DOROTHEA, BRUSSELS: "My father, together with his wife and my three little brothers, crocheted a woollen blanket for us - each in a different colour and then put it together at the end. My grandfather had already crocheted such a blanket for me for my birth. While the five of them crocheted the blanket, all the good thoughts went to our little Anastasia. It was by far the most beautiful gift and we use the blanket every day!"

FRIEDERIKE, BERLIN: "I was most happy about the trousers and socks because they were so practical and grew with me during the first months. The trousers really did fit from birth to 5 months - that was a hit! Cuddly toys on the other hand are super cute, but you just get too many!"

GEORG, COLOGNE: "My best friend and Richard's godfather gave the little boy a Bitcoin for his birth (September 2016). It was worth about 200 euros at the time. To be honest, I thought it was pretty stupid because I don't know anything about Bitcoins. Today, a good year later, the thing is worth over 5,000 euros. So in the meantime, I've made friends with the idea! If it continues like this until Richard's 18th birthday, the kid will be set for life."

FRANCESCA, MUNICH: "The best present we got for the birth was a little "medicine bag" we sewed ourselves, including caraway oil and nappy balm from the station pharmacy in Kempten. It goes absolutely everywhere with me. The reason: before the first child, you have absolutely no idea what they need for stomach aches, fever or teething. Or the daily vitamin D dose in tablet form, etc.? - I was very happy to have everything in one place...".

ANNE-SOPHIE, FRANKFURT: "The most touching gift was my 6-year-old cousin's little cloth lamb that had been sucked through (thank goodness these things are washable, even if it is family). She parted with it with a heavy heart and our little Oskar loves it dearly."

PAVEL, BAD HOMBURG: "My brother-in-law visited us shortly after the birth of our little Jakub. He had a bottle of a very good schnapps from our homeland with him. At first I found that rather inappropriate. But I was too quick in my judgement. His idea was to bury the bottle in the garden and dig it out together on Jakub's 18th birthday and toast him with him and his friends. That made me very happy. And I'm sure Jakub, when the time comes, will be very happy about it too."

MARISA, HAMBURG: "The personalised Kulturella by Djou Djou was a highlight. It is super practical, absolutely sufficient as a diaper bag for on the go and fits into every larger handbag. I think these huge diaper bags are completely overdone and ugly... I think it's especially cool that the children can continue to use them on school trips etc. later on. Carl still loves his bag. I've already given this personalised Kulturella as a birth gift three times and everyone was thrilled."

ANNIKA, BERLIN: "My best friend gave our daughter an internet domain with her name on it for her birth: www.vorname-nachname.de. I don't have the faintest idea what she'll do with it, but I'm sure she'll think of something. There are plenty of possibilities. I was so happy to receive it because it is a far-sighted and positive gift. I am curious to see where our little Jana's path will take her and how she will use the domain one day."

INDRA, HAMBURG: "I give away swaddle cloths from Aden&Anais at every baby shower and of course I got them myself. They are chic, can be used for everything (swaddling, sun protection, spit-up cloth, blanket, changing mat, etc.) and the quality is amazing. Apart from that, I think it's important not to buy anything that the parents think is stupid. Don't buy plastic toys if you know that the parents don't like them. And especially when it comes to clothes, it's better to pay attention to good quality instead of giving more in terms of quantity, which then doesn't do the sensitive baby skin so much good or scratches and loses its shape after the first wash.

JULIA, BERLIN: "We were most happy about a pair of shoes (enchanting ballerina's) that our little Milla received as a gift from her godfather. They are her first shoes, which he gave her as a symbolic gift, as he has accompanied her on her way ever since. We loved the idea and the shoes are just so cute. We are really looking forward to Milla being able to walk in them in the spring."

CAMILLA, DRESDEN: "My father gave our little Antonia a travel account into which he will transfer 100 euros every year until her 18th birthday. Once she has finished school, she can use the money to explore the world. We thought that was a great idea.

IN ITS OWN MATTER: If you're in a hurry and want to get started on the subject of birth gifts right away, then of course another great gift idea should not go unmentioned here: Baby Bodies from Tom&Jenny