Gifts for a baby's birth or Christening

Gifts for a baby's birth or Christening

Obviously lovely baby clothes, practical gifts and keepsakes all have their place and may be what the parents need or want, but here are a few ideas if you want to add that extra wow-factor for thoughtful and unusual gifts that will make them smile.


A thoughtful and beautiful framed picture

The Day That is a small company that have a photographer who captures the sunrise each and every day and has done so since 1st July 2005. You can select a particular photo, the frame and the size and then they will add a few words by hand at the bottom for you. I have these for the days my children were born, and have given them as birth, wedding and christening gifts since first receiving one myself. They are beautiful on the wall, haven't faded a bit and make me smile each time I pass them.


Flower bouquet with a twist

Flowers are lovely, but short-lived and generally arrive in floods after a baby is born. Consider this beautiful, practical and long-lasting bouquet as an alternative gift for the new baby www.babyblooms.co.uk; several colours, sizes and styles are available, and each bouquet has flowers or buds which are made of baby clothes!


Original and/or sentimental books, first editions

Buy or hunt out an original version of your favourite childhood book e.g. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice In Wonderland, Black Beauty, The Magic Faraway Tree, etc.. . Include a note to say "I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did" or something similar, so it's clear that it's a thought-about gift. Try Oxfam's Antiquarian, rare and collectable books or Abe Books' rare and collectible section where depending on budget, you can get rare first editions or second hand copies of old classics. Alternatively, charity shops are useful hunting grounds; I've previously found lots of classic annuals such as Rupert Bear and Dennis the Menace which make nice memento gifts and are inexpensive. Buy wisely and you may find that your gift goes up in value over time!


Royal Mint Gifts

Something small and collectible that can be seen as an investment for a baby's future are special Royal Mint coins which have historically gained in value over time. For those parents strapped for space amongst new prams, baby baths, cots and baby gyms, this may be a very welcome present as well as a thoughtful one.


Food delivery

When a new baby arrives, time for cooking and shopping go into the ether, so a lovely and practical gift would be either a meal delivery service voucher or (if practical) a voucher for your own food deliveries.

If you don't have time or it's not geographically practical to be the cook yourself, then the food at Cook comes highly recommended. They have over eighty shops nationwide, but also provide a delivery service whereby you can get home-cooked, frozen food delivered to the recipient's door. You can choose from a huge range of dishes, and most dietary requirements are catered for too. Throw in puddings for an extra treat!


If you are cooking then write out a card with something along the lines of "This voucher guarantees the bearer a fully cooked family meal to be delivered ready to put in the oven, by 5pm on Mondays and Fridays for 4 weeks" The voucher card could be given accompanied by a healthy food hamper or fruit basket e.g. M&S fruit basket