The Most Useful Gifts for Parents
Practical and unexpected items that real parents loved the most in the early years—which would make great gifts.

When it comes to preparing for a new arrival and building a registry, there’s so much great baby and toddler gear to choose from, all of which was designed to make parenting easier. It’s easy to find those on our gear guides.
And then there are the unexpected, everyday items that real parents say they can’t live without—the “lifesavers” they’ve discovered along the way. These sleeper hits fall into the category of “things I wish I knew about as a first-time parent,” and we’ve rounded up our favorites here alongside some endorsements from real parents.
We think they’d make great gifts, too, and we’ll continue to update this list as we discover new time-saving and problem-solving products you should know about.
Problem-Solving Gear for Parents
Personal recommendations (and reviews!) from Babylist parents.