Ideas for handmade new baby gifts?

One of the favorite baby gifts we received for one of our children was a small hand made quilt that my sister sewed. It is one of those things that is destined to become an heirloom.

What about a nice keepsake box?

I know you say she has a fully decorated nursery, but can a parent have too many baby blankets? Make a blanket or a quilt of some sort.

I would say a pair of cute sock. Or you can make a set of handmade toys by using your ability to make different kind of dolls (design can be adapted according to the gender) so that he will be able to play his first toy without have to buy for another toys.

You might get some ideas from www.redenvelope.com as they have some nice baby gift ideas that could hand-made by someone with your talent. My favorite is their Baby Keepsake Kit . The matting could be done with material-wrapped cardboard that coordinates with the room, and the baby’s name and birthdate could be burned into the frame.

How about a small, prettily decorated Tooth Fairy box? It would make a sweet nursery decoration when the child is a newborn and be useful and fun when they start losing teeth. I have a really pretty porcelain Tooth Fairy box that belonged to my children. They are both teenagers now, but I’m saving it for my grandchildren. Something like that could become an heirloom.

http://www.hopskipjump.bigcartel.com/products
how about some thing like above

or a sock monkey made from good quality socks.. my daughter made one of these at school!
http://www.sockmonkey.co.uk/

Have you looked for ideas at www.etsy.com ? I have a cute pattern for a platypus, if you want to have another hack at making a stuffed toy…. he hee..

I don’t think you can have enough spit up cloths or spare comfort blankets… if anyone had shown up with more of those, I would have been very happy. Especially if they were handmade, because I would remember who gave them to me.

I have a half-made quilt with a polar bear embroidered for an appliqué. ... never finished it for the intended…...

I’d definitely suggest a quilt! My great grandmother made me one when I was born and I still sleep with it today :) Now I’m pregnant with a little girl and I’m making her one a lot like it. It’s the little dutch girl pattern and I love it.

Baby blankets or little outfits for when he’s a bit older.

Here’s a few ideas that came into my mind after reading everyone else’s great suggestions.

A treasure box (for holding keepsakes like tickets, and small souvenirs from places that baby will visit for his first time, like the movies, the airport, Disneyland etc.) that you will decorate with the child’s name in paint or mosaic tiles or wood burning etc. Find a plain wooden box at a craft store.

A glass vase onto which you will etch the child’s name and birthdate onto and then present the vase filled with mom’s favorite flowers. You can get glass etching creme from a craft store and use pre-made stencils or cut your own.

A baby shirt made with fabric that will also match an apron or a scarf that you make for her (I love gingham fabric and blue or black or green or red would be good choices)

You could buy and decorate some type of already made book with empty pages and storage envelopes which you could decorate to represent Baby’s 1st year of Holidays. It would have places to collect/display holiday cards and photos from his first year.

Or you can type up and have bound (at Kinkos or other copy store) a book in which you ask all sorts of questions and then have mom fill in the answers. Examples of questions would be: What was the first thought that came into your mind when you saw him? (add baby’s name)
What was the first type of fruit he ever ate?
How did he react to seeing Xmas lights, or jack-o-lanterns or fireworks for the first time?
Describe baby’s cutest body parts (toes, dimples, cowlicks etc.)
How does baby react when he sees a dog or a cat?
What was the first TV show that baby ever looked at?

Please let us know what you decided to make and post a photo if you can : )

A mobile thingy (like those ones you hang above the crib?) (unless that’s included in the decorated nursery already, but it would be fun to make) :)
Or suncatchers/windchimes that can be hung in front of the window?
A decorated wooden baby’s name board for the bedroom door?