As any parent will tell you, parenthood is a magical, beautiful rollercoaster of emotions. Pride, love and awe are the prevailing emotions, but it is fair to say that, at some point, most parents feel exhausted, helpless and more than a little bit overwhelmed. After all, they go from having to worry about just themselves and maybe a pet or two, to being responsible for a whole, tiny, demanding human being!
Friends tend to fall into one of three camps: been there, done that; I know how you feel because I feel the same; and I have no idea how you feel, but….WOW! Whichever camp you belong to, you will understandably want to give a special Christmas gift to mark Baby’s first Christmas. Here are some ideas for baby – and their parents, too.
Christmas Decoration
Yes, it may be a bit obvious, but you really can’t go wrong with a special, personalised Christmas decoration. This decoration will come out year on year; one day, that tiny bundle of joy will be big enough to put the decoration on the tree herself!
When choosing a Christmas tree decoration, try to bear in mind that trends change over the years, so choose neutral colours to ensure that your gift will look fabulous on the tree for years – maybe even generations – to come. This tree decoration in wood and glass is beautiful; a little bit different while being timelessly elegant.
Parents’ Time Out
This may not be a conventional gift for a baby but trust us: children need time out from their parents as much as their parents need a break. Even the tiniest babies pick up on their parents’ stress and anxiety and, colic or other issues notwithstanding, as a general rule, happy, relaxed parents = happy baby.
It’s not advisable that you wrestle a new born baby out of his or her doting parents’ arms but at some point within the first year of the baby’s life, his parents may well want to leave the house in clothes that don’t bear the slight aroma of sour milk.
A gift certificate promising one night, afternoon, or even morning of babysitting when the parents are ready, is a lovely gift; we’re not saying that parenting is a punishment, but that gift may well be the get-out-of-jail-free card that carries them through sleepless nights.
Photo Album
With the rise of digital, photo albums are sadly falling by the wayside, and we think that’s a real shame. After all, children aren’t going to be able to flick through their parents’ phones or tablets in years to come. A beautiful photo album is a great idea; depending on the stress levels and time constraints of the parents, you might want to take it a step further and compile the album for them.
You can do this in one of two ways: either give the baby a special blank photo album and the parents a voucher to get photos printed (with a promise that you will compile the album once the pictures arrive), or give the baby a voucher for an online photo-book which you will compile once the parents have given you their special photos.
If you’re feeling brave, you can choose and print the photos of yourself – just be sensitive to pictures that the parents may not want immortalised (e.g. muffin tops and eye bags).
Family Hamper
Parents, siblings and baby all have different needs and it is important that nobody is forgotten at Christmas! This can be challenging, not to mention expensive but a hamper is a simple way to get around it.
While it is lovely to spoil the baby, they won’t know any different. A hamper of treats for all the family will go down beautifully and will be enjoyed by the family members who are able to say “thank you”.
If you really want to get something for everyone, personalised socks are cute and quirky – and will stop the argument over which socks belong to whom…