By the time a baby arrives, most new parents have already received four blankets, three sets of tiny socks, and at least one stuffed animal the size of a small car. None of it is unwelcome — it's just hard to make an impression in a pile that big.
Give the baby something that's only theirs
At Galaxiana, you can name a star the day a child is born — something that belongs entirely to them, not to "babies" generally. A message like "Yours since the day you arrived. We picked it out before you got here" tends to mean more with each passing year, not less. From $34.99.
Something for the parents, for once
Everyone buys for the baby. Almost no one buys for the two exhausted people now responsible for it. A meal delivered without being asked, a few hours of childcare, or simply showing up with coffee and no expectations tends to be remembered longer than another onesie.
A note for later
Write a letter to the baby, to be opened on their eighteenth birthday. Tell them what the day they were born was actually like — the nerves, the waiting room, the first time you saw them. It will mean nothing to them now, and everything to them eventually.
If you're not sure which of these to choose, the star tends to do double duty — a gift for the parents to set up, and something the child will eventually understand is theirs. It's ready in minutes, from $34.99.