Newborn Gift Ideas for a Baby Boy or Girl, and What to Bring to the Sebou

In short: the best newborn gifts are a first book to read aloud from day one, a rattle or teether for when the baby starts to grab at around three months, and a stacking toy for later in the first year. Keep soft toys, blankets and pillows out of the baby's cot, avoid anything with small parts, button batteries or strong magnets, and choose by the age printed on the box. The same gifts suit a boy or a girl.

What is the Sebou?

The Sebou (السبوع) is Egypt's celebration of a new baby on the seventh day after the birth, and it is shared by Muslim and Christian families alike (NPR). The State Information Service describes the customs: the baby in a sieve (الغربال), the brass mortar (دق الهون) struck near the baby, a jug (إبريق) for a boy or a clay qulla (قلة) for a girl, seven candles carried in a procession around the baby, and salt sprinkled around the house (State Information Service). Al-Ahram records the folklore meaning: the mortar so the child gets used to loud sounds, and the sieve so they accept life's ups and downs (Al-Ahram). Guests bring gifts or «النقوط», money or gold, and leave with a Sebou bag of sweets.

The best newborn gifts

A first book, from day one

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading with your child from birth. A newborn doesn't understand the words yet but takes in the rhythm and sounds of speech, and what babies benefit from most is your voice and being close to you (AAP). Sturdy board books are the ones that survive being chewed. Try A Day in a Child’s Life (ages 0–3, a five-book set or single books), the bilingual Arabic–English B Book fables (ages 0–3), or I Read with My Child, written for the parent to read with the baby.

A rattle or teether for three months and up

Rattles are on the AAP's list of toys for babies of two and four months, and by around four months most babies hold a toy put in their hand. Baby Rattle Set is labelled from three months; Baby Rattle and Teether Set adds soft teethers and comes in a storage case, which makes it an easy gift to wrap.

A toy that grows with the baby

Towards the end of the first year, babies put things on and off, in and out. A ring stacker is labelled for this age: the Fish Ring Stacker, the Rainbow Ring Stacking Column or the Wheeled Ring Stacker, which becomes a pull-along toy once they walk. For the first birthday, see our gifts for 1-year-olds.

Clothes, gold or money

Babies grow very quickly (NHS), so if you give clothes, a size for six to twelve months will get more use than newborn size. If you give gold, make it a keepsake to put away rather than something to wear: the AAP does not recommend that babies wear any jewellery, because of the risk of choking and strangulation (AAP). Money (النقوط) is part of the tradition too; a small book or toy with it makes the gift personal.

By budget

• Around EGP 200–400: a B Book (EGP 210), A Day in a Child’s Life: At Home (EGP 325), or the Fish Ring Stacker (EGP 369).
• Around EGP 400–700: Baby Rattle Set (EGP 414), the Rainbow Ring Stacking Column (EGP 439), Baby Rattle and Teether Set (EGP 499), or I Read with My Child (EGP 700).
• Over EGP 700: the five-book A Day in a Child’s Life set (EGP 1,450), or a book and a rattle together.

Newborn gifts for a boy or a girl

The same gifts suit both. Blue for boys and pink for girls is the modern Sebou colour code for sieves and decorations; babies don't mind, so choose by age and let the wrapping and the card carry the colour.

A gift for the mother

A new mother is looking after someone else all day. A book to read to the baby together, like I Read with My Child, is a gift for both of them; add something that's only for her.

What to avoid

• Soft toys, blankets and pillows in the cot. The AAP advises keeping soft objects, loose bedding, pillows and toys out of a baby's sleep area for the whole first year. Soft toys are fine for decorating the room and for play while the baby is awake, just not in the cot (AAP).
• Small parts. In the US, toys for children under three may not have parts that fit into a test cylinder 3.17 cm wide and 5.7 cm long, about the size of a young child's throat (US Consumer Product Safety Commission). Follow the age on the box (AAP).
• Button batteries, including in musical greeting cards and light-up toys. A swallowed button battery can burn the throat in as little as two hours (AAP).
• Anything tied around the neck, and loose ribbons or strings on a gift (AAP).
• Mobiles within reach. A hanging cot toy must be out of reach and removed when the baby starts to push up on hands and knees, or at five months, whichever comes first (AAP).

Sebou bags (توزيعات السبوع) and small guests

The traditional Sebou bag holds a candle, sugared sweets, peanuts, popcorn and chocolate (State Information Service). For guests under four, leave out the nuts, popcorn and hard sweets, which are among the foods the AAP says to keep from young children, and remember that balloons are a choking risk up to age eight (AAP). If kohl is part of your family's Sebou, the US Food and Drug Administration warns that kohl products often contain high levels of lead (FDA).

Card messages for a new baby

• Congratulations on your little one. May they grow up surrounded by love.
• Welcome to the world, [name]. Your first book, for many more to come.
• May they be a blessing to you, and may you watch them grow up healthy and happy.
• From the Sebou song: "may you grow up to be like us".

Delivery before the Sebou

We deliver across Egypt in 1–5 business days, with cash on delivery. To have a gift there for the Sebou, order in the first days after the birth. For more ideas by age, see gift ideas by age, and for play in the first year, the baby and toddler toys.

Questions parents ask

What is the best gift for a newborn?

A first board book to read aloud from day one, and a rattle or teether for when the baby starts grabbing at around three months. Both are safe for the age on their box and get used every day.

Is there a difference between Sebou gifts for a boy and a girl?

No. The same gifts suit both; only the colours of the Sebou decorations traditionally differ, blue for boys and pink for girls.

Can I give a teddy bear to a newborn?

Yes, to decorate the room or for play while the baby is awake, but it shouldn't go in the cot. The AAP advises keeping soft toys, pillows and blankets out of a baby's sleep area for the first year.

Is gold a good gift for a new baby?

As a keepsake to put away, yes. The AAP does not recommend that babies wear jewellery, because of the risk of choking and strangulation.

What goes in Sebou bags?

Traditionally a candle, sugared sweets, peanuts, popcorn, chocolate and a card with the baby's name. For children under four, leave out the nuts, popcorn and hard sweets.

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