What's a good baby gift?

As many diapers as you can afford.

My sister used to buy me 365 pairs of socks for Christmas. Best gift ever since I love new socks.

Congratulations first of all!!

To go along with @johnpowell‘s great diaper suggestion, many cases of baby wipes.

They sell them in bulk at BJs or Costco. Go for the unscented, hypoallergenic ones.

You could start the babies first savings account or college fund.

I second @chyna ‘s suggestion. You can get a sweet little softy for the baby, a bunch of books for the parents to read to the baby, and set up an account to send the little one to college if you have the funds available to help out in that way.

I find that grandparents usually give the larger items, such as the crib and changing table, etc. Car seat and stroller combinations are pretty pricey, too.

If you are referring to something you can give for the child to have as a keepsake through their own life, something handmade is especially nice, if you have any craft skills; or something personalized with the baby’s name, or a special stuffed animal.

Before you go with a disposable item like diapers or baby wipes, make sure that they are things the parents want to use. A lot more people are moving towards cloth diapers and reusable products now.

Welcome to Fluther @nmguy! : )

edited: Sorry, I just reread that you wanted practical, which this issn’t…

You could pick up a Grandfather’s baby book. It asks all types of questions about things when you were younger. Things that you did, places you went and people that influenced you. Be sure to fill in it thoroughly. Gather your thoughts and write them on a separate paper then transfer them to the book so they are neat and flow nicely.

If you wanted, you could also sit down and write a letter to the baby. Again writing it out then transferring it in your best handwriting to nice parchment. (I think hand writing makes it very personal.)

Doing both, addressing the letter by name to your new Granddaughter and placing it inside the book, would a treasured keepsake, imo.

Congratulations! Maybe the mom and dad have registered? Then you can get them exactly what they want by just checking the registry. If you are looking to buy something big/expensive you could buy the furniture for the room.

When I worked at Bloomingdale’s we would have expecting moms come in to put together the layette for the baby (the clothes for the baby’s first months) we also had bassinettes and some other related itens. You could take the expecting couple shopping and just pay the bill along with a nice lunch out. Going on a shopping trip can be fun and together time. Tell them a few stories about when you were expecting, etc.

If there are going to be large baby shower parties then other people will buy lots of clothes and bottles probably, but if not then having all the most necessary items is a great gift I think. I tend to be very practical.

The car seat is extremely important, they need it to take the baby home from the hospital.

I agree also with @chyna and @skfinkel, one of the best parents I know.

Something that will last, such as a very small solid wood table and two little chairs and a very large check for the future…something you do every year.

I had the little table and chairs as a toddler; it was passed down to my sibs, my cousins, my kids and to my nieces and nephews.

If the family likes traditional, a monogrammed small silver mug and matching spoon and fork. I still have mine and my kids; I use the utensils for relish and pickles.

Many people think they are helping by giving a month supply of diapers, but a baby changes diaper sizes pretty quickly, especially during the first few months. I was stuck with a few packages of sizes my daughter had outgrown. Also, as @glacial suggested, the parents might prefer cloth of reusable diapers.

You could get a nice personalized baby blanket. My sister had a blanket embroidered with my daughter’s name and birth date, along with a cute teddy bear. It was one of my favorite gifts for our daughter. Baby blankets are nice keepsakes. I still have my baby blanket. It’s almost 42 years old now. I also have all of my children’s blankets. Here is one company that specializes in personalized baby blankets. It was one of the first companies I found when searching. You may find something you like better with a little more searching.

I love the table and chairs @gailcalled suggested, but might wait until toddlerdom if the parents are in more need of immediate necessities.

I have my mom’s silver cup. I also have a silver dish with my grandparents names and wedding date.

A wooden basinet or rocking chair from a baby store such as USA Baby would be nice, imo.
I got a rocking chair there that is a bit oversized so we (the baby and I) could rock comfortably. Mine also has a high back so I could rest my head back.
Buying it a baby store was a bit more expensive but it has lasted me over 15 years now.

Excellent point, @glacial. I used cloth diapers 21 years ago, and my mother bought the flannel covers.

maybe its will be socks…

I agree with the idea of starting a college fund. Add to it as the years go by. You can give a small something that the child can hold or use, but the true gift would be the fund.

One of my cousin’s in-laws gave their, now 7 year old, grandchild a hand made cedar chest with the boy’s name on it when he was born, for his toys. As he grows into an adult, he can use the chest to store other things, so something more classic looking, rather than baby-looking would be a good choice, like This One just make sure to add, if it doesn’t already have it, Safety Hinges so the lid won’t slam shut on a little one’s fingers.

I’m a sentimental teenage girl, but I absolutely love @Ela‘s suggestion of a book describing your past, along with a personalized letter for your granddaughter to read when she gets older. My grandparents did this for my siblings and me, but they weren’t very excited about it. Just the little bit of information they gave us about their pasts as exciting to read. So surprising, the lives they led!