The perfect baby shower gift basket

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When I first found out I was pregnant with my son, I was excited, just like every new mom. Unfortunately, when reality set in that I was becoming a mom, I realized that I was lost when it came to necessities. Thankfully, the staff at Babies "R" Us was there to assist me with my registry; and through that registry, I was able to come up with the perfect baby shower gift for all of my friends. 

Babies "R" Us stores nationwide love to help out soon-to-be parents and offer two events to help out: the Registry 101 Event and the Registry Completion Event. The Registry 101 event, which is held on the 1st Saturday of every month, is targeted towards prenatal moms who are setting up registries or exploring the registry process. At the event, registry experts help guide mothers through the registry process. The Registry Completion Event, which is held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, is targeted towards mothers that have already had their babies and need to close out their registries. The best thing about having a registry with Babies "R" Us is that they offer a completion discount for all items on registry not purchased, and you can get that discount on that day, if you prefer.

Being a mom is a "learn as you go" type of gig, but when it comes to giving gifts to a new mom, I like to use my knowledge from my registry events and add all of my favorite things to make it the perfect baby shower gift basket.

blanket

The one thing that I always add to any baby shower gift is a cozy blanket. Blankets are the one thing that new moms need an abundance of: they are great for keeping baby warm, for being a stand in play mat, for cleaning up baby messes (vomit, etc), for being a pillow... they have so many uses. 

teether

Alot of new moms don't think of putting a teether on a baby registry for one reason: they don't think that they will need it until baby starts teething. That's why I love to include one! So when she actually does need it, she will have it. 

baby bottles

Being a new mom so many years ago, I was lost when it came to bottles. Sure, every person and their sister's best friend's neighbor from across the street were giving me recommendations, but in the end, I had to figure it out for myself. 

My favorite brand of bottle became the Playtex baby bottle products: Playtex VentAire® & Playtex Nurser with Drop-Ins® Liners. The Playtex VentAire® and Playtex Nurser with Drop-Ins® Liners are BPA free and both were a “Mom’s Pick Best of 2017” finalist in the BabyCenter Awards, which is a great distinction because the BabyCenter awards are determined by a vote of moms on BabyCenter. 

The first bottle I tried was the Playtex Nurser with Drop-Ins® Liners. Since I wanted to breastfeed, the bottle was/is clinically proven to be closer to breastfeeding with easy-to-dispose liner for extra convenience. 

The liners come pre-formed and pre-sterilized and are easy to use- there is no assembly required. All you have to do is place a liner into the nurser bottle, fill, and then discard once baby is finished. The bottle is closer to breastfeeding because the liner gently collapses like Mom’s breast as baby feeds. Baby sucks and swallows in a coordinated rhythm that mimics natural breastfeeding, so baby breathes more naturally during feeding. Therefore, it's easy to switch between breast and bottle feeding. 

From the store, the Playtex Nurser with Drop-Ins® Liners comes with a NaturaLatch® Nipple (which has a natural wide shape and raised texture) to help baby latch on naturally, but can be used with any Playtex nipple to meet the baby’s unique feeding preference.

Once my son grew older, we switched to the Playtex VentAire®, since he had some reflux, and the Playtex VentAire® is for less colic and reflux for happy feeding. 

The Playtex VentAire® bottle has a unique bottom vent designed to keep air at back of bottle and out of the baby’s tummy, micro-channel vents keep air at the back of the bottle as baby drinks, so virtually no air mixes with the milk and gets into baby's tummy meaning less gas, spit-up and overall fussiness, an angled design to promote a semi-upright feeding position to help prevent ear infections, and comes with a NaturaLatch® Nipple to helps baby latch on naturally. The Playtex VentAire® can also be used with any Playtex nipple to please the baby. 

Since the Playtex baby bottle products are my favorite brand of bottles and I had so much luck with them, I include them in my gift. And I always buy them from Babies "R" Us stores, since they have a great selection of products and always have sales going on. *bottle can generally be found in the aisles closest to the front doors*

bottle brush

I've had a lot of experience with bottle brushes and after testing many different brands out, I finally found one that doesn't produce water blow back. I ALWAYS include it in my baby shower gifts. It helps for one reason: the new parents don't have to do the testing that I did and they can just focus on the little squishy person that they made.

odds and ends

Along with a blanket, teether, bottles, and a bottle brush, I also like to add odds and ends depending on the mother and father. Those odds and ends can include nipple cream if mom is going to breast feed, ear plugs for dad, a travel pack of baby wash accessories, headache pills, maybe a coupon book for "free baby sitting", and maybe a few free movie box codes. 

I have given a few friends my gift baskets and they have all loved them. I generally buy all of my gift basket contents at Babies "R" Us because of the selection, ease of returns, and of course, because most moms are registered there anyways. If you are an expecting mom, I highly recommend looking into the Babies "R" Us registry and their store events. 

What would you include in the perfect baby shower gift basket?