It seems like most of my friends are pregnant of late… and for the first time in a long time, I’m not pregnant along with them, so I’m enjoying going to their baby showers and spoiling them with gifts.
I realized I’ve been out of the baby item buying stage for a while, since we always handed down baby items with each child. I actually had to search for the top rated baby gifts and was appalled because they were all plastic toys or products with harmful ingredients.
Natural Baby Gifts
I decided a list of top natural baby gifts was long overdue and am sharing some of the gifts that I finally settled on for my friends and that I’ll be buying (or making) if we have another baby.
If you are DIY-er, I’ve included links to the tutorials to make some of these, but I’ve also found that many new moms don’t have time to DIY so I’ve included the best pre-made versions I could find.
You can check out all of my natural homemade baby recipes here.
1. Diapers and Wipes
With a newborn, you can never have enough diapers and baby wipes. Depending on your diapering preferences (or your pregnant friends), you may choose different options for this.
I have typically cloth diapered in the past and made my own wipes, but a lot of moms are not fans of cloth diapering. Even as a cloth diapering mom, I found that it was too difficult to take it all on vacation (and my husband HATES to use cloth diapers when I’m out running errands and he’s watching the kids).
I decided that keeping a small stash of natural diapers and wipes on hand was really helpful, especially in summer when we were traveling a lot. If you (or a friend) is a 100% cloth diaper user, find out the brand preference and help build the cloth diaper stash too!
2. Natural Baby Care
One thing I never really thought about with my first child until we got home was basic baby care supplies like combs and brushes, etc. Not super exciting gifts, but important to have, none the less.
3. Bottles and Sippy Cups
Another item I didn’t think about at first when looking for popular baby gifts (because I’ve always breastfed almost exclusively) is bottles & sippy cups. Even if a new mom plans to breast feed exclusively, I found it is helpful to have bottles on hand to use for pumped milk in the rare times when getting away for a few hours.
Sippy cups were really helpful when my babies were old enough to start solids, since we started with foods like bone broth (great in a sippy cup).
Unfortunately, many bottles and cups for kids are inexpensive plastic and can leech things like BPA into the baby’s milk or food. Look for glass, metal or other safe options.
4. Dishes and Utensils
Not a common item for baby shower gifts, but most baby plates and utensils are plastic and brightly colored. I understand why glass is a bad option with kids, but plastic isn’t a great choice, especially for young kids.
We recently switched to all plastic-free options in our kitchen, including stainless steel plates and cups for our kids. I also have sets of natural bamboo utensils that we take with the metal plates when we travel.
5. Summer Gear
My first child was born in the Fall and I didn’t even think about the need for any summer gear… until we had three daughters all born in late spring and summer.
We don’t use sunscreen most of the time (here’s why), but when we are going to be outside for a long time or when I have babies in a place where there might not be enough shade, I use natural sunscreen. I typically make our own, but there are a few good natural pre-made sunscreens available.
I also recently just gave a gift basket of summer baby items to a friend and included some beach toys instead of a bow. Even if you’re not going to the beach, these are great for playing in a sandbox (or the dirt!).
6. Lightweight Blankets
When I transitioned from winter babies to summer babies, I realized that none of my blankets would work because they were all much too warm for summer.
These muslin blankets are perfect for summer. They double as nursing covers and are perfect for swaddling in warm weather. One pack has lasted me through several babies.
7. Baby Carrier/Sling
I loved the Ergo Baby Carrier with the newborn insert. After a lot of research, I saved up for the Ergo wrap for my 3rd child and I wish I’d gotten it much earlier. It removed the need for a bouncer, stroller, etc., and I especially like that it support’s baby’s hips correctly to help prevent hip related problems.
Gifts for the Older Siblings…
If you are the one having the baby (congrats!) and want to have natural gifts for older kids so they don’t feel left out, here are my favorite natural toys for kids.
What were your must-have baby items? Any that I forgot? Share below!
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Katie,
When you put the wipes in your diaper bag, what type of bag do you put them in? I wasn’t sure what would be best because of the essential oils.
Thank you!
I use a silicone zipper bag like this one.
Any experience with gDiapers that are flushable and compostable? I have made the homemade sunscreen and diaper wipe solution with great success.
I have used gDiapers a few times but ended up just using the covers as swim diapers because they seemed to be more work. Some people love them though.
I see many of your links take you to Thrive Market. However, I cannot determine how much membership is when on their website. I can only find where it says one month free. Do you happen to know the fee? Thanks!
I believe it is $59.95 a year (similar to Costco)
Thank you for recommending the baby carrier. Is the Ergo Baby Carrier one that can be used while walking, upright, and breastfeeding the baby? I was able to do that with the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder and am not sure if I can find the one I had so am looking for a good replacement. It even covered the baby while I did that so for part of the time I had both hands free and she was happy eating.
Yes, it can be done, although of course it is dependent on the size of the baby and your… height relative to them, if you catch my meaning.
I tried almost every brand of “natural” baby wipes, including the Seventh Generation one, before making my own, based on your recipe (with glycerin used in place of the castille soap) because every one of those wipes caused my daughter some irritation. We LOVE the homemade wipes (thank you), however when we’ve had to use store bought brands, the only ones we’ve used that don’t cause redness for our little girl are Water Wipes (which we got at Target but can be bought at Amazon and other places as well).
I hesitated to buy them because it seemed extravagant to buy something that could seemingly be so easily made (they are just wipes with water and citric acid), but when we finally did buy them, we were really happy that we had. They are perfect for on-the-go, because they last ages (something I’ve never been able to achieve with the homemade ones, because they either dry out, or get smelly – I’ve never gotten the right blend of preservative-water down, I think), and also because they don’t cause my daughter any irritation at all.
An added bonus is that you can wipe off your hands without getting them smelly or covered in anything weird… My daughter uses my finger as a pacifier from time to time, so it’s great to feel ok cleaning my hands off with the water wipes and then sticking the finger in her mouth! There is no other wipe, that I would do that with, including the homemade,
I would definitely add Water Wipes to the list.
Wow as I was reading your post, I was thinking how similar we thought. Then you mentioned Water Wipes! Absolutely swear by these wipes!! We order them in bulk on Amazon.
I’ve gotten a gift pack of baby stuff from the Honest Company. Now that I’m using Branch Basics, thanks to you, I think that would be a good gift too.