‘Do it yourself’ (DIY) has long been a trend for those plucky mums and dads who don’t mind getting their hands dirty around the house. Whether it’s some laminate flooring here or a light fixture there, carrying out a project on your own can leave you with an overwhelming sense of achievement.
Can this mantra be adopted when coming up with baby gift ideas? Well, while we’d certainly suggest that it’s best to purchase a ready-made hamper for any new additions, you can create small, personal keepsakes for bubs with relatively little effort. Here are three DIY ideas:
Embroidered blankets
Ok, as you may have guessed from the title, this one is kind of cheating. However, you can take an off-the-shelf baby blanket and make it into a memorable gift with just a touch of creativity.
For example, why not get handy with the needle and thread and include the little ones initials? If that sounds like too much work, you can even get iron-on patterns and patches that can turn a plain blanket into a truly unique baby gift.
Puzzle blocks
Puzzle blocks help little ones learn about the relationships between colour and shape from an early stage, and can have a positive impact on their development. An inexpensive way to create a set is to start with some bare wooden cubes, and stencil on your own design.
You can get as creative as you like and include pictures of animals, or even spell out the little ones name and date of birth.
Cupcake socks and onesies
This idea is more centred how you present your baby gifts, rather than actually making them yourself. The Thinking Closet explained that folding onesies and socks for the little one into the shape of cupcakes (there are online tutorials that can show you how) and presenting them collectively can take a relatively mundane present and make it memorable.
In doing this, you can create an inexpensive gift that’s easy to put together, unique but above all really usable. While we’d suggest that you leave it to the experts when it comes to unique baby gifts, there are small keepsakes you can easily put together if you embrace your creative streak.