I’m heading home for the holidays and my sister is expecting in February! I was hoping to hear from parents or others who have experience with little ones abroad and in Japan. Are there any unique/ must have baby stuff here that I can bring back for her? Thanks so much!
12 comments
As a parent who raised babies in the US and toddlers and now teens in Japan, keep it simple.
All the gadets she’ll need, she’ll get including unique bottles, toys and whatever. Go with clothes, in particular onsies, burping towels, baby blankets. Parents can never have too many of those things. You can make those Japan oriented with the brand, design, graphics etc…
Baby jinbei is a great choice if you want something Japan specific
Baby jinbei/rompers have gone over well IME. Especially the soft gauze types, like [these](https://jp.mercari.com/item/m98693271657). If you want to get fancy, the ones from Sou Sou (for young kids) and Sense of Wonder (more for babies) are the brands I’ve liked the most. I also usually swing by a baby shop and grab some toys that are Japan-ish, like the crunchy tactile newspapers they can chew on.
Anpanman doll or other goods
Some Japanese baby rattles have this really lovely chiming sound. Not harsh at all! I’ve seen it in rattle form and also as a Miffy wibble-wobble toy.
But yeah, little jinbei or a cute set of towel handkerchiefs to use as burping cloths will be good. Ones made for babies are super-soft.
Congratulations on your family’s expansion of their biological empire!
Not for infants, but ¥100 shops often have noodle cutters & training hashi.
I was given some when my kid was too young for them, but he uses them now – I never saw such products in the US, and we use them often when we eat out 🙂
Maybe a cute little bento set? My gifts skew towards food because they seem more likely to get used.
Monpoke baby stuff are really cute.
https://monpoke.jp/
Edit to add: basically Pokémon themed baby stuff, but more muted and simplistic.
I’ve always thought some hanging hina dolls would make a beautiful mobile!
Wasn’t this question asked like a couple weeks ago?
Maybe that post will have more suggestions for you.
Hope you enjoy your time back!
If you think about long term use, perhaps imabari towels.
I second Jinbei and Monpoke toys.
This [onigiri rattle](https://shop.akachan.jp/shop/g/g194218900/) is also quite cute, I gave it to some friends this summer and their kid enjoyed it
Thank you everyone for the awesome ideas!!!! I’m taking notes!! Now I am actually looking forward to shopping for this!