BABY: What to buy the mumma-to-be for her baby shower

It's a big question for a lot of people, especially when it's the first friend in their group to have a baby.
Baby showers are becoming more and more traditional and with it comes gifts. And baby shower gifts are a bit of a mine field. This can be made trickier if like me, the mum-to-be is gender neutral so all those pink and blue outfits are going to have to wait. And no new mum wants to start out with baby and 600 tiny newborn onesies and 40 blankets in the middle of summer.

But there are several useful and helpful options for you if you are buying a baby shower gift.

First up, check if the mumma-to-be has a gift registry. It's going to be your easiest and quickest route to buying a useful and desired gift. There's no second guessing and little risk of duplicate gifts. Mothercare, Amazon and Etsy are popular choices for gift registries, and can easily be accessed and purchased online.

If you want to contribute in an even more useful way, it never hurts to get gift vouchers for Mothercare, Mamas and Papas or the Early Learning Centre, to name just a few. This is also handy if it's a work colleague who's just given birth and you want to get something from the whole team. Or you live far apart so it can be posted.

Or perhaps you want to get a treat for mum? Yes we all want to spoil baby, but mum needs some loving too.
Maybe pick up a pamper kit, including a mix of bath (for a relaxing soak before baby arrives) and shower (for after baby and baths might be out the question) luxuries. Every girl loves Lush so go for a spend, the Body Shop has a gorgeous spa of the world range, or go for a proper high end pamper.
Or for a real one -off treat, gift vouchers for shellac nails (cos acrylic would just be pointless with a newborn), a wax or even pregnancy or post natal massage would go down well for any new mum-to-be.

Remember mum has been focusing a lot on the baby's arrival so pampering has likely gone out the window so this could be the perfect opportunity for them to put their feet up and relax. Plus pregnancy massage has many labour and post natal benefits too.

And if in doubt, talk to the mum. She's going to be over joyed that you even want to get anything but she'll also happily give you some guidance.

What have you gifted at a baby shower before? Post your ideas in the comments below!