Baby shower gift ideas from a speech-language pathologist

Do you have a baby shower coming up? Want to set up that new little one in your life for success from an oral motor, speech, and feeding standpoint? Read on for some of my favorite gifts to give to new moms, based on my perspective as an SLP with training in oral placement therapy, feeding therapy, and orofacial myology.

While these gifts may be “off-registry,” they will not only impress the mom-to-be and other baby shower guests, but they will also encourage the development of proper eating, drinking, and talking skills. If you’re a new mom or expecting, read on for some ideas of items to add to your registry! 

“Feed Your Baby and Toddler Right: Early eating and drinking skills encourage the best development” book by Diane Bahr, MS, CCC-SLP 

Diane Bahr is a wonderful speech-language pathologist and feeding specialist who has authored several books and teaches internationally on the subjects of feeding, speech, and mouth development to both professionals and parents. I love her most recent book, “Feed Your Baby and Toddler Right,” because it contains valuable information about developmental milestones, advice on how to promote optimal skill development, and ideas for things to try if baby is struggling. Although the book is chock-full of information, it is presented in a way that’s manageable and concise, which prevents overwhelm for new moms (who already have enough on their plate!). This book is a great resource for parents and SLPs alike. 

Available from Amazon here

Honey Bear Straw Cup

I chose this honey bear straw cup as an option to help baby transition from breastfeeding/bottle feeding to a straw cup. I like these cups because you can squeeze the bear’s little belly to fill the straw, which makes it easier for a baby to suck the fluid as they are first learning how to do it. Straw drinking is valuable because it encourages lip rounding and tongue retraction, both of which are important skills as a baby is learning to eat different types of foods and make sounds. Although the honey bear straw cup is not “spill-proof,” this type of cup is a better option than a hard-spouted sippy cup, which tends to promote a low-forward tongue posture and suckle pattern, and inhibits more mature drinking and swallowing skills. 

Available from Amazon here

Ark Baby Grabber Chewie

Appropriate mouthing experiences are important for baby, as these experiences provide sensory input and encourage chewing skills. The Ark Baby Grabber chewie is a nice option for both generalized mouthing (where baby sucks, mouths, and bites on items near the front of the mouth) at the “loop,” and discriminative mouthing (where a child explores, bites on, and chews on items around the mouth) with the extension piece. Most babies begin teething at around 5-6 months, and this is a great time to introduce safe chewing and mouthing items. Chewing and mouthing on items should always be done while the baby is being supervised by an adult. 

Available from Amazon here 

Beckman EZ Spoon

I promise this is actually a spoon, even though it doesn’t really look like the spoons you may be used to! This was specially designed by Debra Beckman (another fabulous speech and feeding therapist) for babies, young children, or people with poor oral motor control. The narrow, shallow bowl encourages appropriate bite size and lip activation to clear the spoon. Good spoon feeding with upper lip activation facilitates both lip closure at rest and the production of “p, b, m” sounds. 

Available from Amazon here

Hello, Baby Animals” high contrast baby book

Okay, this one isn’t necessarily speech or feeding related, but it is still a great choice to include. This book is super cute, teaches baby-friendly animal vocabulary words (which leads to fun animal sounds!), and is high-contrast (black and white). Newborns and young babies often have trouble distinguishing colors, so the images in this book will be easier for them to focus on and will help to develop their vision skills. 

Available from Amazon here

So there you have it! Some of my favorite gifts to give to new or expecting parents. I hope this information is helpful, and happy Baby Shower shopping!