Does a new baby really need another baby grow?I don't think so and here's why.

Imagine you're a new parent, your beautiful bundle has arrived safe in your arms and you can't wait to tell everyone you know the news. They're all super excited, naturally, and want to shower you and your baby with gifts to welcome them to the world.

 

Let me guess what you get; baby grows and baby clothes items, cuddly toys, rattle, teethers and maybe a few blankets. They're from similar, trusted brands and possibly there's a few duplicates in there like a Sophie Giraffe rubber teething toy or an Usborne That's Not My...book.

 

They're all best sellers for a reason, mainly that they've done a great job at telling you they are the must have baby gift year on year on year. That's no different for 2024 and I bet they top the charts right now if you were to google it.

 

 

Clothes come in all shapes and sizes, as do babies. There's usually a super small window to wear something when it fits and is seasonably appropriate. Plus there's the issue of storage (and remembering it's there!) for all the things that don't fit.

 

Same with toys, Your baby isn't going to be playing with much at all until a solid 6 months in so you're looking to store a bunch of toys that won't be touched for a long time.

 

Blankets - do you need more than one? Teethers, they'll have their favourite.

  

Cuddly toys, again not age appropriate until after 1yr minimum...

 

You see the pattern.

 

 

Parenting styles have changed and new mums and dads aren't going to do more than nod and smile if you buy them yet another baby grow. We live in the age of the Instagram aesthetic where people have themes for their homes and rooms and want things that will merge perfectly with the decor. They want gifts that fit with their values and are less wasteful, more sustainable. They want perfect presents from brands that tell a new story.

 

What if the next baby gift you bought was thoughtful and beautiful but also lasted for years not just months?

 

Follow our tips and you're sure to delight parent's as much as babies.

  

1) Think about what a baby actually needs and uses on a daily basis. Then check if it's things you think everyone else will buy. Don't buy those things.

 

2) Ask yourself if this is useful for now and if not, is it easy to store for later?

 

3) Check the age range on the description (on pack or on line) Make sure it is safety tested but also check to see if it spans multiple age ranges.

 

4) Does it match the home aesthetic of the parents? What's their style? What are their values? Can you see it fitting in?

 

5) Is it easy and effortless for the parent to use/set up and tidy away? Does it support parents when they are time and energy poor?

 

 

That's a valid question. You might have heard that high contrast images are only beneficial to a baby's vision for the first 5 months of life. So they don't check many of the things in our top tips list.

 

Here is where all products are not made equal. 

 

Sensory play is still highly beneficial all through the early years of development as children grow and learn. Sight, sound, touch, smell, taste stay with us for a lifetime and feeding these through everyday play can help children to thrive.

 

Therefore what you need to look for in black and white sensory resources suitable for babies, toddlers and preschoolers is whether they tick multiple development stages, interests and how they interact with the world.

 

Babies - will be predominantly exploring the world through sight. Up to around 5 months this is a small field of vision so black and white resources are part of helping to stimulate their visual development as well as something they can truly interact with.

 

Toddlers - will be interested in touching, picking up, learning how to do things independently, practising fine motor skills and starting to recognise similarities and differences between things.

 

Preschoolers - will be more confident in figuring out how things work, learning more in depth information and linking items together as they spot patterns in the world around them. They have a much longer attention span than a baby or toddler.

 

 

Bypass the patterns, squiggles and plain shapes. No child older than 1 year max is going to find these interesting when there's a whole world out there to explore. Instead, find images that are high contrast but also can be talking points such as animals and faces. For example an image of a fox to a new born is an image of a fox but to a toddler you can talk about the fact it comes out at night, what else comes out at night, the sound it makes, any other fox designs you might have. For a preschooler they might be interested in where a fox lives, the name of it's home, where it lives, what it eats and what nocturnal means rather than just night time creatures.

 

Secondly choose items that are strong and sturdy but also easy to navigate. Board books will stand the test of time and be great for babies as they stand up on their own, toddlers who have small hands but the determination to turn the pages themselves and preschoolers who are starting to 'read' independently (picking up books for independent interaction'.

 

  

 

As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of modern parenting, it's time to rethink the conventional approach to baby gifting. The days of repetitive baby grows and generic toys are fading, replaced by a desire for thoughtful, lasting, and aesthetically pleasing presents that resonate with the values of the new parents.

 

 

 

 

 Photo 1 by elliot verhaeren on Unsplash

Photo 2 by Jerry Wang on Unsplash

Remaining images in house