So, uh, babies

[Kenshiin]

Buy em a bumbo seat and save the rest of your money. It works great and they don't have to worry about the baby getting a flat head from laying on their backs all the time.

Bumbo Baby Seat - Place an order

[aru]

If this mother is truely as clueless as you make her out to me I would HIGHLY suggest getting 'baby-proofing' devices. Items like electrical outlet covers, kitchen/bathroom cabinet locks, break-away mini-blinds thingys (some kids have had their neck tangled in the pull cord and died, this thing allows the two strings to break open at the bottom so that can't happen), door/stair gates, etc may not be all that useful for an infant, but they'll become extremely important once this kid learns how to move around on its own and mommy is too busy with god knows what to look after him.

[Aerides]

Baby car seat thing?

[izembo]

i fear that she's gonna soy the baby to death =(

[Brill Weave]

Ivve just get her a gift card to Target. Chances are whatever you would buy she wouldn't like and would return it. This way she's able to buy whatever she wants to for the kid. If she wants all natural formula or a tin foil hat, this is the best choice.

[Plow]

I suggest a large package of information on adoption.

[Warudo Ecksu]

I suggest a large package of information on adoption.

I almost posted this, but you sir beat me to it. Otherwise I'd suggest lots of cloth diapers if not real diapers. (she's an idiot for wanting to use cloth diapers imo cuz babies poop a lot)

[Nirokun!]

A fully-stocked baby bag. She's young and stupid, but at least if she has the bag, she'll have what she needs. Formula powder, bottles, regular diapers, change of baby clothes, baby towels of all sorts, toys, etc. If she leaves the house with the stroller she can either carry the bag by the strap(s) or the stroller may come with a compartment for the bag.

Not any one item would be too expensive, but it will make it easier for her to just keep and restock the bag herself. It will teach her both responsibility (checking and restocking the bag) and give her more freedom to leave the house with the baby, because she has the bag. Anything you can think of can probably be tucked in the bag, barring all sorts of like, things for the baby to sit in (that's what the stroller is for).

[Vandalhart]

Proper Crib/Cot is always useful but again tricky ground, some mums have their minds set on blue/pink/yellow nursery and god forbid you vary from the colour scheme and get a wrong kind of furnishing. V-shaped or semicircular pillows are pure win though and you can get different colour covers so she can pick the ones she likes. You can have it behind your back or you can have it on your lap while feeding baby, the bigger the baby gets the better it is.

I've talked my wife into a Mario themed Nursery for our first born.. It's gonna be awesome. I think a person from work has also decided to do one after I told them about it, but we'll see how it goes. I'm just thought it'd be better than the typical crap people do with their nurseries.

[Vigilia]

I've talked my wife into a Mario themed Nursery for our first born.. It's gonna be awesome. I think a person from work has also decided to do one after I told them about it, but we'll see how it goes. I'm just thought it'd be better than the typical crap people do with their nurseries.

lol we live in a rented house alas, if we owned this and could paint walls as we wanted I was going to do one wall with the background from the early games with green shrubbery, tubes and blue skies. Maybe some fire flowers and a little koopa in the corner. Since I can't do that I've just settled for three little box frames I've painted picture of star, mushroom and Mario's hat on.

[Ivve]

I've talked my wife into a Mario themed Nursery for our first born.. It's gonna be awesome. I think a person from work has also decided to do one after I told them about it, but we'll see how it goes. I'm just thought it'd be better than the typical crap people do with their nurseries.

Wow, if I were ever having kids I would steal the hell out of this idea.

Updates on the situation:
I sent her some mail about a week ago asking what she wanted, but never got a response. That's basically why I started frantically calling all the parents I know and asking BG gift suggestion department. We hit up a baby superstore yesterday and after looking through a bunch of stuff settled on a pack and play (I think that's what it's called) with an attached diaper changing thingy and little music player. By the way, are those things actually supposed to serve as a crib or is that like a going to grandma's for the day travel bed type thing? I have no idea.

As we're driving away from the store, she calls and lets us know someone else is buying her a pack and play (although who fucking knows; the proposed gift-giver is her deadbeat mom, so we'll see if anything comes of that claim), so we go back to the store and return it. After cruising the breastfeeding-related shit for a while (2.5 hours opening shit and reading instructions and trying to decide what the fuck kind of nursing bras to get her), we got a little desperate and went with something that we were less likely to fuck up: a lightweight, "one-hand" collapsible stroller lined with washable materials.

Figured that if she decided to stick with cloth diapers and breastfeeding we could make future purchases once she's made up her mind on what she's actually doing. She's been so wishy-washy and unrealistic about what having a baby entails that I'm wary of buying her anything that isn't pretty much universally needed regardless of breastfeeding vs. formula or cloth vs. disposable or whatever other choices parents make. Shit does that make any sense? I've had the flu like all week and I'm all hopped up on nyquil right now so what the fuck ever. I should go sneeze in the stroller right now, this bitch.

Oh and we also bought her a diaper bag and put a baby thermometer, some lotions and baby washes in it, and the recommended bottle warmer.

[izembo]

pack n play can be used for a crib for the first few months of life, yea, good double purpose for it for that

[thomassmith]

My advice is to push her down a flight of stairs so you don't have to buy her a gift.

[Ivve]

Wow, I'm glad you didn't get beat to the joke by the first fucking post Thomas. You're a quick one.

Stroller was the highlight of the party, but mainly because nobody else brought gifts; is that normal? This is the only baby shower I've ever been to. I don't go to these.

[Roranora]

Probably not terribly normal for the collective whole of baby showers.. but this one for this person? Sounds fitting+normal.

[Tyche]

Did her parents not get her anything? Sounds really lame. We made out like bandits at our first baby shower. Didn't have a second. Apparently, the social convention is that you only shower for the first, after that, you're SOL.

[Ivve]

Well her parents are kind of shitty, but then again they also said they would be bringing stuff. Glad you said that though, Tyche; I was going to ask. What if you have a different sex the second time, can you have another shower because it's a girl and your first was a boy, for example?

[Tyche]

It's my understanding that it's one shower and that's it. I guess it would depend on your social circle though. Luckily, we had the same sex, so really had no worries.

[Cheerios]

Baby car seat thing?

She doesn't have a car

[archibaldcrane]

nobody else brought gifts; is that normal? This is the only baby shower I've ever been to. I don't go to these.

What the fuck is the point of a baby shower if you aren't giving gifts?

What the hell else did you do there besides open your one present? Sounds like her friends/family are complete assholes.