There are many kinds of gift baskets that you can buy or make. Buying is the easiest, of course. It's the best choice for the guest that is extremely busy and has no time to shop around. You can easily spend upwards from a hundred dollars on a gift basket for the newborn while the grownups can receive a presentable gift basket for about $40.00.
However, a little creativity can garner you a beautiful basket that is totally unique and definitely much cheaper than what is available commercially. The secret is in the packaging – a pretty basket and some colorful wood excelsior with coordinating tulle and ribbon accents make a highly respectable gift basket.
Stick to a theme when creating your gift baskets – that makes them easier to put together. Ideas can come from just about anywhere: meals, sleep, pampering, baths, etc. all provide starting points for creative baskets.
For example, let's take mealtime:
Quick Eats Night – this is for the time the new parents don't even have 15 minutes to throw together a quick meal. Provide them with a dinner for two of assorted crackers, a tin of cheese, pate, and a jar of pickled vegetables. Pack it all in a wooden salad bowl or on a wooden bread board to serve as an impromptu platter. Once everything's held together with shrink wrap, it can easily be accessorized with some raffia ribbon and maybe a tiny pepper grinder held in the center of the bow.
Breakfast's On Me – breakfast time has become even more difficult considering the fitful nights most parents experience in the first few months the newborn is with them. Put together a small pack of cereal or meusli, a carton of milk for two, some dried fruits, shortbread biscuits and a choice of instant coffee, tea, or cocoa would make breakfast on one of those rushed days a snap.
Grown-up baby shower gift baskets give the new parents a gift of time and opportunity more than anything else but baby shower baskets created for the newborn are more for a sense of luxury or practicality:
Baby Spa – look for some specialty brands when putting together
this little basket. The European baby toiletries look unusual and
also smell divine! There are also some handmade natural toiletries
available on the internet that a mother worried about chemicals
would love. Package a choice of baby wash, shampoo, lotion, and
a washcloth or a mitt in a little plastic or bamboo basket that
can be used to hold the toiletries in the bathroom. Some dyed excelsior
and a tulle ribbon make the finishing touch.