As a breastfeeding mother I can say the only use I got out of a bottle warmer was when I watched my neighbors breast fed kid for a time, and for that time it was an absolute lifesaver! I certainly never went to the effort when I was always the right temperature. Though if she is going to use formula it would come in handy I guess, but why not just use warm tap water?
Also having had lots of gifts in the past few years, I can say that blankets are oh so cute, and oh so common a gift. Also the clothes, if you know what the kid is, boy or girl, you can prolly get something but how many green outfits can a kid wear? And I have found that most of the time my newborns wore a teeshirt and diaper, nothing else. So most of the clothes were maybe worn once until late month 2 when they started rolling over and getting around more. So I second the buy big thing. but they sure to get big ooos and awws at the baby shower.
Big equipment type stuff: I never used a sling until I found the perfect one which took a looong time. The one I use and love is a Mayawrap (
www.mayawrap.com ?).
Bouncers were usefull for the first 2 months, but the bells and whistles of all myfriends bouncers broke very quickly. Just the bouncy part is a must, the vibrating part is nice, the fish or what have you is not neccessary, though don't try telling a first time mom that.
Some kids like swings some kids hate them, they take up alot of room for something that may or may not be liked. Same with playpens, though it is more the mom who likes or dislikes more than the kid.
I can say the most useful thing I recieved was an extra crib sheet and a waterproof mattress pad. Also diapers.
In the toy department I recieved some wonderful things, the most awesome were ones that grew with my kids, like boomerings(7.99) that were rattles early on and attatched toys to me later on. Also teether type rattles(tootsie footsie 4.99, or Ring Around 9.99), noise and tracking for the younger kid, relief from pain for the older one, and colors recognition for later. Also the worlds greatest gift was a set of stacking cups (measure up cups, 10.99) that is volumetrically correct, so my son still plays with them and is working on adding and such with them. they are great for sorting colors, stacking whatever, and early on they were fun to watch fall down. (I had to stack them at first)
There are a ton more toys, like a pegboard with stars that rattle, and a awesome hide inside, kids love the peek a boo effect, and a stacking tower that is all soft, so babys don't bang their heads when learning to move their arms. (around 20 each)
All those toys are Discovery Toys, I have a website if you want it, but I recomend them even if I didn't. I only sell them to get the discount. You can google it and find a billion reps, or I can leave my link here if you want it. The reason I specifically like DT stuff is the lifetime guarantee, the quality, especially if you stick with classics on the line, and almost all of the toys keep kids occupied for years, non of that 'oops kid out grew the toy in less than a year'.
inexpensive baby shower gift?
