Are You Expecting Your First Grandchild This Summer?

For just short of two minute while you were out walking with your 16 month grandson today he was too old and independent to hold your hand. As soon as he came to a spot in the sidewalk where some mud had dried across the path, however, he was looking back over his shoulder and grasping for you. This small encounter made you smile at the time, but looking back it makes you a little sentimental to know that he already has a few minutes at a time when he thinks he can handle things on his own. You raised four very independent children years ago, but no part of you is ready to have this first grandchild grow up that quickly.

From buying cashmere booties for newborns to splurging on luxury baby toys for toddlers, there are many things that grandparents can do with grandchildren that they likely could not have afforded with their own kids. In addition to the material items that some grandparents now find themselves able to purchase, however, there is also a chance that grandparents also have the luxury of time. And while it is not true of all families, but there are many times when grandparents are already retired when they have their first grandson or granddaughter.

High End Baby Blankets and Other Luxury Baby Gifts Continue to Grow in Popularity

The occasional splurge on special gifts like cashmere booties, if coupled with attention, is not really an unrealistic gift. In fact, any time a parent or grandparent is able to invest as much time as money in an infant or toddler they are likely setting that young child up for success. Problems, of course, can occur when children are showered with gifts, but then too often left to fend for themselves or in the care of a daycare center. These are times when parents and other adults make the mistake of thinking that presents can replace presence.

Consider some of these other facts and figures about the growing high end baby industry and the impact that it has on the economy:

• Over 35% of women who have babies in America are now over the age of 30, allowing many of them to make a bigger investment in the items that they buy their children.
• Although tears will not appear until the end of the first month, babies typically start crying between two and three weeks old, so it should come as no surprise that there are a growing number of comfort and monitoring products that parents purchase..
• 85% of newborns prefer to sleep with their head to the right when they lay on their back, an important piece of information that parents need to know when they are purchasing decorations for the room that might be in a bay’s line of vision.
• Multiples, or identical twins, only occur in four out of every 1,000 live childbirths. When they do occur, however, parents are faced with double expenses in nearly all areas of parenthood.
• A baby’s brain will grow quickly within the first year, because research shows that their brains will more than double in size. It is because of this that so many parents work really hard to provide the right kind of environment, even for their youngest children.

From the first set of cashmere booties to the days when a first grandchild walks without holding your hand, there are many transitions that are part of being a parent or a grandparent. As children and grandchildren grow, however, there will always be the temptation to make sure that you are buying the very best gifts that are available.