Affordable Baby Shower Gift Basket

As we all know, babies are expensive! Even if you aren’t the one having the baby, the amount of money that can go into a gift can sometimes be very outrageous. Recently, Cyle’s brother had his first child and I was really looking forward to the baby shower, but I was concerned about how much to spend, and what to get. Hey, I’ve never had a baby, how much could they need? Answer: EVERYTHING!

This baby shower was especially exciting for everyone in Cyle’s family because it was the first baby girl in YEARS! So you can see why I went a little crazy with the gift.

A gift basket can go one of two ways, extremely affordable or extremely expensive. Just remember when shopping for gift baskets, the Dollar Store is your best friend! I always hit up the Dollar Stores in town before any other store, and always come out with more than necessary because I find it impossible to pass up a good deal. My favorite store to go to is Deals. They have home decor, food, some craft items, and holiday decor.

From my gift giving experience, and all of the thanks I received from family for this gift, here is what I have gathered about baby shower gifts:

• The most important things to include are what the new parents need, not the newest and coolest gadget out there.
• You don’t need to include EVERYTHING, but feel free to!
• Books! Babies outgrow their clothes and baby toys like crazy, but books can last for years (unless the baby chews up the corners).
• Bottles, burp cloths, and baby powder. What new parent doesn’t want extra of these? You never know when you may run out!
• A gift that meant something special to you growing up. It not only adds sentimental value to you for the gift, it also adds some personalization to the gift as well.

So what did I give that was so well received? And how much did it cost?

• Baby Einstein collection -$25 (Target) This was my “splurge” gift to include.
• Dr. Seuss Collection -$18 (Target) This was my sentimental/personal gift. Growing up I loved Dr. Seuss, and still do! It also included my favorite childrens book, The Lorax.
• Adorable Elephant burp rags $5 (Target)
• Flamingo onsie $5 (Target)
• Pink tote $12 (Target)
• 2 BPA free Baby bottles $1 each (Deals)
• Baby Bottle Brush $1 (Deals)
• Baby Powder $1 (Deals)
• Baby Shampoo $1(Deals)
• Baby Oil $1 (Deals)
• 2 pack pacifiers $1 (Deals)
• Noise rattle $1 (Deals)
• 2 tubes of Diaper Rash Ointment (Deals)

Grand Total: $63.00

*This was also not including my Target Cartwheel coupon I used which saved me a few bucks off of the Target items. This gift was also from Cyle and I, so the price for it was really divided up between two people.

Originally, I was not going to purchase the two semi-pricey book collections, I was just going to buy one or two cheaper books. But when comparing prices and value, I ended up purchasing both collections. For an even more affordable basket, you could exclude the expensive book collections and opt for one or two individual books. I was going to buy 2 mini-sized Dr. Seuss books for $7 each, but thought the collection had more value (and it included about 6 stories).

Overall, this was a more affordable option for a gift and included fun and practical items. How about you guys? Any successful and affordable gift ideas you care to share? If everyone around me keeps having babies like they have been, I’ll need some more ideas!