The best baby shower gifts ever given, are the ones that serve the mother-to-be and her baby well. 

When I was pregnant with my first child in 2011, I was overwhelmed with all the options for just baby bottles alone. I spent a few weeks crafting my registry and at the end of it, I still wasn't sure I selected all the right things. Now I have five kids and if there is one thing I have learned, it is that you don’t need a lot of things to get started in parenthood. I actually found that many of the things I was given at my shower were used for a short time if at all.

With each additional kid, I discovered what items we needed for our day-to-day lives. I also realized that I wanted function and beauty in our most used items. I needed a diaper bag that was versatile and could carry all the things we needed in an organized fashion and matched my personal style. Over time I became a baby gear minimalist, which called for careful selection of quality items that we could use for a while. 

Another thing I have learned in my ten years of parenting is that I must remember to transfer all of our darling memories collected on my phone to preserve them and prevent the dreaded possibility of losing them in the digital cloud. Keeping a memory book is the perfect way to treasure such memories and I find that there is something so sweet about touching a printed photograph that brings back the memory as if it happened yesterday. 

Taking inventory of these things I have learned has helped me be extra intentional when giving baby shower gifts. 

When it comes to giving a  gift at a baby shower, I always consider three things: 

1. What’s on the registry
2. What can be be useful for  a long time
3. What is the mother-to-be’s style

One of my go-to gifts is our Baby’s First Year memory books. I love the sweet designs that match any style and the prompts to detail all the darling moments. It's beautiful and takes the guesswork out of memory keeping, which proves to be a huge help. Our memory books can be a keepsake that stays with mama at home or is passed on to the child when they reach adulthood. When my friends open this gift at their showers they squeal with excitement and immediately start looking through the book and imagining all the memories they are going to make with their little one.

My newest gift to include is our Little Dreamer Blankets in Camper or Flower Child prints. These blankets can be well used into toddlerhood. I love that I can pair these blankets with a memory book and/or matching teether for a simple set. 

To complete my baby shower gift, I always  make sure to include diapers and wipes along with some postpartum care items. Then I style it in a cute basket that can be used in the baby’s nursery. 

Wildflower Meadow Luxury Baby Memory Book

Little Dreamer Flower Child Blanket

Teddy Bear's Picnic Luxury Baby Memory Book

Little Dreamer Camper Blanket

Honey Bee Luxury Baby Memory Book

Little Dreamer Camper Blanket

The newest additions to the Lucy Darling shop, The Little Dreamer Blankets, are available for Pre-Order on September 8th! We’re thrilled to add a cozy soft Organic Cotton blanket in two of our signature most loved designs: Flower Child & Little Camper.

These blankets are light but warm and are sure to be your little one’s new favorite blankie. You can cozy up at story time, movie nights, bed time, naps, and car rides with your new favorite blanket. We cannot wait to gift these along with our memory books!

One thing that’s extra special about The Little Dreamer Blankets is that they’re made of organic cotton. They are durable and will get softer with each wash. Here are just a few more reasons why we chose organic cotton for these blankets:

DURABILITY

Organic cotton has a longer life, and is more durable to washing and snuggles. Unlike normal cotton, organic cotton lasts longer, because organic cotton’s resilient fibers have not been damaged by chemicals during the growing and weaving process, which makes the quality superior.

So no  matter how many times you wash them, or your baby wears them, your blankets will get softer with each wash and age beautifully.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

Non-toxic chemicals are used in the growing of organic cotton. It doesn't damage soil, has less impact on the air, and uses 88% less water and 62% less energy. Conventional cotton uses about 16% of the world's insecticides and 7% of pesticides.

The thread in your Little Dreamer Blanket is recycled too!

Why recycled nylon thread: recycled nylon is usually made from pre-consumer fabric waste, although it also may come from post consumer materials such as industrial fishing nets.

GENTLE ON SKIN

Organic cotton is gentle and kinder to a baby's skin, as the material is soft and free from chemicals, there is less of a chance of your child developing skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis and skin allergies. As organic cotton always keeps its natural state, it makes it mould resistant and antimicrobial too.

This makes it important for babies to sleep in bedding (our blanket) and wear clothing that is chemical free, because baby skin is 5 times thinner, more absorbent and more sensitive than adult skin, so a baby’s skin absorbs toxic chemicals faster and is more likely to develop skin irritations or allergies and if dressed in conventional cotton babies can inhale the chemical residues from the fibers as they sleep. 

Their Organic Cotton and Recycled Thread is just a bonus to how beautiful and timeless The Little Dreamer Blankets are! We hope you’ll love adding these to your little one’s nursery or gifting to friends and family.

We are so thrilled to partner with Certified Sleep Consultant, Michele Wawerski of Peaceful Littles to bring you some tips on introducing a lovey to your little one's routine. They can be a huge help and we are so glad to have Michele's expert tips on the how, why, and when of introducing a lovey.

Most of us have a favorite pillow or blanket that we sleep with. This sleep item, or sleep association, brings us comfort and helps us relax. A sleep association is any action or object that when performed or present helps you fall asleep. Some examples of sleep associations for babies are loveys, sleep sacks, white noise and rocking. It can be very helpful to introduce a lovey to your little one for both night and nap sleep so they have a consistent reminder. You might find that once introduced, he or she will grab their lovey, start to yawn, and relax when it is time to rest.

Here are my top 3 tips to consider when introducing a lovey to your little one:

1. Wait Until It Is Age Appropriate

Per the American Academy of Pediatric (AAP) guidelines, it is important to only have a fitted sheet and sleep sack in your little one’s crib until they are 12 months old. This helps to reduce the risk of SIDS and ensures safe sleep. At 12 months old, it is safe to introduce a lovey or small blanket to your child to have in their crib.

2. Choose The Correct Size & Fabric

The next thing to consider when choosing a lovey, is one that is not too large. You do not want a full size blanket in your baby's crib, but instead a small square blanket/lovey. This is not only from a safety perspective, but also so your little can cuddle with it and hold it as they sleep. To help your little one feel cozy, I suggest choosing a soft & breathable fabric. The Lucy Darling Lovey’s are made with such a warm and cozy fabric that your baby will love to sleep with it.

 3. Hold During The Bedtime Routine

It is normal if at first your little one does not take to the lovey. What can be helpful is to start by sleeping with it in your bed for a few nights, so it smells like you. I would then suggest having it with you and your baby/toddler as you are going throughout their bedtime routine. Hold it close and snuggle with your child before putting them down in their crib. When you lay them down in the crib, lay it next to them. For the first few nights, you might notice your baby does not notice it is in the crib, but with consistency they will soon learn to grab it and cuddle as they fall asleep.

 Thank you so much to Michele for these helpful tips! We hope your little one rests a little easier tonight. 

Find Michele on Instagram and at Peaceful Littles for more amazing sleep tips!

Find our popular Little Artist Flower Lovey here.

This week, we’re celebrating dads! We are so excited to share this gift guide with ideas directly from a real life dad who loves adventure - Kevin! Kevin is the owner of Lucy Darling, along with wife Haily Meyers. Together they have 3 little ones. 

1. Homemade card
1a. Free nap coupon (Dad gets to turn in coupon for an undisturbed nap) 😆
1b. Make dad food
2. Saxx underwear
3. Darn Tough socks
4. Bedrock Cairn sandals
5. Sun shirt
6. Inflatable stand up paddle board
7. Dress socks with the kids pictures on it. Very cute.
8. If Dad likes travel (I do) then get Dad a travel book for a destination family plans to travel to.
*Above are mainly Amazon links for faster delivery! 

Here are just a few of his picks! 

Hiking Shirt / Inflatable Paddle Board / Darn Tough Socks / Bedrock Sandals

Travel Books / All Aboard: National Parks / Face Socks / Mug / 3-2-1 Blast Off!

We love the idea of gifting a few books they can read with their little ones too! Have a great time celebrating dad!