useful baby gift.

Wine.

In all seriousness I'd lean towards something simple like swaddlers or socks. They always need them.

For every new baby in our friend and family circle FH and I make a baby blanket. Its the no sew kind with the fleece material. I'm not sure of the measurements but it fits perfectly in the car seat/stroller (we buy and cut the fabric ourselves since they dont sell a kit in the size we need) and we have had so many people tell us that the baby came home from the hospital wrapped in our blanket for warmth.

People really seem to love them.

My go-to baby gift is putting together a bath basket. I find a cute basket (or a bath tub if they've registered for one) and fill it with towels, wash cloths, body wash, shampoo, lotion, diaper cream, and one or two bath toys. It's always a hit and it's stuff they will definitely get use out of.

Thank you so much!!!! very good ideas

Babies love security blankets. If you don't know what it is, it's a "transitional object" and it gives them comfort and reduces anxiety. It's a little stuffed animal blanket. I always give them as a baby gift, and it becomes their favorite thing. I was a childcare teacher, and even the preschoolers still had theirs during nap time. You can't go wrong with that.

Receiving blankets. Gift cards for groceries or restaurants.

You can never have enough receiving blankets, they are spit-up catchers. My girl friends all brought FH and I grocery and restaurant cards after our son was born and it was awesome because we didn't have to worry about cooking several nights in a row.

A gift certificate to a food delivery service would be awesome for mom. A sleep sack swaddle for the baby.

Target gift cards are helpful. She can use it for whatever she wants for herself or for baby. And the baby stuff is more affordable than places like Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby.

Thank you so much...I think I am just going to do a gift basket with all of your ideas..

I give gift cards to amazon or target. Some people are supper picky with baby stuff. I dont have kids so I would rather not guess.

Don't buy diapers...or bottles. In my experience every baby is different with what brands they tolerate and everyone gives diapers and wipes (we just had to buy our first box of wipes and our duaughter is 16 months). Swaddlers we probably used the most. I would also agree on older month clothes but no onesies after 12 months, I hate putting onesies on my daughter now but people keep buying them for us. And our Yoga ball was a must have! We used it all the time when she was an infant. It calmed her so much Gift cards are always useful for buying stuff that they need later on.

For mom, wine! maybe care.com certificate so they can get a cleaner, doordash gift certificate.

Swaddle sac

nose frida

bed rest pillow like this- http://www.target.com/p/grey-bedrest-support-pillow-room-essentials/-/A-14328157

baby bottle grass drying rack with tree

binkie clips

boogie wipes

clif bars or other quick grab snacks for mom and dad

bumbo

Bigger size clothes, pjs, bibs

Halo Sleep Sack...Legit saved our life for a solid 8 months!

Diapers&wipes but like...Size 2's and 3's for diapers.

Onsies in multiple sizes (3-6, 6-9, 9-12) that she can use to layer.

Gift cards for groceries/coffee/baby stuff.

A white noise machine (still saving our life 20 months in)

Babysitting services for a date night (but like...Make sure she trusts someone as a baby sitter...FH still won't let anyone other than family watch our son!)

Also, as far as @merediths suggestion of no onsies bigger than 12 months...

That's assuming a child is 'average' sized. My son was wearing 24 month clothes at his first birthday party...And I was kind of upset that I couldn't buy onsies any bigger!

Also, a pack of white Gerber cloth diapers...Sounds ridiculous but they are SO ABSORBANT!!! we had like 25 of them we used as spit up rags and it was way better than the ones they sell as 'burp cloths'.

Think bedtime : a onsie, cute footed jammies, a board book (It's Time for Bed), and a stuffed animal. It's a great gift set that will promote a bedtime routine.

https://www.amazon.com/Time-Bed-Mem-Fox/dp/0152010661

Look up onesie cupcakes on Pinterest. Super cute to give and practical!

I am a big fan of giving books. The infant ones that are thick cardboard. Parents can read them to the kids and as they grow, they can use them to learn to read. I'm not sure how helpful it is, but it is always my go to. I tend to give 'Goodnight Moon,' 'Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,' and 'Dr. Seuss's ABC's' to name a few of my favorites.

My go-to is wipes and something cute from the registry. If there's no registry, life you said, I'd go with a board book or a tactile toy (toy with lots of textures and sounds-crinkle, rattle, etc not electronic)

I have 3 kids and my must have baby item was a boppy pillow.