The birth of a child is awaited with joy and love not only by future parents, but also by family and friends. In honor of this happy event, in Latvia we organize friendship , but elsewhere in the world it is customary to organize baby shower , which is a small party even before the baby is born. on this happy occasion, you want to congratulate both the parents and provide a gift for the baby , but preparing a valuable and useful gift is not so easy, especially if you are not a parent yourself and do not know from experience what the new parents will really appreciate. To make it easier to choose a gift, we turned to representatives of various quality Latvian children's product brands for advice.

How to please the expectant mother

Little by little, Latvia is gaining popularity baby shower or a small party for the expectant mother while she is still expecting, to which the closest women and friends usually come with various gifts that will be useful for both the mother and the baby. Armanda Auziņa, the creator of Lotus Dizains , says that a baby shower is a wonderful opportunity to hang out with friends before the big day and discuss together the preparations for the arrival of the baby in the family.

Lotus Dizains offers a set of ready-made baby shower tasks with 10 cards that discuss various topics related to the arrival of a baby. Cards can be saved to review how you did at a later time. As part of the baby shower, the first gifts are already given to the baby, and as a useful gift Lotus Dizains monthly cards to be used for monthly pictures will be a gift that will be useful for a whole year and will be kept in the most beautiful moments as memories. Armanda Auziņa says that it is always worth thinking about whether the gift is useful, safe and what additional emotions it gives. That's why Lotus Designs offers things that keep memories in themselves, things for babies that are worth keeping even in a purse. However, the most valuable thing that we can give to new parents is time and attention, so you can also think about how to make everyday life easier, go to visit with already prepared snacks and things useful for taking care of the baby. You should definitely not give away things that are just possessions and have no real use.

It is much more pleasant to receive a gift that is thoughtful and sustainable.

Gifts that make life easier for new parents

LIVAKA is the authorized representative of globally recognized manufacturers of children's goods in Latvia, which offers quality goods for both children and parents . The LIVAKA team shares its experience and admits that for new parents, the first months and years of a child's life are worrying, full of different thoughts and experiences. New parents build their everyday life, learn and improve. Therefore, at this stage of life, when choosing gifts for parents and baby, the most important thing is to allow the new parents to make their own decisions about things that can make their everyday life easier. It is the parents themselves who best understand their daily rhythm, their habits, and also know their own experience best - which of the purchased things for some reason do not justify themselves or do not fit into everyday life, which is different from what was planned.

LIVAKA team says that the most pleasant part of daily work is working directly with future parents, who often come to choose very important things - a car seat and a stroller. Researching car seats requires serious attention and time, because the car seat will protect the child in every car ride. You cannot approach it carelessly and buy something, so the choice of a car seat must be left to the parents themselves and it will not be a suitable gift.

Likewise, parents pay special attention to the choice of a child's stroller, and as long as the choice is coordinated with the parents themselves, it is a symbolic and very beautiful gift. In their daily work, the LIVAKA team often sees strollers being given as a gift by a child's grandparents. There have also been several particularly beautiful cases when the stroller is given to the new family by the employer. However, it is very important that such a gift is coordinated with the future parents! As well as in LIVAKA 's collective work experience, every year a mother gets a new stroller on March 8 - there is always a dad who has decided to make his child's mother's everyday life easier and make her happy with a stroller.

A safety belt for pregnant women is a symbolic gift that is often given by close people to the expectant mother when she has recently announced that she is expecting a baby. Husbands, sisters, best friends are the ones who regularly want to buy this belt in time and give it as a gift, thus showing their care and attention for both the expectant mother and the growing baby in her tummy. The LIVAKA collective also mentions MODU blocks as an idea for a gift, which promotes the child's creativity and physical activity. It is a gift that parents choose to give themselves or ask guests to provide, most often on a first birthday or Christmas. It is a sustainable toy that lasts and does not get tired for several years.

More gift ideas - feeding bottles, merino wool clothes, booties, gloves and hats. They are cute design gifts that will be usable and useful on a daily basis, but at the same time are sustainable, high-quality and thoughtful.

However, the LIVAKA collective adds that gifts are certainly not important for the child himself in the first years of life - they will be more important for the parents and the giver himself. Those closest to you usually want to give something lasting to preserve it and perhaps even pass it on to other generations. It is only understandable that there is a desire to give something when visiting. And it is very nice to ask the new parents in advance what exactly they would like to receive - maybe they already know exactly what is needed and mom will be much happier with what they need, rather than just another toy or rattle. The least new parents need is a house filled with things that are not needed or do not correspond to a relevant stage in the baby's daily life.

But parents will have joy, relief and positive memories of successfully chosen gifts that make everyday life easier and make children happy. In addition, if the parents want to indulge in the choice and ideas of the giver, they will definitely tell the giver to choose and find what they want!

Practical gifts for new parents

The owners of beba children's store say that they were recently new parents, and looking back on their experience, they can say that the best gifts are those that will make everyday life a little easier. The assortment of the store is also designed according to what they needed as new parents. It can be a video babysitter or a radio babysitter, which will allow parents to spend time doing something else without worry while the newborn sleeps. A breast pump is ideal when a mother wants to run out of the house without her little one. Many new parents do not even think about such things in the first months. However, it is definitely recommended to talk to your parents about such purchases at the beginning. 

The owner of the children's party room Kids Planet also says that she is a mother of two children and knows very well how many things need to be bought before giving birth and in the first years of a child's life. She says from experience that the best gift is one that parents have chosen themselves. Now there are so many cool things that could make life easier. Therefore, the best option is to give a beautifully presented amount of money, a gift card, or ask the parents what exactly they need and buy it.

Also, the owners of the children's store beba say that you can always give a newborn clothes that are not difficult to put on (without small pouches, ribbons and the like), because the little ones grow quickly. Quality muslin and cotton blankets in neutral tones will also make a great gift. However, they do not recommend giving toys with small parts, because newborns put everything in their mouths, so they can pose a choking hazard. If you want to give your newborn a toy, then a cuddly toy is an excellent choice.

Another valuable advice of beba owners - if there is another small child in the family with a newborn who will have to get used to the new role of a brother or sister, it is advisable to buy a small gift for him as well. This can help the older child feel included and valued at a time when the newborn may be receiving more attention. It can be wooden toys, developmental games.

Give a holiday gift

The owner of Kids Planet offers to celebrate a child's first birthday in the party room, as its rooms are also adapted for the smallest birthday parties. Also, Kids Planet offers to organize holidays from A to Z, so that parents don't have to think about anything. 

Lauma Lukstiņa from the holiday studio Forest of Dreams also says from personal experience that in reality we tend to attach too much importance to gifts. Sure, it's part of a nice tradition, but it's definitely not the main part of the holiday. The joy of the holiday itself, being together, having fun and honoring the anniversary is priceless. Of course, we will not come empty-handed, so, for example, she recommends giving a gift card together with a small trinket, such as a rattle, for very young children.

Then the parents have the opportunity to choose exactly what will be useful for the baby, and the baby will also be happy about the rattle, because in fact, such young children do not consciously expect gifts yet. Lauma Lukstiņa also mentions an observation to encourage avoiding such a situation - quite often the same or very similar gifts are presented. She explains that this is because parents are not prepared for guests' questions about gifts and answer with something like Lego or plasticine. However, from her positive experience, she mentions that every now and then it is seen that several guests cooperate for a gift, and this is certainly very valuable, because the person celebrating his birthday gets a more valuable gift that he would not otherwise get.

She also shares her thoughts on greetings drawn by children - unfortunately, this tradition is dying out, but if you have received a greeting drawn by a child, say a big thank you to the little artist while looking him in the eye. The love and attention put into a drawing is not even comparable to a purchased gift!

Don't be shy to ask

Pikimo co-founder Linda Riekstiņas-šnore's personal and business experience in selling children's furniture and toys shows that it is best to ask the parents themselves what kind of gift they would need. Parents know best the interests and needs of their child's particular age, especially in the first years of the child's life.

It is also important to take into account that today's young parents prefer sustainable items, giving up mountains of plastic at home. One good example that Linda Riekstiņa-schnore herself has come across and that makes life easier for both parents and gift-givers is a gift list created by parents. It's great if it's electronic and links to the specific item in the store. in this case, the parents are satisfied with the gift, the givers do not have to worry, and the most important thing is that the child's needs are met. Also, Pikimo 's everyday life consists of requests, where the customer (more often grandmothers) indicates that they want the specific baby stepper or developmental toy that the child's parents have seen.

Alise Lazdiņa from the baby textile brand Little Loves also says that it would be best to ask the parents themselves what care items they would most need when expecting a newborn. A good gift idea is a gift card, with which new parents can buy things they really need. From textile goods, waterproof cloth towels are always useful, which are a great substitute for disposable, store-bought towels, which are uneconomical and environmentally unfriendly. Also, every baby would definitely benefit from blankets of different types and textures, as well as cuddly toys - bunnies and rags for sleeping.

Paula Lakina from the brand Pasas Taisitas says that when she goes to visit, she always asks what would be needed, because she knows that the house is usually already full of toys. Recently, she gave a little lady a spring jumpsuit chosen by her mom, which is an absolutely perfect and useful gift. On the first anniversary of her godson, she gave Pasha Taisits swings as a gift, before asking her parents if there would be a place to hang them. As another great gift, she recommends going to a children's amusement park together.

A good gift means something different to everyone - for someone it will be an unexpected surprise, for someone it will be practical and useful, but for others material things are not important, but the feelings, emotions and memories brought by the greeters.

New parents are also different, for some it is important that the child has all the necessary things in good quality and from proven brands, while others are ready to indulge in surprises and go on an adventure together with the child. Therefore, it is definitely advisable to take more interest in the lifestyle and values ​​of the particular family you are going to visit for a wedding or other celebration, in order to get the most suitable gift. When it comes to gifts for children, of course, everyone always wants to pamper the little ones, but before going to buy another cuddly teddy bear or trendy plastic toy, it is good to think about the parents as well, to find out if there are already enough toys at home so that with your gift you don't just increase the mountain of things in their living space. There are so many useful and original alternatives, you just need to spend a little time to find and choose the most suitable one.

Author of the article: Renate Berga

Story: Lotus Dizains , LIVAKA , beba.lv , Kids Planet , Forest of Dreams , Pikimo , Little Loves , Self Made

Photo: A RAW COLLECTION