Best gift for an expectant mother

My friend is almost due, and wanted to get a brilliant first gift for her and baby for the holidays. Any suggestions?

A cute fashionable baby sling!
http://www.modmum.com/item/Mia/228/c46

You can get a couple of different patterns, this was just the first link when I did a search...

I shop www.babywit.com for all my breeder friends. Seriously. The tiny pink and black "vans" are a total win.

A cleaning person - this is what I really wanted toward the end of my pregnancy and after too!

Gift certificate for a family portrait.

^ I did the cleaning person as a gift and it went over very well

Flexichick wrote: ^ I did the cleaning person as a gift and it went over very well

Um, care to rephrase that? lol

jeffrey wrote: [quote=Flexichick]^ I did the cleaning person as a gift and it went over very well

Um, care to rephrase that? lol

Nope. My cleaning person is a guy and a sweetie

Ok...if you insist......"I gave a gift certificate for cleaning and the present was well-received". Spoil sport!

I like monogrammed burp cloths, but it doesn't really work if you want to give the gift before the baby arrives. Cleaning person is an awesome idea.

Keep it practical. Do they have a baby bathtub yet?

doctorj wrote: Keep it practical. Do they have a baby bathtub yet?

I agree. Maybe find some cool fabrics/patterns and make some cute baby towels for drool if you're feeling crafty. Made some last year and they were a big hit!

I think the housecleaning idea is awesome.

I also like the keep it practical advice. You can also ask what she really wants/needs that she hasn't gotten.

Oh, and according to the moms I know, none of them were thrilled to get books on parenting as gifts.

My brother and his wife were swamped in clothes, blankets, and toys so I just asked what they still hadn't gotten that would be useful and a baby bjorn it was. It was just pricey enough (compared to all the other stuff) and not quite necessary that they hadn't gotten it themselves and it wasn't exciting enough that anyone else got it for them. And now it's in use with baby #2. I heard through the grapevine several times that they were so happy that someone ASKED them what they wanted/needed instead of another onsie or stuffed dog (they had so much stuff useless crap they had to store it away).

this is funny, I had just ordered a baby bjorn before I read this last post, I figured on it for exactly your reasoning...