The hunt for baby shower gifts.
Today Bill, Logan & I did some shopping. It's Bills' day off & we needed to go get some things for his sisters baby shower this weekend. The girl is having three different showers. One from her "husbands" (they are common law married, we guess) side of the family, one from her co-workers & then another one from other friends & Bills' side of the family. The one this weekend...50 + people are expected to attend. Yeah. She's never going to have to buy anything for the baby. Ever.

I've been trying to think of things to get for her that no one else would think to buy. She most definitely does not need any more clothes. A friend of hers gave her a huge box & then she has two garbage bags full from us. We joked that she would never have to do laundry. It's probably true.

So I've been thinking about the products that we use regularly & absolutely love. When Logan was born, my Aunt & cousins sent a "baby shower in a box"(thanks again family!). The best present ever? Cloth diapers. This is by far the most used item in our house. They were a God sent burp cloth when Logan would spit up exorcist style due to my fast let-down. When that whole situation resolved, they were great at catching drool & something for Logan to chew on. I've used them as diapers when Logan needed some "airing out" time. When he's in the car seat & doing "binky tricks", I use one to prop under his chin to keep it in his mouth. I use one as a napkin on his lap in addition to his bib when he eats breakfast & lunch. They've become a soother "blanket" for him too. If he's in the car seat or in his swing, I place it over his chest & up by his cheek. He grabs it, rubs his face in it to snuggle & falls asleep...instantly. This was the first thing on my list to buy for her.

Then after Logan had been home for a couple of days, his skin was a little dry & he was starting to get cradle cap. It's not uncommon living in the mile-high dry climate of Colorado. There were all sorts of home remedies, one of them being olive oil. I liked the idea, but not the smell. So we bought Burts Bees Apricot Oil. It totally did the trick. Not only was Logans skin soft, but he smelled so good. We got her a bottle of this too.

In the never ending task of diaper changing, there are a ton of great products. I didn't want to get her a pack of diapers because I've found that diapers are like jeans. They fit every baby differently. I have found the most awesome wipes though. Lansinoh Clean & Condition Cloths are so soft & they help protect against diaper rash. Logan never has had a really bad rash because we use these.

The other never ending baby task? Feeding. Boiling water to sterilize bottles & such is the biggest pain in the butt. We found some micro-steam bags that make cleaning really easy. I love them & use them every morning after pumping milk to mix with Logans rice cereal.

The one thing I really wanted to get, but has been impossible to find, is the book "Why Babies Do That" by Jennifer Margulis. I've read great reviews on it & sounds like a wonderful, fun book for the first time parent. I mainly wanted to get it for her husband because he's riddled with worry & has been the entire pregnancy. Bills' sister has had two miscarriages & they've been keeping their fingers crossed that everything will be ok. If he's worried now, just wait until the baby is born. It gets a bit worse. This book is a fun way to explain all of the funny things that babies do. It's so popular that it's out of stock in every single book store here in Colorado. I'm going to have to order it online if she doesn't end up getting a copy from someone else at the one of many showers.

These are the items that I have so far. Practical & very useful, even if someone else gets her exactly the same thing.