Baby Shower Gift Ideas for the Naturally Minded Mom + MightyNest Giveaway!

It’s amazing how radically different a first pregnancy is from the second.

When I was pregnant with Andrew, I remember how I felt about the baby shower: “I can’t wait to get #AllTheBabyStuff!” I think maybe it was a combination of being excited that it was my first baby and feeling like I needed #AllTheStuff but let me tell you what, I didn’t need it all and I see that now with my second baby on the way.

I think a huge reason why we feel like we need everything in the whole world when it comes to having a baby is because of the social pressure around us. If you go to Babies R Us and sign up for their registry, they hand you a monster list of baby gear to make sure you find and put on your registry. It seems in 2015 we’re in the age of #AllTheStuff — whether it be the newest greatest phone with all the accessories, way too many various kitchen tools to help you with anything you would possibly need when cooking, and of course, the million plus one things for a new baby.

The truth is, you don’t need it all. Well, at least I don’t need it all. I know that in the first few weeks, the most crucial items — aside from prepped healthy meals and lots of love — are good burp cloths, diapers (whether they are cloth or disposable), wipes, a couple blankets, and lots of laundry soap and cleaners. It’s amazing how many loads of laundry a tiny baby goes through! When you have a naturally minded mom, a bonus would be getting these items in the organic versions. Organic versions typically cost a little more than the conventional counterparts, so they make great gifts for moms who won’t be able to necessarily buy all organic.

I am by no means a “minimalist” but this year has been extremely eye-opening for me in terms of clutter in my home. It might be because I’m pregnant and the office I’m sitting in right now is supposed to be a baby’s room but it’s a catch all for my home office, Naturally Free supplies, and every other random thing it seems. Basically I feel like the “stuff” is caving in on me and I am constantly re-evaluating the items in my home and if we truly need them or not.

This time around, when I went to Babies R Us to create a registry I didn’t even look at the “must have” items on the long, long list. I kept it simple, minimal, and practical. I also realized this time around that Babies R Us did not have many of the things I necessarily wanted. Instead, I have found the best places for naturally minded moms to create a baby registry is through MightyNest and/or Amazon.

Don’t be blinded by the marketing “must haves” — think logically and ask Mom what she needs

My hopes with this post is to encourage people who are purchasing things for new moms to not be blinded by all the marketing “must haves” and to think logically. Mom’s don’t need 50 baby blankets, 20 pacifiers, and 43 toys; they need items that will help save money in the first few weeks — like non-toxic baby shampoo, non-toxic cleaner, prepped healthy meals, non-toxic diapers and wipes — and items that the baby truly, truly needs — like burp cloths and non-toxic baby bottom balm.

I also encourage people to ask Mom what she really wants: like a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated, quality lunch containers to stay nourished while on the go, and extra organic coffee never hurt anyone. Maybe she doesn’t need any “stuff” but would rather have things like a helping hand to do laundry, a cloth diapering service for a week, a pedicure before baby comes, and healthy food prepped (whether homemade or bought).

Oh, and one last thing. If mom has other children, it might be nice to think about a simple (noise-free) gift to give older siblings to help in those first few weeks where mom needs to put a lot of attention towards the new baby.

Naturally Minded Baby Shower Gift Ideas:

• A reusable water bottle for Mom to have so she can stay hydrated and healthy while nursing baby
• Branch Basics’ Concentrate and empty spray bottles
• Organic burp cloths
• Glass baby bottles
• Organic baby bottom balm
• Nose Freida
• Non-toxic, organic teethers
• All-natural hand sanitizing wipes to keep in the car
• Baby carrier
• Organic cotton crib pads and organic fitted sheets
• Organic crib mattress
• Cloth diapers
• Black out curtains
• Lunchskins reusable snack bags
• Bento lunch box
• Diffuser with a couple baby safe essential oils
• Nursing accessories (organic reusable breast pads, organic nipple butter)
• Organic coffee
• Gift card to Mom’s favorite local health food store
• Wet bag (for soiled clothes or cloth diapers)
• A special toy for any siblings to have when new baby arrives (one that doesn’t make all kinds of annoying sounds, please) or audible children’s books.

A MightyNest Naturally Minded Baby Shower Gift Giveaway (over $100 value)!

I’m so excited that MightyNest and I have partnered together to give one lucky winner a gift basket of naturally minded baby shower gifts that I personally hand picked: organic burp cloths, Branch Basics’ 32oz Concentrate with empty spray bottle, Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm, and an Organic Sun Teether.

Before we get to the giveaway widget, here is why I picked these specific items:

Organic burp cloths: Although normal burp cloths are fine, having organic ones give me a little peace of mind that my new baby is not being wiped with cotton full of pesticides. Did you know in the US over 90% of cotton is genetically modified and heavily sprayed? It’s a small step in eliminating unnecessary toxins in my home. And honestly, you can never have enough burp cloths.

Branch Basics 32oz Concentrate with Spray Bottle: It’s no secret that I love Branch Basics (see: Why I Don’t Make Cleaning Products From Scratch) and I truly, truly believe this is a must have for any new mom. It’s a weird gift, but this one cleaner can be used to get rid of poop and spit up stains, as human-safe laundry soap, to wash baby, wipe the explosive poop off the couch, more laundry, and as a simple all-purpose cleaner. Basically, mom doesn’t need a million different cleaners and can simplify with one bottle of concentrate and a couple empty spray bottles with different dilutions. The bottle of concentrate you’ll receive in this giveaway can make up to 64 all-purpose bottles!

Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm: This. Stuff. Is. Amazing. Seriously, you can use it for diaper rashes (it’s cloth diaper friendly) or boo-boos. You don’t need a lot of it so it lasts a long time which is always a plus. That being said, you can never have enough of this bottom balm. I still use it on my 4.5 year old and even on myself!

Organic sun-teether: Until you actually stop to think about the chemicals on baby products, you don’t really think about organic teethers. This time around, I want to have a few options for baby to chew on that have less toxins like this washable organic sun-teether. I know I can’t shield her from everything, but it would be nice to have one or two around.