4 Babies in 3 Weeks

Herbgirl

Well, I guess I am getting to that age where everyone I know is having babies and it just so happens that four of my best friends from uni are all due within 3 weeks of each other!!! As these are really close friends I wanted to make them each a lovely fancy hamper, and as they are all due so close together they have to all be equal in value (or size). Luckily I have until Feb to get them all sorted but I kind of wanted to start soonish so that I can spread the cost out. Im looking for ideas please? Has anyone done there own (rather than buying a nappy cake)? I also want ideas for the expectant parents- realistically I know I am going to spending in excess of £50 for each new arrival. Thanks!! xx

LutonGirl

As you have till Feb, you could do what I did for my best friend's baby.

Every time I shopped I bought something small - toiletries, a small item of clothing, a small soft toy, nothing too expensive. I kept them all in a box which, when the time came, I decorated with baby wrapping paper and filled with packing peanuts (or you could use paper shredding). She was delighted. It was like a lucky dip, she could use everything I bought and she said it was the best present she got.

Best of all, I didn't lay out a lot of money in one go, I hardly noticed the extra £ on the shopping each week (not every time) and it was a substantial gift by the end.

As you have 4 to buy for, you could take advantage of BOGOFs on baby toiletries, or something for each Mum to pamper herself with after the births and make even more savings.

It's fun to do and more meaningful than just shelling out £200 at once. Good luck!

mildred1978

Just be careful what you buy. Someone bought me a nappy cake which contained over 100 size 4 nappies. Said person knew my son would be wearing reusables. So they went to the charity shop - my son has a tiny bum anyway so the nappies would have "gone off" before he was big enough to use them.

The toiletries were Johnson's, which I wouldn't put anywhere near myself, never mind my son. They got donated to a womens' refuge.

The dummies went too as my son was a thumb sucker.

I kept the flannel and the blue fleece blanket. Bit of a waste really.

I recently put together a huge basket for a friend's 2nd baby. It had sweets (for labour), a homemade fruit cake (for the first few days when you don't have time for food), a few muslins, baby gros, an outfit, towel, baby socks and sock ons (they'll love you for these), some bibs, a notebook and pen. With the fancy box and cellophane I spent about £80.

azzabazza

As the babies are not due until February bear in mind the post Christmas sales. Your friends may have found out the sex of their babies and shared the news.

I would be careful what toiletries you buy. I personally don't like Johnston's. What about a cup, bowl and plate set or an infant cutlery set?

Herbgirl

Thanks for the replies so far - I would have been useless without you lot. I thought Johnsons stuff was top of the range..... Im definately going to keep my eye out for Post Christmas sales but to be honest I would rather get them made up before as after christmas Im always tight for cash. I think anything I buy in the post christmas sales can be given as presents later on.

mildred1978

Herbgirl wrote: »

Thanks for the replies so far - I would have been useless without you lot. I thought Johnsons stuff was top of the range..... Im definately going to keep my eye out for Post Christmas sales but to be honest I would rather get them made up before as after christmas Im always tight for cash. I think anything I buy in the post christmas sales can be given as presents later on.

A few ideas:

Waitrose/ocado stock a lovely range called ecobaby. It has no nasties, the bubble bath bubbles and it doesn't smell all sickly sweet.

A little bottle of organic sunflower oil for baby massage is a nice gift.

Definitely sock-ons - they're brilliant.

Baby gros in 0-3/3-6 month size.

Snuggly hooded towel. Bath toys (they'll grow into them).

My friend loved the notebook and pen. a) your brain turns to mush after labour and b) there's so much that you forget if you don't commit it to something.

Hand/foot print kit.

Voucher for a baby photo shoot? (Groupon etc often have these).

Food! Sandwiches/cake/chocolate. Really important to keep your strength up, especially mum if breastfeeding.

Bottle of non-alcoholic fizzy wine so that they can celebrate (again, no booze in case of breastfeeding)

moonpenny

I would like to ask - what is wrong with Johnson's baby products?

I make Nappy cakes with disposable nappies in them and also use Johnson's products. I have not had any complaints and indeed only good comments about the said ingredients.

Of course everyone wants the best for their babies but not everyone can afford to buy "organic" or want to use "real" nappies and prefer the practicalities of disposables.

chirpychick

Hello.
If my friend were to do something like this for me the things I would like would be...

Tea bags
Biscuits (for when people drop by incase i havent had chance to go to the shop)
box of chocolates (because I never buy them for myself and would really like a treat after all my hard work! With it being feb you could get them cheap after Christmas and they can be also offered to guests)
I dont drink alcohol but if there was a can of diet coke id be really over the moon lol!
I use Lush and it would be nice if someone brought one for me rather than everything everyone buys for the baby but they do also do baby ones which might be nice (though just the 1).
A bedtime stories book as lots of new mums like to start bedtime routines early and can be a nice way to bond with the baby.
A fleece blanket (I don't think you can ever have too many).
A photo keyring for the daddy (http://www.maplin.co.uk/1.5-inch-digital-photo-keychain-587500) this is something my husband would love and is just enough to make him not feel left out :rotfl:

Not to sound ungrateful but personally I would rather there were vests or babygrows 6-9 months instead of newborn/0-3 & 3-6 because throughout pregnancy we have gained so many vests/babygrows up to 6 months already not to mention outfits I have so many clothes already as gifts from people and some of them im not even sure he will get a chance to wear and it seems like such a waste of money to me. And I hate the idea of other people's money going to waste. But if there was no clothes given of any kind I wouldn't be disappointed - it may well be that you will want to buy some but don't let it be your main focus. Oh and if buying a few months ahead consider the season

The final thing I would say would be a few pounds on a Tesco/Asda Gift card so we always have an emergency fund if we run out of nappies or formula or something (I think £10 would be a perfect amount)

I hope I don't sound completely spoilt/ungrateful but it is amazing how much you acquire during pregnancy from very well meaning friends and family and how much stuff over laps. At one point we had 4 changing mats :rotfl:

I hope this helps

fatblackandwhite

I am inclined to agree with Chirpychick and also Moonpenny.

I like Johnsons products and even use the softwash myself. They have never caused my son any harm. It is down to personal preference.

What I would say with regards to toiletries is that you don't really need a great amount of toiletries for a baby so don't buy too much. An all in one wash is pretty much all you need if anything. Olive oil is better for moisturising baby's skin so baby lotion is not really needed (although, again, personal preference). They don't advocate baby talc as this gets on baby's chest. An all in one wash negates the need for shampoo and I never saw the purpose of baby soap!

What would be useful is baby nail clippers, the small sponges you can get that are hard but then go all soft when you wet them (ramen?) and a baby bath thermometer.

Clothes are personal preference. I got loads of clothes bought for my son and out of about ten outfits he wore three (and two of them were the same outfit). The rest went to charity. Things like baby vests and socks are good and inoffensive. I found bootees a bit pointless.

Gifts I genuinely appreciate (sorry to sound ungrateful) are the things that are an investment for the future (I don't mean money wise) like books, money boxes - things that baby will grow into and love growing up

mr_knight

If you look at my profile pic it is of a nappy cake I made. It was my first one. I however wouldn't use the nappies as I am a reusable nappy user. I also use reusable wipes which are fab for hands and faces even if you don't use them for bottoms.

I also don't like Johnsons as it dries out my babies skin and causes her cradle cap to get loads worse. I much prefer little me organics or simple.

I would suggest (I know some have been suggested): A nice bottle of baby massage oil.
Sockons
A car tidy
Bath toys
New born PJ's from ASDA (saves doing poppers in the middle of the night)
Badedas bubble bath for mum.
If you wanted a storage box instead of making a nappy cake, these are fab: http://www.lifememoriesbox.co.uk/childrens-keepsake-boxes-13-c.asp

mildred1978

moonpenny wrote: »

I would like to ask - what is wrong with Johnson's baby products?

I make Nappy cakes with disposable nappies in them and also use Johnson's products. I have not had any complaints and indeed only good comments about the said ingredients.

Of course everyone wants the best for their babies but not everyone can afford to buy "organic" or want to use "real" nappies and prefer the practicalities of disposables.

Full of nasty petro-chemicals and parabens.

The eco baby stuff I use is £2.65 for a 250/300ml bottle. A bottle of wash lasts us about 4 months, shampoo about 6 months and bubble bath around 3 months (he likes lots of bubbles). And that's with a pretty grubby toddler. For a newborn (who won't need bathing every day) it lasts twice as long, easily.

So we aren't talking much at all to use a nice product rather than cheap, fragranced nasty stuff.