Gift Idea - Family's first child

[CRFSaver]

So my sister is pregnant and between the two of us this will be the first child. I would love to get a special gift for her and have plenty of time to get it. Would love everyone's thoughts on what would be great to get her. I thought about having a quilt made for her but not sure. Not even sure where a good place to get one done at. Anyone have any other good ideas?

[JanH]

This was for a wedding, but it might be a baby gift. My daughter bought a beautiful blanket and had it embroidered with the couple's name, date of wedding and whatever else she wanted on it. I think she had in put inside a design of some sort. My MIL gave both our children specially made quilted blankets that we kept for them to pass on. My grandmother did the same thing. Quilts or special blankets can be personalized and beautiful. These were all different with one of my grandmother's embroidered (animals) by her. You can find someone is your area that does machine embroidery. We have specialty shops here.

[mountainmist]

This isn't going to be a popular posting, so I apologize in advance, but I know too many younger brothers & sisters who, because they aren't the first grandchild & are not the firstborn forever get really inferior gifts from adult relatives who are no longer excited about additions to the extended family.


My own feeling on this is to only get something special for your sister's FIRST child, ONLY if you are absolutely certain that you will also be fully able and absolutely certain to also get each & every other future neice & nephew you ever have something really really really spcial.


I bring this up because I find it really sad and pathetic how many firstborns have superduper momentos from their infancy & there were obviously so many elaborate gifts, whereas their younger brothers & sisters are lucky if there's more than one photograph of them during their first six years on earth.


I don't like this tendency, and I've seen it plenty over the decades, and I don't want to personally participate in such behavior. I want to make certain that I can always gift EACH little new relative in a similar fashion, not playing favorites. Since I can't predict my own financial circumstances years in advance, and since I don't want ONE infant's gift to be highly superior to those I can afford for following siblings, then I'd seriously tone down what I offer the firstborn.

[mountainmist]

This isn't going to be a popular posting, so I apologize in advance, but I know too many younger brothers & sisters who, because they aren't the first grandchild & are not the firstborn forever get really inferior gifts from adult relatives who are no longer excited about additions to the extended family.


My own feeling on this is to only get something special for your sister's FIRST child, ONLY if you are absolutely certain that you will also be fully able and absolutely certain to also get each & every other future neice & nephew you ever have something really really really spcial.


I bring this up because I find it really sad and pathetic how many firstborns have superduper momentos from their infancy & there were obviously so many elaborate gifts, whereas their younger brothers & sisters are lucky if there's more than one photograph of them during their first six years on earth.


I don't like this tendency, and I've seen it plenty over the decades, and I don't want to personally participate in such behavior. I want to make certain that I can always gift EACH little new relative in a similar fashion, not playing favorites. Since I can't predict my own financial circumstances years in advance, and since I don't want ONE infant's gift to be highly superior to those I can afford for following siblings, then I'd seriously tone down what I offer the firstborn.

[jodi]

My MIL made each of my boys a beautiful quilt. In fact, she told us she would when we had kids, so we broke the news of the pregnancy by selecting a gender-neutral piece of fabric and wrapping it up for her with a note to "get quilting - needed by July!". It took her a minute, but she was thrilled. And she used that fabric to make a very special quilt, as she did with our second son too.
Another great gift (one that was made after ds1 was born) - my SIL took pictures of each family member holding ds in the hospital and scrapbooked them into a large frame, with a birth announcement in the middle. As mountainmist suggests, though, ds2 never received one. It's on my to-do list to make one for him to hang right next to ds1's.
I also received a preganancy journal from a good friend early in the pregnancy. It has places to record weight, feelings, etc. and tells you a little about how the baby is developing week by week. I admit, I didn't keep it up, but for someone who is a journaler, it would make a really nice keepsake.

[JanH]

Both my kids received the same. Except from grandmother, but she wasn't able to do as much then. We passed down what she had given us from before to number 2. But I can understand that they don't get the same, especially if one is the first grandchild. So you do have to be careful.

[PrincessPerky]

Ditto mountains issue wiht firstborns, If you do it for hte first try to do it for the rest......some fanfare is in order, but not so much that 5 kids down the road you have issues of envy.

Now if the lack is due to passing of a relative (gma who used to sew) or just plain age (gmas eyes not what they used to be) no big, but seriously consider the preteen perspective when baby one loves their fancy personalized book and baby two wonders if she was adopted!

I think a wonderful first baby gift is an item that can be reused for all kids....I know of a crib that had a personalized brass plate for each kid that used it, two generations of baby names!

A realtivly easy gift to keep giving is a box, personalized but with room, for the hospital bracelt, and hat...and you can prolly afford to do it again for the 10th child,m and even if you have ten you prolly want to keep some momentos, and have time to put them in abox if not a photo album. (I have a scrapbook for the first..now on thrid, it is boxes form here on out!)

[MonkeyMama]

Originally Posted by mountainmist

This isn't going to be a popular posting, so I apologize in advance, but I know too many younger brothers & sisters who, because they aren't the first grandchild & are not the firstborn forever get really inferior gifts from adult relatives who are no longer excited about additions to the extended family.


My own feeling on this is to only get something special for your sister's FIRST child, ONLY if you are absolutely certain that you will also be fully able and absolutely certain to also get each & every other future neice & nephew you ever have something really really really spcial.


I bring this up because I find it really sad and pathetic how many firstborns have superduper momentos from their infancy & there were obviously so many elaborate gifts, whereas their younger brothers & sisters are lucky if there's more than one photograph of them during their first six years on earth.


I don't like this tendency, and I've seen it plenty over the decades, and I don't want to personally participate in such behavior. I want to make certain that I can always gift EACH little new relative in a similar fashion, not playing favorites. Since I can't predict my own financial circumstances years in advance, and since I don't want ONE infant's gift to be highly superior to those I can afford for following siblings, then I'd seriously tone down what I offer the firstborn.

Amen. My first got 3-4 handmade blankets, which we loved. My second son. Zilch. Will he notice his brother has 3-4 personalized blankets and he has none??????? IT really irked me. My mom was nice and knitted him 2 blankets after I whined to her, so he has a couple now. I love how my MIL keeps commenting how she didn't buy anything for the younger one when she brings presents for the older one, because the baby doesn't "need" anything. MEanwhile these are all toys - I am not sure why he NEEDS them. Bah!

I think the quilt is a great idea, but yes keep in mind for future children. Something like a crib I think would be nice as well. Something each future child would get equal use of...

[CRFSaver]

I will be shocked if my sister has more then one child but if she did I would do it for them all. Luckily its just her and me so not like i have a lot of children to buy for. Plus she is 36 so she is getting to an age where she doesnt want to keep having children. Thanks for the ideas.

[b4freedom]

Buy a small gift, something cute and then get them a $500 savings bond.

Put the baby's name and your name on it. When the baby gets older and cashes it for college, a car, a house, or a wedding, they will think of you.

Oh, and don't get him anything knitted. It'll never be used and will end up in a box and eventually will be tossed. Our first son (now 11 months – only grandkid) got 5 knitted blankets. 3 were so ugly that we just tossed them. Seriously, UGLY! 2 are cute and we saved, but we never used them because we fear strangulation. (Knitted blankets aren't safe for infants!) He also got knitted hats, socks, mitts, etc. Again, in a box. Either they fit for a week and wore them once or they never really fit. Or they were so poorly made that we were afraid to use them. Etc. You get the idea, nothing knitted.

If you can make a beautiful quilt yourself, I'd say that you can also do that. My son did get three quilts, however two are were made by well known quilters (published quilting books – they are friends of the family). One is from my grandmother who can barely see. We'll keep all of these quilts and we actually use two of them.

But, the baby will get so much junk that will never be used. ½ of the clothing given to our son was never worn, we gave it to friends who are also having their first child.

[mountainmist]

Originally Posted by CRFSaver

I will be shocked if my sister has more then one child but if she did I would do it for them all. Luckily its just her and me so not like i have a lot of children to buy for. Plus she is 36 so she is getting to an age where she doesnt want to keep having children. Thanks for the ideas.

That simplifies things considerably, but I agree with the last poster that people get way too many baby gifts that are never used.

Were it my sis, I think I'd take her out to lunch and then take her to a really nice furniture store where I insist that she pick out a rocking chair.

I don't like to pick out expensive items for others, I'd prefer that they pick out the one that they like best.

[mountainmist]

Originally Posted by CRFSaver

I will be shocked if my sister has more then one child but if she did I would do it for them all. Luckily its just her and me so not like i have a lot of children to buy for. Plus she is 36 so she is getting to an age where she doesnt want to keep having children. Thanks for the ideas.

That simplifies things considerably, but I agree with the last poster that people get way too many baby gifts that are never used.

Were it my sis, I think I'd take her out to lunch and then take her to a really nice furniture store where I insist that she pick out a rocking chair.

I don't like to pick out expensive items for others, I'd prefer that they pick out the one that they like best.

[plumpossum]

I have a 15 month old son who is the first child, grandchild, nephew, great grandchild- all of that. When we had our baby shower we received so many gifts and a majority of them we weren't even able to use. As far as for practicality purposes- our son has never used a blanket. We've tried, and he just won't. So instead we have to bundle him up at night in thick pajamas.

The best, most useful gift I received for him was a savings bond from his great grandparents for $100 that will mature when he is 30. His great grandparents plan on buying him one each year so that he will have a nice pile of them by the time he is old enough to actually use them. The gift has caught on and other family members have started doing the same.

This way when Christmas rolls around, we as the parents get to buy him toys and things he might actually need, and our family works on securing his future. It might not work as well when he's 8...but right now we like the arrangement

[jodi]

I started buying savings bonds for all my nieces and nephews last year - I also get them a small toy, book, or item of clothing to go with it, so they have something to open. I wish more people would do it for my kids (not too sound rude, but they get so many toys) - and I sure wish it had been done for me when I was a child!

[CRFSaver]

I tend to be pretty practical with other baby gifts so maybe I should stick to that. I always buy starter kits that have 25 different items. Part of the problem is I live 3000 miles away so hard to take her out. I obviously have plenty of time to think about it as she is still in her first tri-mester.

[PrincessPerky]

Ooooh I just had a thought on quilts, if you make one, then embroider (or better yet get a trusted other relative good at embroidery) the name and date of the babys birth, then with the next kid get the blanket back and do the same..make it gender neutral...would be an awesome memory and could fit all the kids, even a small baby quilt has room for an big family..heh, if you find your recipient has a family like that one..dugger? or something, with like 16 kids..you coulc just add a row, one all around the edge would give more room, and wouldn't have to match material, just so long as it goes.