Best Shower Gifts for the Bride and Groom or the Parents-to-Be

While most guests rush to a registry to help the bride and groom or parents-to-be get started in their new adventure there are more creative gifts that are rarely considered.

Regarding engagements gifts: first consider if the couple have been previously living together or are starting out in a new home after college graduation. If they have been cohabiting for awhile, they most likely have whatever they need in the way of linens, dishware and kitchen appliances. In those cases, think of what the couple enjoys doing as a hobby. Here are a few of my favorite suggestions:

1. Sports enthusiasts would appreciate a pair of tickets to a favorite game. Add the fixings for a tailgate party via a large cooler filled with some of their favorite snacks and a small BBQ and you've got a winning game.

2. If it is the outdoors they rave about, camping equipment or perhaps a set of quality binoculars along with a bird or National Park book may be the answer.

3. If you have a couple that loves the sky-an astronomical globe and a telescope, along with a pair of tickets to a museum that has an astronomy observation room, would be enjoyable.

4. How about a set of tickets to an outdoor concert for music buffs complete with blanket, a picnic basket filled with favorite delicacies and wine?

There are so many innovative ways to give a gift that matches their taste and interests.

If the couple truly is starting out in a first home together, I like to offer practical things that they may not consider preparing themselves for, such as a tool box. While many guys may already have a tool box this may not be the case if they are more of the academic type with few 'fix-it' hands-on experiences.

A set of tools for basic household repairs and a home repair book addressing common household problems, is really a gift that will be appreciated when the need arises-no need to run to the in-law’s home for help. This applies to the new bride as well. Complete this gift with a nice gift card to a major hardware store like Lowe’s or Home Depot, (in the U.S.) and you will have a couple that is sure to appreciate your gift for a very long time.

Safety and security is a primary goal for new parents. One of the most helpful gifts for their peace of mind is a room monitor. It alerts parents to their baby’s cries and breathing, and is found in most baby department stores or online. Simply place one monitor near the baby and the second one with the parent. The parent is alerted when the baby awakens or fusses.

An infant car seat is another important gift. This gift is a 'must have' and is most often provided by the couple’s inner circle of relatives. However, if there doesn’t happen to be any, and you want to be remembered for the one who gave a practical and loving gift, then snatch this one off the registry.

When my father visited me in one of the many homes I lived in as a young mother, he surveyed the place with a keen eye and immediately went out to the store to buy three things: a stairway gate, a small, household fire extinguisher, and a portable window ladder. We lived in a duplex then-upper and lower, not side by side. We had the upper floor and all he saw from his experience was that the old building was a ‘fire-trap’.

The gate was to keep Cara from falling to the neighbor’s door when our entrance door was open, which led directly to the stairway, and the extinguisher and ladder were handy emergency devices if a fire broke out in the house. The ladder followed us from home to home and, although I have never had a need to use it I still have the collapsible ladder in its original box- a gift from a loving father.

Finally, if you know the parents are an earthy couple who believe in organic and love to keep the world they live in as natural as possible, go back to the sixties. Give a gift of a baby snuggle or ‘backpack’, cloth diapers, a package of baby pins and a baby food grinder. When my kids where starting solid food, the baby food grinder I used was a simple hand held grinder from a baby department store. It was small enough to carry in the diaper bag and I was confident that the food I offered was what I was willing to eat myself.