Baby shower gifts: Stuff a new mama could really use... for her medicine cabinet

A friend of mine was considering what sort of gifts to give her friend at her baby shower, mainly those things that get overlooked. One of her ideas was to give her friend baby tylenol, which led me to think of other things a mama might need to stock her baby's medicine cabinet.

Baby meds like infant pain killers and infant cold medicine along with accessories like a medicine syringe or dropper are the basics of any new mom's medicine cabinet.  I'd also recommend one of those pacifiers that dispenses medicine. A digital thermometer is a must too!

Another great addition to this gift pack is the NoseFrida Snotsucker.  Seriously, there really is such a product out there!  Ever tried sucking the snot out of your infant's nose with one of those blue bulb suctiony thingies that came in your birth pack (or the hospital sent home with you)?  Mehhhhh!!!!  Despite the weirdity of it, parents rate it highly because it works so well.

The NoseFrida will not only give everyone at the baby shower a good laugh, but new mama and baby will really appreciate it when they need it!

One of my personal favorites is the amber teething necklace. You may have seen these on my babies. I highly recommend them because, YES, they really do help. Amber is a natural analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-inflammatory. When amber is worn on the skin, the warmth of the skin releases healing oils onto the skin. Baby amber necklaces fasten with a screw clasp and the cord is knotted between each bead.  I've never had a cord break, but if it did, the beads wouldn't all slide off the cord (and then into baby's mouth) because of the way it's made.  I know adults who wear amber jewelry to help with arthritis, chronic pain, and even migraines. Amber Artisans has a variety of beautiful baltic amber jewelry. It will run you $25-$40, but, I can tell you, that mama will be thanking you when her sweet baby starts teething!

The number one recommendation I would suggest for a baby shower gift is an essential oil starter kit. Essential oils provide natural relief for many different issues. You want to make sure you are buying good quality essential oils (100% pure therapeutic grade oils), not just massage oil or fragrance.  My favorite supplier is a Texas based company called Heritage Essential Oils.  The folks behind this company are wonderful people and will create blends for individuals as well.  As a starter, I would recommend Lavender, which is soothing and great to calm and relax a baby as well as a long list of other uses. I put about 8-10 drops of lavender in a 1 ounce amber glass bottle along with some water (sold by Heritage) and spray (shake first) it on my pillow, or the baby's blanket or clothes (or even her hair and chest). If you could only add one oil to your gift, lavender would be the one.

I also recommend BruisEase, which has been proven to speed up healing and reduce swelling of bumps, bruises, and booboos. It doesn't take long for that little wee one to become mobile, and from then on out there will be many ouchies.  I am amazed by how quickly and how well this oil works.  I've seen bruises that normally take a week to completely disappear go away in an hour or less!  In many cases, the swollen area doesn't bruise at all if the oil is applied immediately after.  Believe me, this is definitely one staple for the medicine cabinet!  Other oils I would suggest for a starter kit are peppermint (great dabbed on mama's forehead for that headache she will come down with due to lack of sleep, or a bit mixed with a carrier oil or water rubbed on a gassy baby tummy), eucalyptus (to help with sinuses and allergies, since there's not many medicines a breastfeeding mama can take that won't dry up or affect her milk), and clove (wonderful for an assortment of things, especially pain relief).  Print out a list of various uses for the essential oils you purchase so the mama will have an idea of how to use them!

If all of this sounds too complicated, get her a gift card for take out from her favorite restaurant. That works too!

What are some of the best gifts your received for your newborn (or pregnant/post partum self)?