As is the way of the world, my baby is about to have a baby of her own. She is thirty-nine years old, and this will be her first child. I can barely remember this much excitement, and am looking forward to this grandchild as much as I anticipated my own daughter! It is indeed a joyous time, but I find myself perplexed. I haven't dealt with babies in decades. The stereotypical baby care activities of our day such as sterilizing glass bottles in boiling water or endless wash loads of cloth diapers are practically non-existant now. Diapers are disposable now, bottles can be washed in the dishwasher, and there are many items designed to help stimulate baby's brain developement. I seemed to be unfamiliar with many of the items that are considered the be the norms of today, so I set out on a search to find what would be an appropriate gift for a Grandparent to give for a baby.
Fortunately, I discovered many things are not as different as I had anticipated. There were more than a few items I wished I had to use when my daughter was born. Many mothers today are going back to cloth diapers, which are so much different than the older style cloth I had used with my daughter! Take for instance the Fuzzi Bunz diapers. Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers incorporate many of the conveniences of disposable diapers while removing most of the drawbacks. The so-called safety pins of the past have been replaced by adjustable elastic and securely fastening snaps, while the fleece lining helps drastically reduce diaper rash. Cloth diapers are friendly to the environment in that they help reduce the amount of waste cluttering landfills. I think this will make a great gift for my daughter and her baby.
I found another intriguing gift idea made a company called Ellaroo. I remember the bulky, complicated type of baby carriers, not this style. This wrap allows the mother to keep baby close to the body, hands-free. Additionally, ring slings are another type of carrier, similar to the wrap carrier, which can offer a wonderful way to carry your baby with you and keep your hands free as well.
One more relative newcomer that I discovered is an item called a baby travel system. This item combines a stroller, bed, car seat and more all into one convenient product. Different needs are met by the combinations of the separate pieces. Most of the strollers are lightweight and collapse easily and have plenty of pockets and other conveniences such as cup holders and sun shades. Now that I have seen some of the amazing products on the market for new parents, not only am I no longer intimidated by choosing a gift for my daughter and her baby, I can't wait to see what else is out there!