baby blankets on the cheap
Far be it for me, a Cookie blogger, to cast aspersions on Babble's pricey recommendations for baby blankets. That might be a little bit of pot calling kettle black. But you know what? I'm gonna do it anyway because this is my blog and my editor says I can say whatever I want. And really, shame on you Babble for suggesting the best baby blankie of all should cost $137 (it's cashmere, dahling!). Cashmere. For a spitting, snotting, drooling baby. GMAB.
A little research and see what I found:
A piddly $11 gets you one of these soft, sweet homemade Smushies, so named because creator Jules Goldin's baby smushes his up to his face. Plush and tactile and pretty and cheap! Indeed, if you lose it you aren't going to be murdering your checking account to replace it. You can even splash out for 2 right off the bat and not be afraid of homelessness if your tot drops it on the way home from the park! Heck, get 3. Live dangerously! You're still not up to the bottom-priced Babble pick. Order here.
And may I suggest this as the perfect baby shower present? Especially if you're a cheapmommy like me, and double-especially if you're attending one of those "second baby" baby showers (complete with pricey registry), which I trashed so thoroughly...
What's your favorite thing to give as a baby shower prez?
p.s. *If you're looking for a great summer swimsuit, go here (the Crabmommy's personal blog) for the chance to win $100 in swimwear from Land's End.
Good frickin' grief. Babble can be so precious. Anyhoo, my post-baby shower presents are different from pre-baby shower gifts when I didn't have a clue. Babies do not need blankets, in fact the AAP recommends against having them in the crib for the first year and you're really not supposed to use them in the car. Maybe they could be useful in a stroller, but my kid kicks them off. Babies have zero interest in stuffed animals for at least fourteen months (that's as far as I have parented). The cutsie-poopsie outfits should be kept to a minimum, especially in the beginning. Socks? no, they don't stay on. Paci's? some babies don't take them.
Robeez, or cheap knock-offs, are useful, because they help keep the socks on. This toy is worth it's weight in gold:
http://www.lorenz-toys.de/11.0.html
It doesn't look like much, but the strings at the end can be used to divert attention from tempting electrical cords and the beads are fun to chew on. This thing https://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspx?toyId=58
holds an allure from a very young age. Not the usual baby shower stuff, but this stuff works.
I do have a blanket of this expense or more for my daughter and for the one on the way, BUT its cost was in the yarn her grandmother selected and in the time of her loving labor. But you know what, my daughter could care less about her hooded cashmere/silk blanket and matching teddy bear that her Grandma knitted her. The one we will be in trouble over if we ever lose is the now dingy and grimey butterfly adorned fleece from Target that probably cost 5 bucks! The other will have a special heirloom place, but "blankie" is the one that soothes her and is in all the photos. Someday, I'll turn it into a pillow sham or something. Actually, I'll ask Grandma to do it!
Target blankets rock! Blankets come in very handy in cooler weather when you need something to throw over the car seat on the way to and from the car. My father bought my daughter a fur blanket which I thought was over the top until February came...then the blanket made perfect sense. The blankets suggested in this blog seem nice and practical. I'll check it out.
As for shower stuff...every child is different, so I really don't know what to say about this. There are obvious things that are for show and are totally not practical. However, I don't know what to say about other things. I really felt a lot of pressure my first few weeks of motherhood because, despite popular belief, my daughter hated a paci and couldn't stand being swaddled. But I am not sure to say "pooh" to pacis and a (Miracle) blanket. The best gifts are what I asked for and what is my standard baby shower gift (regardless of the registry...which I didn't have): diapers, wipes and laundry detergent. I had enough to last me for 4 months...praise God!
My girls are now 3.5 and 2, they prefer towels. They come cheap, tons of colors and are much better to clean up spills than chenille ;)
Amanda
Crabtot unfortunately got attached to a way-pricey baby blankie that she received as a present when she was born. Silky on one side and fleecy on the other. But when Mommy left "Bangy" up a mountain ravine, cheaper measures proves okay. i bought a nice replacement online that was a pale imitation of the original. No matter, Bangy #2 (sometimes known as "New-New") is just as loved. Thank God.