baby shower gift ?

[Farrar]

Brother and sil are having a baby. They have made some... interesting... choices about what to ask for for the shower. Basically, they're poor students but sil has expensive tastes and asked for a ton of pricey stuff that I think is pretty darn useless. I was saying to a friend how they got a really expensive crib and I was like, I never even used the crib and he was like, yeah, we got a cheap one but it was still the most expensive laundry basket I ever bought. To be fair, they also asked for cheaper daily type stuff, but... I don't know... I'm sort of of the thinking that the best gift should be good for the giftee, but also reflect the giver a little. And in terms of baby gear... ack. I think most of it is a waste. And that you don't even know what you're going to need until post baby for the first baby. Beforehand, you're just guessing. Half the stuff we were given got used half a dozen times at most, but then we were out buying crap months later that we'd realized was the crap we actually needed.

 

Anyway, I want to go off registry and get them something more practical. I found this, which is a thing for three months worth of diapers. I feel like, hey, what could be better for a not too rich couple than to pay for their diapers. They pick the brand and size and can stagger it, I do know they're planning on disposables, so I feel like it's a good basic gift for anyone. Thoughts? Good deal? Bad deal? Terrible idea? My mother thinks it's a terrible idea, but everything on the list was either overpriced (and I mean way overpriced) designer crib linens or piddly stuff like burp cloths or packs of onesies.

 

http://www.incredibundles.com/diaper-bundles/

 

 

[J-rap]

Wow, I think it's a great idea!  I've never heard of it, but I can't imagine her not thinking it's super helpful.

[Spryte]

I gave my brother and SIL a year of diapers for their second baby. They still think it was the best gift ever.

 

So, maybe I'm biased - but I think it's a great idea!

[ktgrok]

I think it is a fantastic gift and very generous. 

[HomeAgain]

I did something similar years ago but got certificates for a specific brand. It was very much welcomed! They weren't overwhelmed with newborn size and could pick when they needed them instead of having boxes sit around for months.

[tm919]

My typical baby shower gift is a giant box of diapers with a receipt, plus a token small thing off their registry.

 

I'd only be reluctant with the bundle because I don't know anything about that seller (e.g., if they don't send on time, the baby could grow out of the size in that time!)

[ktgrok]

Just read the details and saw that they can spread out the deliveries, so if others give them a ton of newborn diapers they can wait and use it when they need it. I think it is fantastic. And I love that it comes with a cute teddy bear and gift box, so it LOOKS cute at the shower, but is totally practical. Win win. (heck, i cloth diaper and still think this is fantastic!)

[momto10blessings]

I think that is an AWESOME gift! I would love that.

[My4arrows]

I think this would be a great gift.  They may not realize how great until later, but not having to spend the money on diapers will be huge!  The only negative it seems from that site is that it only offers pampers or huggies and what if those brands don't work for them?  We cloth diaper, but when we do use disposable, there are only a couple of brands of diapers that don't give my kids rashes or leak.  The only other thing I didn't see on there is what they consider to be a month's shipment?  If it's just 3 boxes total for a 3 month supply, then it's overpriced IMO.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Clmegancm

[ktgrok]

I think this would be a great gift.  They may not realize how great until later, but not having to spend the money on diapers will be huge!  The only negative it seems from that site is that it only offers pampers or huggies and what if those brands don't work for them?  We cloth diaper, but when we do use disposable, there are only a couple of brands of diapers that don't give my kids rashes or leak.

 

They offer luvs as well. 

[Ellie]

Brother and sil are having a baby. They have made some... interesting... choices about what to ask for for the shower. Basically, they're poor students but sil has expensive tastes and asked for a ton of pricey stuff that I think is pretty darn useless. I was saying to a friend how they got a really expensive crib and I was like, I never even used the crib and he was like, yeah, we got a cheap one but it was still the most expensive laundry basket I ever bought. To be fair, they also asked for cheaper daily type stuff, but... I don't know... I'm sort of of the thinking that the best gift should be good for the giftee, but also reflect the giver a little. And in terms of baby gear... ack. I think most of it is a waste. And that you don't even know what you're going to need until post baby for the first baby. Beforehand, you're just guessing. Half the stuff we were given got used half a dozen times at most, but then we were out buying crap months later that we'd realized was the crap we actually needed.

 

Anyway, I want to go off registry and get them something more practical. I found this, which is a thing for three months worth of diapers. I feel like, hey, what could be better for a not too rich couple than to pay for their diapers. They pick the brand and size and can stagger it, I do know they're planning on disposables, so I feel like it's a good basic gift for anyone. Thoughts? Good deal? Bad deal? Terrible idea? My mother thinks it's a terrible idea, but everything on the list was either overpriced (and I mean way overpriced) designer crib linens or piddly stuff like burp cloths or packs of onesies.

 

http://www.incredibundles.com/diaper-bundles/

 

Sounds like a great idea to me. :-)

[Farrar]

Okay, I'm doing it! I just needed the Hive approval after my mother was so disapproving. I still can't figure out why, but whatever. If someone had arranged diapers for any amount of time for us, we would have been thrilled.

 

I will always remember once when my twins had just turned 3 and potty trained, I was at Costco and you know how sometimes they come over to try and upsell your membership? Well, the woman told me how much I'd spent at Costco over the previous year and I nearly had a heart attack. I left the store feeling so crazy, I was like, oh my gosh, soooooo much money. But then, as I walked to the car I suddenly realized it was diapers! It was diapers! Like, half that money was diapers and we didn't need them anymore! I literally felt my body relax and take this involuntary deep breath. Oh, the money you spend on diapers!

[JustEm]

Diapers were the absolute best gift I got with any kids. A very close second was the robe my sil got me because I wore it while recovering from my csection and it was super warm.

 

All the other stuff was just nice to get and a lot of duplicates I ended up returning. All the big equipment we got used from friends and family who were doone with theirs.

[MercyA]

I love it, especially with the teddy bear included. My mom still talks about the (cloth) diaper service her grandma paid for when she had her first baby. She was young and poor and it was much appreciated!

[rocassie]

This is a GREAT gift, and I don't think they will mind at all not getting something off their registry.  Most new parents to be I know would be thrilled.  Maybe it's not as "fun" of a gift to open, but they will be glad to have it once they start needing all those diapers.  

[Farrar]

I told the kids they could each pick a favorite board book so there's something fun to open from us at the shower. Maybe I'll throw in The Read Aloud Handbook. And it comes with a little teddy bear, which I think is sweet.

[Baseball mom]

I think the idea is awesome!  I always give diapers  and usually in size 1 or 2, never newborn.  

 

When I was expecting I was given a lot of second hand items and clothes (and was totally fine, actually very happy about it) so a friend of mine gave me a "diaper shower".  Where I received tons of diapers (various sizes) and wipes.  :hurray:.  

And if ds started to grow out of a size before I ran out of that size I took the unopened packs to the store and exchanged them. Think I only had to do that with some newborn sizes.  

[gardenmom5]

If you want to buy diapers - go for it.

 

or you could just give them gift cards and she can see how far money does NOT go . . . .

[Carrie12345]

My aunt gave three relatives (babies all within a year of each other) a year of diapers through Amazon.  Wonderful, thoughtful, generous gift!

The light was a little dimmed when 2 of the showers came with requests for a pack of diapers from each guest.

 

Of course you can never have too many diapers, but sheesh!

[Farrar]

My aunt gave three relatives (babies all within a year of each other) a year of diapers through Amazon.  Wonderful, thoughtful, generous gift!

The light was a little dimmed when 2 of the showers came with requests for a pack of diapers from each guest.

 

Of course you can never have too many diapers, but sheesh!

 

Do you know how they gave that through Amazon? I looked but didn't see a deal like that on there but I thought that would be a good way to do it.

[Loowit]

I think it is a great gift if you know that they are using disposable diapers.  I used cloth, so it wouldn't have worked for me.

[heartlikealion]

As long as they can use one of those brands (like their baby isn't sensitive to the brands and it fits the baby properly) then it sounds like a very clever and thoughtful gift. Also, if they can remember to keep up with the website to schedule deliveries. If it's something they will forget about or find a hassle then I don't know. But you probably already considered that.

 

I think if someone's list is too expensive you can sometimes find the equivalent item on another site or another brand. Someone that works with dh had a baby shower where everything was from Babies R Us. I found the same items on Amazon and ordered them there.

 

 

[Carrie12345]

Do you know how they gave that through Amazon? I looked but didn't see a deal like that on there but I thought that would be a good way to do it.

 

I'm not really certain.  I believe it may have been marketed through Amazon Mom?  Really it boiled down to a dollar amount gift card, so that "year" didn't have a set expiration.  I'll have to ask my sister.

[gardenmom5]

I think it is a great gift if you know that they are using disposable diapers.  I used cloth, so it wouldn't have worked for me.

 

 

two words.

 

diaper. service.

 

that's what my sister wanted - then she complained when our mother gave me a lump sum (which was significantly less than a service from birth to potty trained) and I used it to purchase used baby items.  I washed my own diapers.

[Carrie12345]

 

 

I think if someone's list is too expensive you can sometimes find the equivalent item on another site or another brand. Someone that works with dh had a baby shower where everything was from Babies R Us. I found the same items on Amazon and ordered them there.

 

I have a tradition of searching Babies R Us registries and then swinging by Target on my way to a shower.  I don't like to buy in advance from somewhere else because of the likelihood of causing repeat gifts.  Not that those are the end of the world, but a lot of ginormously pregnant women don't want to deal with returns and exchanges.

[Chris in VA]

I was going to say, add in a few good board books, but looks like your kids are doing that--Well Done!

[heartlikealion]

I have a tradition of searching Babies R Us registries and then swinging by Target on my way to a shower.  I don't like to buy in advance from somewhere else because of the likelihood of causing repeat gifts.  Not that those are the end of the world, but a lot of ginormously pregnant women don't want to deal with returns and exchanges.

 

I'm not sure if I understand the logic? Do you mean you look at an updated Babies R Us list and know what was/was not purchased yet? How is shopping at Target in particular avoiding a repeat gift?

 

We live 45 min. from the nearest Target and such. She lives close to those places, but we do not and the shower was near us. The registry showed if the items had been bought or not. If others shopped on Amazon like me, it might not show, but I took a gamble and purchased based on the list. I shopped via Prime a few days before the actual event if I recall correctly. I also threw in a not from the list item. If I had shopped at the actual store I would have requested a gift receipt and enclosed it, but I don't know if others did that.

 

[ktgrok]

I'm not sure if I understand the logic? Do you mean you look at an updated Babies R Us list and know what was/was not purchased yet? How is shopping at Target in particular avoiding a repeat gift?

 

 

 

I think she meant that since she waited until she was on the way to the shower she didn't have to worry that someone was going to go to babies R Us AFTER her and buy the same thing she did. 

[heartlikealion]

I think she meant that since she waited until she was on the way to the shower she didn't have to worry that someone was going to go to babies R Us AFTER her and buy the same thing she did. 

 

It was the "from somewhere else" in the sentence that confused me. Maybe I just read into it.

[ktgrok]

It was the "from somewhere else" in the sentence that confused me. Maybe I just read into it.

 

If she bought at Target instead of at the store with the registry say, a week before, someone else might also go buy the same thing, since her Target purchase wouldn't get the item marked as purchased on the registry at BRU. So she didn't want to shop early and have that happen. By waiting until the last minute she avoids that, and the mother to be can manually update the register after the shower. 

[bettyandbob]

I think it's a fantastic gift.

 

However I would not be surprised if it's months before they understand or appreciate. And some people who are into the "specialness" of the stuff may never get it, even if someone got them to stop and think about it. Some people are like that. Still such a gift would have been fantastic for my family.

[MrsWeasley]

I'll be the naysayer. I mostly cloth diapered, but by number three, I had trouble keeping up with the laundry and used sposies, too. Two out of my three kids inherited my sensitive skin and could not use diapers with perfumes. This service only offers one brand of diapers that doesn't contain perfume, which is fine if it fits well, but just like cloth, different sposie brands fit kids better than others. 

[heartlikealion]

If she bought at Target instead of at the store with the registry say, a week before, someone else might also go buy the same thing, since her Target purchase wouldn't get the item marked as purchased on the registry at BRU. So she didn't want to shop early and have that happen. By waiting until the last minute she avoids that, and the mother to be can manually update the register after the shower. 

 

I understand all that, but I'm saying the way I read it was "I don't like to buy from somewhere other than Target in advance" rather than simply, "I don't like to buy from somewhere other than the registry in advance." Lol I am a little slow today. My brain was saying, "why not just say 'I don't like to buy in advance'" but now I understand how it was intended.

 

[ktgrok]

I understand all that, but I'm saying the way I read it was "I don't like to buy from somewhere other than Target in advance" rather than simply, "I don't like to buy from somewhere other than the registry in advance." Lol I am a little slow today. My brain was saying, "why not just say 'I don't like to buy in advance'" but now I understand how it was intended.

 

 

Gotcha. There was a lot at play...buying somewhere cheaper, buying off registry, when to buy, etc. 

[Plink]

Excellent gift!

 

[Eliz]

I would have loved diapers as a gift for my daughters.  It's shocking how much I spent on diapers.   But maybe if your budget allows, you could include a "special" gift such as Christmas ornament as well.  Some type of gift that's memorable.