I cannot wait for the day when Gianna can make her own macaroni tree ornaments to give to her doting grandparents! I can already see glimmers of a little artist budding in her, eager to come out. But, at 14 months, she is just learning to hold a crayon somewhat correctly. Until she’s busting out those adorable hand-made cards and other glittery wonders, it’s up to us, her parents, to be the gift-giver to her grandpas and grandmas.

I thought I would share some of the ideas we’ve used, and ideas I’ve heard of, if you feel like you need some inspiration in this area. Let me know if you have other ideas to share.

Photos Galore

• Photo frame with baby or grandparents + baby: for the office, a side table, or a nightstand. A standard gift that never gets old.
• Photo collage book: Shutterfly and Costco are just two of many photo sites that have options to upload photos to create really nice looking books cataloging the life of baby. This one just takes a little chunk of time to look through photos and organize them.
• Grandparents photo shoot: I’ve always thought this would be a good idea. Give the grandparents a certificate letting them know you’re treating them to a photo-shoot with their grand-baby. You could go to a studio or arrange something with a photographer.

For the Long Distance Grandparent

• The ipad or iphone: This is perfect for Grandparents that don’t live so close. We got an ipad for my parents right when Gianna was born and we Face-time ALL THE TIME. It’s been a pretty amazing way for my parents to see Gianna grow up, even though they’re hundreds of miles away.

Special Somethings

• Spa treatments: Both Gianna’s grandmas could spend every second of every day with Gianna if they could. Whenever they’re with her, they’re on the ground playing and up and about carrying her the million directions she wants to go. I know they could use some pampering as a small way of saying thank you.
• Gift certificate for dinner out: Sometimes grandparents need date nights where they can go out for a night on the town and… talk about their grandchildren. Shh, don’t tell my parents that they’ll be getting one of these in a few weeks!