I have had the pleasure of attending baby showers for new moms and now grandmothers—yes, grandmothers. We grandmothers need our nursery stash as well. And what better excuse for a party than a grandmother shower for a friend?
When your gift giving calls for something unique for a new mom, give a gift that is special and sentimental. Here are some of the items I have given to family members and close friends.
When my Eric and Katie were expecting Hays, I presented them with one of Eric’s outfits for Hays to wear home from the hospital. It has Eric’s monogram on it, making it very special for his firstborn to wear. I hope Hays’s firstborn son will wear it in years to come and just maybe I will still be here to see it.
A friend of mine, Martha, had crocheted blankets for my twins when they were born. So when her son was expecting his first child, I found one of those blankets and gave it back to them with a note about the miles that were rocked with this blanket around my babies. I told them that Martha had made the blanket and I was giving it to them for more rocker mileage. They absolutely loved it.
When I announced that I was going to be a grandmother six years ago, one of our readers sent me her daughter’s feeding bowl. I was so touched and could hardly believe it. When I called to thank her, she told me that her daughter had passed away and she wanted this lovely bowl to be cherished. I cherish it, and in fact I have it displayed in my nursery. I think about her every time I see it.
Look around your home and find family treasures to pass to your grandchildren. Sometimes it’s the legacy that makes a gift so special. Be sure and tell the story that goes with your gift. If you still have baby cups and silver spoons from your children, get them out and use them for your grandchildren and tell stories about their parents. It is a joy to talk about your own.
What great baby gift ideas do you have?
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Comments 27
I have to agree with Sylvia on the subject of a magazine dedicated to the babies. They are the most precious gift and miracle that we receive. God’s true miracles!
Loved this post…one of my very favorite and am so enjoying your Journal!
I absolutely love being a grandparent! One of the things I am doing is writing a kind of diary for my granddaughter to read when she is older. It contains my first thoughts of her, and I share my love for her. I include things from my daily life and my special family memories. I don’t get to see her often, but I want to be an influence in her life. Perhaps one day she will read this and know how much I loved her, and she may even pass this down to her children for them to read.
I think Dorthy has the right idea…if Hoffman media could come out with one of your Special Bliss magazines in honour of babies it would be one that all mothers, grandmothers and yes, great-grandmothers like myself would purchase. Babies are cherished enough. Too many anti-life forces have loud voices…..let us hear from Victoria media a pro-baby, pro-love, pro-marriage magazines that tell us these are the values to cherish for the 21st century.
Love the items you show us in this post.
With a joyful heart,
When I was born my father sent orchids in a shell vase to the hospital that became corsages for my mother and I to wear home. When my daughter was born, he did the same. With a great story of looking all over town for a shell vase. (I still have silk orchids in it.). When my grandaughter was born I continued the tradition.
When I attended the first baby shower for each of my daughters, I gave her her baby book, cross-stitched quilt made by her grandmother, her first dress and crotched booties. Thank you for this little trip down Memory Lane!
This has been my favorite post Phyllis! I wish with all my heart that Hoffman Media would come out with a magazine or specialty publication dedicated to babies. So many of the special traditions that you mention seem to be fading. Each baby shower I am honored to attend gives me a wonderful opportunity to knit or crochet something special for the new Mother and baby. It is fun to be able to choose a theme or something very special to that particular recipient. Thank you again for adding such joy to my day!
Phyllis it is wonderful that your journal reminds us of what really matters in life. It brightens my day. Thanks so much.
Phyllis, I love how you write from the heart.
My boys now 24 and 20 have baby china. I used it especially for all those firsts…first baby cereal, fruit, vegie, etc and of course their First Birthday. I love the Bunnykin and Beatrice Potter patterns and have their sets displayed in my hutch along with their bronzed shoes.
My favorite thing to do is to incorporate them especially at Easter time on my dinner table. An unexpected surprise for the butter and relishes.
When my mom was alive she would make baby bonnets out of bridal hankies. All hand sewn and french hemmed. They came with a verse about the baby wearing home from the hospital or on their christening day and that someday they could present the bonnet to their bride if a boy or the bride could carry her own bonnet. You see snipping just a few threads brings it back to the original hankie. Looking forward to sharing my first borns with his new bride in 2016!
I made those hats too for all my friends kids when they were born and for my children’s friends as they started having children of their own. It was
so special to see those brides carrying the hankie that was once worn upon their heads coming home from the hospital and/or on their christening day. A full circle indeed.
Great ideas. Treasures to be treasured for years to come.
I am the grandmother of twin boys who are now almost 16 and when they were born my mom made them beautiful sweaters, hats, and booties. My mother started this tradition of giving those to everyone that had a baby so they could wear them home from the hospital. Now my daughter is holding on to those sets in hopes of passing them down to her grandchildren in the future. My mother had two sets of twin girls. After being married for 10 years without children she had one set and five years later the second set. It did skip a generation and then my daughter had them. Back in the 40’s this was a rare event !One of the department stores in our town sent my mom two sets of sterling baby silverware as a gift. I am so proud to be the grandmother of twins. Twice blessed!!
That is just fabulous!!!! I am so happy for you.
I saved a couple of the plant containers that I received when each of my children were born and in turn gave them to my kids with the birth of their children. They were very surprised that I had saved them and really loved them.
The other special thing that my husband’s grandmother made was a blanket that was made for her future great, great grandchildren. She had passed away by the time my grandchildren came along, so my children were very surprise and touched when they received that handmade gift from their great grandmother at their baby showers.
I plan to knit some blankets for my great grandchildren as well and put them away with a note.
What a great idea!!!
I am making burp cloths from soft toweling and scraps of fabrics that I already have. And smaller matching wash cloths. Embelleshing with yo yos and ribbons. All this with a to-be grandmother friend in mind.
What a wonderful idea. I love embellishing with ribbons and fabrics.
I love to give book showers for either the parents or grandparents. The cherished book can be a sentimental and very special gift.
I am going to be a first time grandmother of twin boys! I am giving a baby shower luncheon for my daughter-in-law. I am giving her two sets of silver baby spoons and forks that were my son’s with a little history of each set. I hope she will cherish them as much as I did .
When my daughter was expecting her first baby and my first grandchild, my staff at work gave me a surprise Grandma Baby Shower. I was overwhelmed with their thoughtfulness. It meant all the more to me because I did not have any baby showers when I was expecting either of my children. This generous gift of a Grandma Baby Shower filled that empty need so beautifully. Thanks for sharing your story. Being a grandmother is the best.
Beautiful post, Phyllis. Being a grandmother is such an absolute joy. There is nothing like your child placing his/her brand-new child in your arms. I saved many, many things from when my boys were babies, and many of them have been fully used, from the bassinet my grandmother “dressed” for them, as is done in old Cuban-European tradition (I actually have a post about it in my blog), to clothes and toys. Some of the clothes now are baby wear for doll babies, and that’s okay with me too. We also still have the Bunnykins sets the boys used only for special holiday meals, but now they’ve been the everyday dishes for the grands, and when the third grand came along we bought a set of the same vintage at an antique store, so each will have his/her own set to pass on.
My family fled from Cuba in the early ’60s, so needless to say we didn’t bring much to pass on (my grandmother did have the foresight to bring some of the lovely dresses she made for me), so I’ve always been very careful to preserve what I could for our boys and their babies. What joy to see these things back in use!
Thanks for a lovely post, Phyllis.
What a charming story. Thank you sharing with us.
love this + although not a grandmother yet + can’t wait to be one. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
Thank you Laurie. I means so much that you wrote today.
I love this post because finally after 12 years of being a mother in law…. my son & daughter in law are expecting twins at the end of this year/1st of 2015…and as that new song goes….”I feel hap-pey, hap-pey, hap-pey!” I’ve wanted to be a Grandma for a looooong time!
My twins are 33 and it has been so much fun. I prayed for twins and was jubilant when I found out there were two babies coming. Being a grandmother is the best. Gigi
I love this post, Phyllis, along with everything you post. I don’t comment near enough, but I am enjoying your inspiring Journal!