If you are looking for baby gifts to make but are bored with the standard blanket and baby booties, here are five unique and unusual (yet still functional!) gifts to create that would be perfect baby shower gifts.
Time Capsule - Don't you wish someone had made you a time capsule of things from the year you were born? Collect newspaper and magazine clippings of current events, trends and fashion, a small toy from the most current hot children's movie and last, but not least, take photos of their home and their city! Document their neighborhood, take snapshots at the local grocery store, the post office, cars on the street, the local school, the front of their house, their parents and their family! Include notes from family members and a special letter from you introducing them to the world. Collect it all and put it in a decorative wooden keepsake box, leaving some room for the parents to add some things of their own. Just think what a treasure this will be when they are your age!
Padded Mat - No, it isn't just another boring blanket! This time, create an extra thick and padded blanket, a cushy surface that will be perfect for tummy time, even on hardwood floors. Get creative with it and add "activity" toys to it, such as detachable soft toys, flaps that hide bright pictures and small ribbon tags. You could even line the bottom with waterproof PUL fabric which will turn it into the perfect outside on wet grass park blanket.
Name Blocks - Purchase enough blank wooden blocks at a craft store to spell out baby's name. Decorate each block with the letter an/or images that start with that letter. You could paint with non-toxic acrylic paint, decoupage with paper or fabric or wood burn your design. For design ideas, look at the crib bedding set that the parents registered for and use the same theme or color scheme on your blocks.
Mix CD - Make baby a mix CD? Yes! Create a mix CD of soothing music, classical is an obvious choice but get creative with music in your collection or check out iTunes for lullaby ideas. Alternatively, a fun and upbeat mix of baby friendly music might be just the thing! Face it, most music marketed towards babies is terrible and many parents would love to have a "normal music" CD to listen to that is still baby friendly.
Handmade Books - You can purchase blank board books that are the perfect canvas for your own stories! If baby will live far away from extended family, create a story using real photos of family members so that baby can get to know them. Or, create a funny story about the family pet, your own version of an alphabet book, a picture book with different kinds of cars or butterflies, etc. Draw your own or create collages from actual photographs or magazine pictures.
Have fun creating some unique handmade baby gifts for your next baby shower! These fun projects will be appreciated by both the parents and the baby, which is exactly what a handmade baby gift should be about.
Amber Dusick is the editor of MakeBabyStuff.com at http://www.make-baby-stuff.com where you will find baby crafts, free patterns for baby clothes, homemade baby toys and tons of DIY crafty projects for all things baby! Your how-to resource for baby's homemade lifestyle.
