best presents for a new, young parent? - Page 3

[LeslieintheKeys]

• some meals to stick in the refrigerator and freezer
• a good baby carrier 
• Hyland's homeopathic starter kit for kids
• Itzbeen - a nightlight, clock, timer, and alarm all in one
• a clock that projects up on the ceiling
• easy to use swaddle blankets

[dreamingtree]

Originally Posted by teraze 

Ack!   I meant the pads - for leaky breasts.  I went through at least a box a week.  For months.

Oh! Gotcha!   I leaked too, for the LONGEST time. I left a path of milk puddle destruction wherever I went, haha :) But it was worth it to get through that initial trouble! We are still happily nursing a year later.

 But yes, nursing pads of some sort (whether disposable or cloth) are a must!

[cameragirl]

Lilypadz are great. I think a gift card for maternity clothes would be great. Getting decent maternity clothes can be pretty expensive, and it is silly considering how long you wear them.

[anne1140]

The Happiest Baby on the Block book or DVD

Boppy pillow

Sleep sacks or swaddling sacks

[Sweetgirlx]

Breast pump machine as it's expensive and gives young mama
Hope that she can have a social life some nights with her baby getting
The nutrition as if she's there , lol

Now if she's not breast feeding I'll suggest a car seat- or a fun playful seat-area , always useful and fun

But if you're not really close and don't want to be paying much money
Cloths , shoes and books newborn toys ate always great and not as expensive as the above suggestions

[jenninjapan]

since she is only three months along you have plenty of time to get a great library going for the new little one.  You can pick up all sorts of great kids books for 25 cents or so at most goodwill or thrift stores.  Make it a point to stop in every time you pass by one.  I added about 60 books to our shelves  for less than 25 dollars just by hunting in all kinds of thrift stores over the course of four weeks. That and a case of baby wipes and diapers - those will never go to waste!

[Blayzes Mommy]

DH and I's pregnancy was a surprize ( not an unpleasant one though!)  Newly weds... ect.. I have been garage saleing like crazy with my mother... and we've pretty much picked up almost everything we will need. It was a great way for us to spend time together and get abit of exercise on-top of it.  Hitting up the re-sales is also great as suggested.

If you wanna go less practical and more for "mommy to be" I 2x a maternity store giftcard for clothes... I can't say how nice it was for my mom to treat me to some higher quality bras I couldn't afford.  That and having a few shirts that don't inch up my belly when I wear them is nice.  I managed a nice pair of maternity jeans and 2 shirts so when we do go out and do stuff I'm not so self-conciouse,  Which I wouldn't be surpized if she is/will be.  A little comfort will go a long way.

[cwtmommy]

IF i was pregnant at 18 and people were giving me gifts, I'd want all the expensive gifts like stroller, car seat, high chair, crib etc. I feel like at 18 I wouldn't have funds or a stable well paying job...so I'd want people to get me all the expensive stuff LOL

[insidevoice]

I think it would depend on her situation.  If she has good family support and will be living at home (comfortably) and continuing her education her needs might not be the same as an 18 year old trying to find her way in the world on her own with a baby. 

If she's staying at home- maybe an offer to help recreate her bedroom into a family room for she and the baby- this could be cheap and take less than a day to pull off- slap some paint on the walls, set up a sleep-space for baby (a Moses basket?)  some adult space for her to relax and unwind- a comfortable chair perhaps?  An offer to look at what she has to work with and go from there.  

I was a young parent the first time, and overwhelmed by all I thought I had to have. 

Having a baby when you are young (and I was a few years older!) is hard- you are trying to straddle that gap between being you- and still figuring that out, and being a parent- which is a really scary thought and feels like you have to give up the person you are to do it right.  A space to live in that bridges that gap comfortably while retaining some of the fun of being young and excitement about the world can be a really amazing anchor.