide any babe a little warmth on a cold night. 
  

Tummy Time Baby Water Mat

This is a way to enjoy water without the hassle of getting wet. The seal on the mat is 100% waterproof and good for ages 3 months and up. Additionally it is easy to store and pack to bring places. A good portable toy for babysitters! 

Bandana Baby Bibs

Bibs are a timeless must have when a new child is on the way, but the traditional bib is not nearly as stylish as bandana baby bibs. Without a doubt food gets everywhere when a baby is eating, but why does that mean their clothes protectors shouldn’t be as chic? Now you don’t have to compromise on aesthetic. Feeding time pictures will get even better when you pack one of these in your baby care package. 

Bath Toys

Let’s face it bath time and fun times for young go hand in hand. Now these toys are recommended for 9 months to 12 months. It will be a good chunk of before the baby can play with them, but it’s good to be prepared. Those 9 months will fly faster than you will think and the later stages need just as much prep as the first few months. 

• Chomp- picture hungry hippos but with a friendly whale! Chomp gobbles up tiny sea creatures. This bathtime friend encourages hand-eye coordination. 
• Waterbugs- This is basically a little net that comes with a little set of waterbugs to catch. It can make your very own baby-safe bug adventure because those little guys don’t bite!
• Pipes- These miniature pipes have suctions cups that stick to the bathtub so all the water stays inside. They can link to together or be used separately. 
• Fleet- stackable boats good for racings or just regular play.
• Cogs- These are bathtime building toys to help spark an engineers or construction spirit. 
  

Last but certainly not least there every baby care package should be sent with lots of love! Then your care package will be absolutely perfect to send out.