can you guys make any suggestions of nice gifts for a baby to keep? i am in charge of shopping for a work friends expected little girl. i'm looking about £30-40 and the team don;t like the idea of a quaich. i was thinking a charm braclet for when shes older but having trouble finding nice charms!

I think a lovely gift is a foot print or hand print of the baby to keep. Mothercare do the kit, so do other shops.

Denese

we have been looking at book gift sets for OH's neices christening, eg. beatrix potter, hans christian anderson etc.  they are good kids books but also nice to keep right through until adults.

i saw those and was thinking it might be an idea for michelle (the mum), but i wanted to get something for the baby to, to keep for when shes older.

might be an idea, will run it by the guys

> i was thinking a charm braclet for when shes older but having trouble finding nice charms!

Hot Diamonds do a great charm bracelet & the charms you can get are really good, not sure how much they cost though as I've always been bought them as a gift.

My daughter got a silver baby bangle when she was born and I have kept it for her. I also have the one I had when I was a baby and my mum has her one!

What about a money bank?

Silver is traditional and you can get some very nice picture frames.  Antique/secondhand ones are the best value.

I always think it's such a shame when gifts get boxed and saved til the child is old enough but the big advantage of a frame is that the parents can use it until the child is older.  My mum has one that was her mothers and I have one that I was given as a Christening present - it has a wedding photo in it now but used to have a series of child pics.  They are all still stuffed in there as my mum just put the new ones on top each time..

My daughter has a charm bracelet that she was given but she thinks it's a bit precious to wear.  My son was given a silver pocket watch which is lovely but I suspect will never be used!

> My daughter got a silver baby bangle when she was born and I have kept it for her. I also have the one I had when I was a baby and my mum has her one!
>

we were talking about that but i think thats more of a family gift? i know in my family its something grans normally buy

will have a look. its weird they seem to not really do the chain type any more but rather have a bracelet of little loops to hang them on. it doesn;t really look right to me.

> always think it's such a shame when gifts get boxed and saved til the child is old enough but the big advantage of a frame is that the parents can use it until the child is older.

fair point.

we fancied a charm bracelet as we can start it off but it can be something thats added to.

i like the idea of a frame but i feel funny giving a frame without the pic (was also looking at lockets) but can't get one yet as she's not out lol

> i like the idea of a frame but i feel funny giving a frame without the pic

Can you get a pregnant mum pic to put in it?  This is you before you arrived!! Or has Michelle shown you a scan yet?  If not you can put a hand drawn fun picture in for now.

You can still get chain bracelets to use for charms and these are often a better option than specific charm bracelets.  The jeweller can take some links off the adult size for you but these can be added later to allow for growth, we've just added some extra links to my daughters in the hope she might start wearing it.

Good luck with choosing

What about buying a 'voucher' at a photographers for a prepaid session & that way mum can get a good photo to keep and eventually the baby may appreciate her baby photos?

these are all great ideas guys, please keep em coming :)

You could get a nice nursery rhyme book there is one with1000 rhymes and short stories. My one daughter brought my other daughter a paddington bear in a glass case.

Denese

i've mentioned the book collections suggested above to my team who all think thats a nice idea so will suggest this to.

To be honest i wouldn't buy  a charm bracelet. My 18 year old daughter was bought one when she was born and she would never wear it its just left in her baby box.

I should have shares in the things as I have bought so many, I always buy a gold baby bangle with name and date engraved in it, lovely keepsakes, they are lovely in silver too. :-)

Also nice are the collectable teddies and babies to pass onto the newborns when adults.

Or there are websites which do beautiful baby clothes in a lovely presentation box with the childs name on it (if there is one yet) approx £25-£35. (Sorry can't remember the websites name, a quick google should find it.)

> the childs name on it (if there is one yet)

lol, not really yet. maybe anna but shes still not sure.

> This is you before you arrived!! Or has Michelle shown you a scan yet?  If not you can put a hand drawn fun picture in for now.

Flickr do a good site where you can 'custom' a pic (If you google 'wharholiser' you can turn a pic into a multicoloured 'wharhol-esque' print)

I like ChristineW's idea too of a photographer gift voucher.

(I still have my Wedgewood Beatrix Potter mug, bowl and plate from when I was a wee yun!)

What is a quaiche? (Is like ham& egg flan??? ;))

a quaich (K-way-xch) (sorry, spelling) is a traditional scottish cup, its sometimes called a cup of welcome. here are a few

http://www.scotweb.co.uk/browse/gifts-and-home/eating-and-drinking/quaichs?view=1:referrer=g12486&gclid=CN2zuKHgh5kCFQtdQgodvHXfmA

not a quiche (keee-shh) which is a cup of pastry filled with an egg and cream mix and additional fillings that is baked firm. i can make those, i cannot make a quaich :)

Thanks Kim!
I've learnt a new word :)
(Is it traditional only to give to babies? Ive never seen them before)

not just for babies, a lot of folk give them as wedding gifts etc. their just generally a nice thing to have. you get some tacky ones but some are really beautiful and lovely to have.

What about a nice scrapbook kit that her parents can fill for her with memories of her growing up.
Donna x

shes got a baby book for that sort of thing, ta though :)

> don;t like the idea of a quaich.

please can you tell me what a quaich is? 

lol, as above jean, huskygal was also asking. its a scottish cup of welcome, there is a link further up the thread.

> To be honest i wouldn't buy&nbsp; a charm bracelet. My 18 year old daughter was bought one when she was born and she would never wear it its just left in her baby box. <IMG class=qButton title="Quote selected text" height=10 alt="Quote selected text" src="/images/mi_quote.gif" width=20>

Sad to say, I had one, never liked it, and never wore it.  And didn't like to tell people that I didn't want charms for my birthday!  :-o

Have a look on ebay for chain link bracelets and charms - evercharming is a good seller who specialises in silver jewellery and charminglyyoursjewelry is another good one, again with silver charms.  You'll also need some split rings so the charms can attach to the bracelet, but the sellers will have these.

I've personally used both of these sellers and found them to be top notch - excellent customer service and quick delivery.  They're both American sellers but they have a much wider range of charms than any UK seller I've found.

HTH

hmm. since its proving so difficult to get a nice one anyway will perhaps leave that idea

tam, will have a look

What about a Luckenbooth brooch or necklace? They are traditional, Scottish and meant to keep fairies and evil spirits away :o Nicer than a quaich for a girl I think? There are some nice ones here

Ortak do some lovely jewellry too and again are Scottish - they have some lovely Daisy designs [url=http://www.ortak.co.uk/]this[url] is their web site

oh there are lovely hings on those, ta!