Reddit reviews Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Portable Travel Baby Bottle Warmer - Multi Function -  BPA Free

Since you've only got about 4 months left before he can wean from the formula, I think you'll be able to get away with a Dr. Brown's Formula Mixing Pitcher at home. Every morning just pour in 30 oz of water (we used jugs like these) and 15 scoops of formula (we used Similac ProAdvanced - check your measurements depending on what formula you go with). Churn. Pour into five 6 oz bottles. Pop in fridge. Serve as needed.

With daycare I actually used sandwich bags to pre-measure 5 days worth of formula on Sundays - 15 scoops per bag and toss in cupboard. Then in the mornings it was just pour water, dump baggie, churn, pour 6oz into 5 bottles, and then into this bottle bag with an ice pack and snacks in the top compartment and we were good to go.

For on the go, I'd figure one bottle for every 2 hours we'd be gone. So for 6 hours I'd grab 3 bottles and fill each with 6 oz of water. I'd then fill all three compartments of this dispenser with 3 scoops each. When kiddo needed a bottle you just pop the top, dump in, and shake/swirl bottle to mix. If your kid requires a warm bottle you can use this on the go bottle warmer. Just fill it with hot water before you leave and when it's time to serve a bottle you dump some into the lid, sit the bottle inside for a minute or two, swirl, and serve. It's a thermos so it stays hot for a while. My son would take bottles at any temp so it was easy, thankfully.

You're an awesome employer. $400 for a baby gift (particularly one as frequently used and safety-oriented) is an amazing gift.

My wife and I bought a Britax B-Agile Travel System. Note that a travel system is a combined stroller, carrier, and carrier base for the car, which means they would be pretty much covered until their baby is big enough for a full-blown car seat, and the stroller will last longer than that. Yes, these really can last a while if they're well-designed and well-made, though as a recent first-time parent, I can't speak to how accurate "five years" is. I would reasonably expect probably about 2-4 years, depending on how you treat your stuff and how quickly your child grows. (Note that most of these are based on weight, rather than age.) The B-Agile system is good for 30 pounds, which is roughly 3-4 years, I'm told.

This system, once assembled, is incredibly easy to use, very beefy, and rather stylish. All of the wheels lock with a single foot pedal at the back, the front wheel locks against turning for mostly-straight tracks, and the wheels are all fairly large, which means it's easier to push on rough terrain or over small pebbles in parking lots. There's plenty of storage (with an optional organizer that attaches to the back), and it all clips together/comes apart/folds up very easily. It's really well-designed as a system that's easy to use and easy to move or adjust. The carrier clips into the stroller (until the little one is too large for it), and then unclips and clips into the car base. You then push a button and lift a handle, and the stroller folds literally in half for storage in your car trunk. We chose the red version because it's highly visible/recognizable at a distance.

As far as cost is concerned, Amazon has this for a little under $300, and we were able to get Babies R Us to price-match it. They had to order it though, as red wasn't in stock. I wouldn't recommend used as recalls do happen and you need to register with the company if you want to be notified about a recall. If you're looking for something else to use the remaining $300 on, you could get things like square receiving blankets that can also serve as burping cloths or swaddling blankets, a bouncer with audio and vibration, or a nice swing. I'd recommend Fisher Price "Snug" series (Snugamonkey, Snugabunny, etc.) as they're great quality, very sturdy, have great reviews, and a ton of great features. (Can rotate and reposition, has multiple sound and music options including white noise, has a rotating mobile, multiple speed settings, battery or wall plug operation, etc.) The swings will set you back about $150, the bouncers around $60, and the blankets around $10-15 for a set of 3.

If you don't want to look like an overbearing Daddy Warbucks in-law, I'd just recommend one "big" think (i.e. the travel system), and maybe a few small things like the receiving blankets, a portable bottle warmer, or a DadGear diaper bag or backpack, which takes diapering on the move to a whole new level. The bag is a little more than a casual gift, but might still fit.

If you want extra bonus points, buy them a copy of Happiest Baby on the Block which is a series of soothing techniques that stops a baby from crying in literally seconds. It sounds a cross between hokey and scammy, but it WORKS.

Get one of these Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Portable Travel Food and Baby Bottle Warmer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004I110D8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_UWj.BbVN3JS7V

Fill it up before you get to the airport and put it in with the bottles. In about 20 flights with a kids on the bottle TSA didn’t even blink when they saw it, sometimes they open it and see it’s hot water and only once did they mildly complain. Don’t use it til you get on the plane. Ask for hot water at any concession while past security to warm bottles till you are on the plane. Planes seldom have water hot enough to warm a bottle when on the ground. Try not to give the bottle till you are about to take off, it really helps with the ears. Be ready with a backup during take off and landing just in case. Beyond that, have plenty of toys at the ready.

Not a nanny,
but we had one of these
https://www.amazon.com/Tommee-Tippee-Travel-Bottle-Warmer/dp/B004I110D8/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1522843296&sr=8-2&keywords=bottle+warmer+on+the+go
maybe see if your NF can get you one of these! it was a godsend!! our baby had the same problem

Do you have a baby you can borrow?

https://www.amazon.com/Tommee-Tippee-Closer-Nature-Portable/dp/B004I110D8

I would actually get the onsie in a 3-6 month size. Most people get new moms clothes in 0-3 months so I go up at least one size when I buy a gift. Also check out the comments on the onsie if they have it as some infant clothes sizes are crazy wrong.

I have a lot of friends who are pregnant or just a baby in the last couple of years and was a Nanny for over 10 years and I buy one traditional gift for the baby and the rest are gifts that are not the 'norm. Depending on how much money you want to spend here are some ideas: mani/pedi or massage for mom (Groupon is great!), restaurant gift cards that deliver, house cleaning services, baby massage class, box of healthy snacks especially for breastfeeding moms,

Here are some more traditional but still very useful gifts parents might not know about that I posted somewhere else.

Hands free bottle holder
http://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Feeding-Bebe-Sling-LLC/dp/B003Z66X5W/ref=pd_cp_ba_3

Plush pacifier: I get this for almost everyone because you loose so many pacifiers and it keeps it in the baby's mouth.
http://www.amazon.com/WubbaNub-22352-Giraffe/dp/B003CK3LDI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1398892663&sr=8-5&keywords=pacifier

Non-electric travel bottle warmer
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004I110D8/?tag=buzz0f-20

Swaddle Pod
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-SwaddlePod-Caterpillar-Newborn/dp/B006K6DF9Q/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1398893796&sr=8-8&keywords=swaddle

Cuddle-U Nursing Pillow- looks like a boppy but it does so much more. I really like to give this to parents because you're not supposed to lay infants straight on there backs after feeding so you prop them up with this. It helps with spit ups, gas, and colic.

http://www.amazon.com/Leachco-Cuddle-U-Nursing-Pillow-More/dp/B000RHYPS4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1398894056&sr=8-3&keywords=baby+lounger

Baby Shusher - actually works and just saw they have a app but only for iphones for now
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Shusher-Soothing-Miracle-Babies/dp/B00D2JN87I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398894587&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+shusher

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/baby-shusher/id419606496?mt=8

Hope this helps!