Rainbows have a special significance in the fertility world, because babies born after a loss are known as rainbow babies.
I’ll show you exactly how to put together a cute and useful rainbow-themed gift basket for a baby shower using stuff you can order online. Scroll down to see the finished baby basket and my baby registry hacks.
I’ve intentionally kept the rainbow theme subtle, so the bright and happy gift suggestions would work for any baby. Even if you know the baby is a rainbow baby, I would not bring anything that explicitly refers to loss to a baby shower in case the mama did not share the news of her prior miscarriage(s) with other guests.
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OK, let’s get shopping!
Start with a medium-sized, multi-purpose basket.
Whitmor Woven Strap Small Tote (Amazon)
This basket is available from Amazon in several different colors. I like this style because it’s sturdy and clean. It won’t flop over, like some of the canvas ones, or get little basket bits all over everything.
I bought a similar basket for my sample basket at a local craft store for under $10. I also added some plain white shredded paper to the bottom.
Choose the main 2-3 gifts for your basket.
Here are my suggestions for a rainbow-themed baby shower basket. You’ll notice not every single thing has a rainbow on it. Mixing in some basic white or solid primary colors will keep the finished basket from looking too crazy.
“Baby’s First Year” Memory Book (Amazon)
There are rainbow motifs throughout this sweet little baby book! (Definitely include a gift receipt, though, in case they already have a baby book.)
Skip Hop Changing Station in Rainbow Stripe (Amazon)
We have the chevron version of this, and we use it all the time! It’s perfect for those times you’re out with the baby and there’s no changing station in the bathroom.
Halo Cotton SleepSack (Amazon)
My twins loved their SleepSacks, and we found them much easier to use than the swaddle blankets you have to wrap yourself. I’ve included the cotton one here, but Halo also makes micro-fleece and plush dot versions to keep winter babies cozy.
Add a few smaller items to complete your basket.
Look for cute, colorful things that will make the basket fun and festive. Anything primary-colored will work for this one, but here are some specific ideas:
HABA Rainbow Wooden Clutching Toy (Amazon)
This bright, high-quality baby toy is a timeless choice for a baby shower basket. It’s made in Germany and about the size of a deck of cards.
GUND Elephant Plush Rattle (Amazon)
This happy elephant buddy is VERY soft, and small enough to fit in any gift basket. It’s only about as tall as a soda can.
“Welcome Little One” Board Book (Amazon)
Board books are great additions to a gift basket because they’re usually smaller, cheaper, and more durable than regular children’s books. This one would fit right in as part of a rainbow gift basket, and it even coordinates with the little elephant above!
Set of 5 Avanchy Bamboo Baby Spoons (Amazon)
This set of cute and useful baby spoons is perfect for this basket! For my sample basket, I just took them out of the box and tied them together with a hair tie.
Bright Starts Oball Rattle (Amazon)
Oballs are great additions to a baby shower basket! Babies LOVE them because they’re so easy for little fingers to hold onto.
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” Card – Blank Inside (Amazon)
Who says you have to get your baby shower cards from the “Baby Shower” section?
Here’s what my sample basket looked like when it was done!
Hacking the baby registry
See if this sounds familiar…
You need to get a gift for a baby shower. You scroll through the registry and see that the good stuff is already taken. You’re not excited about the remaining options: a $500 stroller and boring white burp cloths. Ugh!
When this happens, a gift basket is the way to go! You can still incorporate elements from the baby registry, though. Here are two ways to do that.
Baby registry hack #1: Add or substitute a few items from the registry
If you like the rainbow theme, look for items on the registry that would coordinate. You could get the those white burp cloths instead of the SleepSack, for example.
Also, anything primary-colored should look nice in this basket. You’ll probably be able to find some colorful things on the registry that you can mix in.
What if you see an item on the registry that would be the perfect addition to your basket, but it’s already been purchased? It depends on what it is. I probably wouldn’t buy a second sound machine, but there’s no harm in getting a second SleepSack or a second set of bibs — newborns create a lot of laundry!
Baby registry hack #2: Use this basket as a template
Another strategy is to build a gift basket around a different item from the registry, using this basket as a template.
For example, let’s say you want to get the stroller blanket from the registry, but instead of rainbows it has robots. Go ahead and get the robot blanket, and then look for other items with similar colors and/ or a similar style of robot:
- Robot clothing basics (onesies, one-piece sleepers, etc.)
- Robot towels, burp cloths, swaddle blankets, bibs, etc.
- Robot toddler cups, plates, or utensils
- Robot teething toys, bath toys, small musical toys, etc.
- Small stuffed animal robots
- Board books about robots
Now you have an awesome robot gift basket! Beep boop beep…
Don’t forget to include the gift receipt, even for registry items
I used to think that gifts from the registry definitely wouldn’t be returned, but now I know better!
It’s impossible for new parents to predict what they’ll really need and what their baby will like. They’ll appreciate the ability to return those registry “must-haves” that just didn’t work in real life.
I’m Jenn! Here I am with my beautiful twin boys. My pregnancy was possible thanks to fertility treatment for PCOS.