8 Fun and Creative Baby Gift Ideas for a Newborn’s First Christmas

Not sure what to get your newborn for Christmas, or need ideas for family members who want to include your little one this year? Here are 8 baby gift ideas that you (and your little one) can appreciate.

This is my first Christmas as a mom – my baby boy will be just shy of four months old on Christmas – so I was initially stumped when it came time to navigate gift-giving for wee baby Killian.

Ideally, he would get no presents, which I realize sounds awful. But hear me out.

My newborn has four modes:

1. Eating
2. Sleeping
3. Playing (I’m being generous with that definition here)
4. Making violent bowel movements (usually when he’s sitting in my lap)

Killian can’t open presents; he’s not even four months old.

I’m still working on teaching him to simply touch his own face in a coordinated manner, and my dog is more capable of opening her own presents than my newborn right now.

So, Mom and Dad (or the dog) are unwrapping any gifts for Killian.

My baby also has no concept of Christmas yet.

Killian only recently learned the difference between day and night, so we’ve got another few years before Killian understands why his parents keep hoarding mystery boxes wrapped in paper under a fake tree.

And on the pragmatic side: we have no more room for toys in either Killian’s nursery or our house. We’re also a military family that is moving in a year, so anything Killian receives for Christmas is something that Mom needs to unpack in our next house.

So, what do I get for a baby who can’t open his own presents, who doesn’t understand what’s even going on, and who doesn’t actually need any more toys or stuffed animals or much of anything else?

I still don’t get him anything, but I do make a list of baby gift ideas for his family members who want to include him in the gift-giving festivities!

Check out these fun baby gift ideas, and then let me know about your favorite gifts for a baby in the comments below!

8 Creative Baby Gift Ideas for a Newborn’s First Christmas

Experiences

Zoo or aquarium tickets, museum memberships, or admission to indoor playgrounds are all creative gift ideas that help parents to make memories with their little one. They also require zero assembly, maintenance, or cleanup, so that’s an added bonus for parents.

Professional Photo Shoot 

I can’t take credit for one of my favorite baby gift ideas, my mom has already said that she wants to give Killian the gift of a photo shoot for his first birthday. Killian’s parents and immediate family members can appreciate the photos now, and when he’s older, Killian will have a beautiful tribute to his earliest years. For an added bonus, my mom is using the same photographer that I used for Killian’s newborn photos when he was only a week old, so having two shoots from the same photographer will create a neat time capsule of Killian’s first year.

Charity Donation in Baby’s Name

This is a sweet and meaningful way to pay tribute to a child that was born prematurely, experienced complications, was adopted, etc. Instead of spending $30 on a toy that a baby won’t be able to fully appreciate yet, you can put that $30 towards funding research for childhood cancer, aiding premature babies and their families, providing assistance towards families trying to adopt vulnerable children, or otherwise helping a child who truly needs it. Even if you’re shopping for a baby who is healthy and otherwise won’t want for anything in life, making a donation to a children’s charity is a way to recognize those babies and parents who aren’t so fortunate. Bonus: if you have family members who can’t resist buying toys, clothes and other physical gifts, direct them to something like the Salvation Army‘s Angel Tree program, where they can donate toys, clothes, and other wishlist items to a child in need. The trees can be found at entrances to a number of Orlando businesses like Publix and Chik-Fil-A, and you can check out their Facebook page for updates on where new trees land everyday.

Baby’s Savings Account or U.S. Savings Bonds

For baby gift ideas that will have a long-term impact, putting money towards a baby’s college fund or savings fund, or giving the baby U.S. savings bonds to use as an adult, are all helpful options. These could be recurring gifts as well, gifting a savings bond or college fund donation for each birthday, Christmas, or other milestone. They are also a great way to give a baby something that will have real-world value to him/her later in life, so you can rest assured that your gift will keep giving for years after this first Christmas.

Childcare

This is obviously one of those presents where you might “gift” it to the baby, but the real recipient is his/her parents. If the baby goes to daycare while their parents are at work, then you can pay for a week of daycare. It might not be an exciting gift or one that involves a ton of unwrapping, but for a parent who maybe doesn’t have a lot of extra cash on hand after paying for daycare, knowing that this expense is covered for a week might be appreciated.

Things For Baby’s Next Year 

If there are any outstanding items from the baby registry, now is a good time to get them (just make sure that, for older babies, you aren’t ordering anything in newborn sizes and such.) Or, you can get the baby some items that he or she will need in the next year: a high chair, foam play mat, playard, etc. If you absolutely have to gift a toy, then developmental toys that will aid in boosting important skills over the next 12 months would be the best ones to give.

Clothes in Advance

A lot of parents receive an endless supply of clothes for their baby from birth through the first six months, but things start to taper off after that. If you want to buy clothes for the baby, try to buy sizes that he/she will use four to six months down the line. The parents likely have already stocked up on clothes in whatever size that their baby currently wears, but not in the next one or two sizes up.

What are some favorite gifts that you’ve received for your baby’s first Christmas? Let me know in the comments below!