When my oldest was 13 months old, I went to the doctor to find out I was pregnant again, with twins! My husband’s first response, upon being told we’d be the parents of “three under two”, was “We’re going to need more help”. 

Well, we’ve survived for a while and gotten great help from lots of family and friends. And some of the best help we’ve gotten has been from unique baby gifts that have made a big difference in helping us with these three little girls. 

So as a mom that’s road-tested some good and bad products, I’m ready to report on the things I’ve gotten and loved, for anyone out there searching for a baby shower gift idea or the perfect new baby gift. 

1.  Ralph’s World CD’s—these two cd’s were given to me a by a childless co-worker, who’d heard of them as the singer was local to Chicago, where he was from. Ralph sings family-friendly music that is not annoying (full disclosure: it is annoying when played non-stop for eight hours in the car, actually, as I can report from a first-person standpoint; also annoying when it goes through your head at 3 am when you can’t sleep—but FAR less annoying then a screaming 2, 3, 4, 5 year old!) Kids love it. Parents love it. It has “inside jokes” that aren’t inappropriate…an excerpt: “M-O-M-M-Y needs C-O-F-F-E-E” sung to a catchy beat. I personally think it beats the Wiggles any tme! 

2.  Baby Diapers. I got bags and sets of these, for the twins; when you don’t know what you’re going to need to spend money on, what you’ll need to duplicate from your oldest, it’s tough to plan. But you can pretty much plan that you’ll need diapers! And it was so nice to know we had stockpiles; I’ve seen “diaper cakes” now that are a stylish way to provide this great staple to ANY mom for a new-baby gift! 

3.  A side-to-side swing. We had a back and forth swing for my oldest; she hated it. We got the side to side as a “splurge” gift, for the twins, and for the first six months of their lives someone was constantly asleep in it! This gift has down quadruple or quintuple duty as it’s now been lent out as a much loved new-baby-welcome for several other friends… 

4.  Personalized baby gifts…I actually got very few of these, and each one was so special—a pillow with the new baby’s name an weight on it; a diaper cloth with her first name embroidered…I remember the first time I wrote my oldest’s name out “for real” and it was so strange! So it was nice to have those reminders of her “official status”.  

5.  A silver spoon. This seems like such a decadent gift, but I got two (corporate gifts, of course) for my oldest and someone told me USE THEM! Don’t stick them in a drawer! And I have—they are so pretty and fancy, even smeared with mushy peas—and if they tarnish, you shine them. And when she’s bigger, she can keep them. It’s a great gift to keep forever.

You’re invited to a shower and at a loss—what’s the best shower gift idea for a new baby girl? 

It just takes one walk down the aisle of any clothing boutique to fall in love with the frills and bows on any of the fancy dresses; as a new mom of three girls, I remember thinking “How impractical!” Your budget is so stretched with diapers, bottles, and the basics that it seems that a lot of those gorgeous dresses are just “silly”. Well, that’s what makes them the perfect GIFT! And since babies are only in their sizes for a few months, they can hopefully get wear out of even fancy dresses.

Though as a follow up, one of my favorite dresses, given as a gift, was a play dress that had matching leggings—it was cotton, easy to throw in the wash after a spit-up episode, and it came out ready to go without wrinkles after a simple wash. Those play dresses are a wonderful way to get the new baby girl dressed and pretty without any trouble! 

And sometimes fancy doesn’t even mean expensive—I found fur coats (faux fur, of course) at a children’s clothing store for $24 each. I gave one as a gift, and it’s lasted for two seasons and provide warm, cozy—and certainly stylish—comfort to the recipient! Little girls can carry off even the most implausible fashions… 

So indulge your impractical side in picking out that baby girl gift…I got a pair of shoes, from “Goody Goody”, that I opened and started to cry because they were simply too cute. Pink leather mary-jane style with soft soles and the straps were little rosebuds. My oldest wore them EVERY day for a full six months, until we couldn’t fit them on anymore—and they were so pretty and sweet they completely justified the price paid. Robeez makes adorable girls shoes, too, and again—this is something that a new mom will appreciate as she spends her money on so many other “necessities”.

And the last bit of fanciness, perfect for a new baby girl…engraved bracelets. I have silver engraved bracelets given to my twins that they still treasure and wear on “special days”…it seems so decadent to give an engraved bracelet to a child, but they are so pretty, they are treated with reverance, and my girls will be able to hold on to them forever and sit with their daughters to show them the bracelets that fit when THEY were so small!

The secret in buying baby girl gifts is to indulge in impracticality; succumb to the ruffles, and the bows, and the pink. Baby girls were MEANT to wear these things, and as any mom who was once a little girl, knows—dressing these little baby dolls is just a perk of being a “real mom”.

As the mother of three little girls, I’m sometimes at a loss when it comes to getting a gift for a new little baby boy. The clothes don’t seem as cute without the bows and frills; I don’t know what kind of toys boys like since my house is filled with dolls and dress-up clothes. So I made it my business to ask some moms of boys what their favorite gifts were, so I can be sure to always be on track!

First of all, even though the clothes aren’t as impractical and fancy as baby girl gifts, there are still lots of cute things for little baby boys out there. One mom, a mother of twin boys, received simple cotton polo shirts with her boys initials monogrammed—and those shirts get more wear than anything else in their closets! They are so cute and make them seem like “little men” without being fussy; the boys can play and run around and get them dirty, with easy clean-up.

Boys love trucks, of course, and there are lots of soft rolling type trucks out there: I found a set that are bright colored, easy-rolling, and my girls like playing with them as much of the boys. They can set up roads and roll around the house—a great “imagination” building toy, which is something that I always look for! And for some reason, boys’ mobiles seem to be cooler than little girls’ mobiles—I’ve given circuses, airplanes, trains—all very cute and I’m sure fine for boys OR girls, but maybe a BIT more perfect for little baby boys! 

I also found some wonderful books that are great for baby boy gifts OR baby girl gifts—“Hug”, by Jez Alboruough, is a wonderful story that kids want to hear and read with you over and over, and I’ve had equally great reception from boys and girls on that one! Boys especially love “Moo Baa La La La”, and there is another series called “Fix it Duck” that talks about fixing things, baseball, and lots of perennial boy-favorites—but in a catchy story that even little ears will pay attention to. I always like to give books to build a child’s library, and with the bright pictures in this series I think that it has good “staying power” in a child’s library. 

Lastly, piggy banks always make a great baby gift and there are some that are designed for boys’ nurseries, specifically—adorable trains, airplanes, baseballs, soccer balls, and more. As well as blocks and animals—all of them are a great gift and can be used as bookends, decorations, or actually as an encouragement for little ones to start hoarding those pennies!

 So, I taught myself to knit. I bought “Knitting for Dummies” and some needles ($3 or so) and yarn and practiced away. I was able to for the most part master the basics, and decided that of course the very first thing I should do would be a baby blanket—easy, shaped as a square, shouldn’t be too tough. 

As luck would have it my best friend in the world was expecting so off I went to a gorgeous knitting shop on the Upper East Side of New York City (not a place known for bargains, and yarn is no exception!) There I found gorgeous chenille yarn in shades of pink that would be a beautiful compliment for the little baby girl she was expecting. I couldn’t resist it and guess what? $140 later I should have just bought her a gift! But this unique gift would be mine alone, unduplicated by grandmas or other friends, or anyone else. 

Home I went with this special yarn and I knitted away. As a quick note, even if the SHAPE is easy it turns out that knitting “just a square” is quite repetitive (read: boring) and I felt like I’d never finish the blanket! But I prevailed and sent this soft, gorgeous rectangle of love off to my best friend’s little Catherine. 

Fast forward seven years. Catherine still travels with the blanket. Her sister has another blanket made with my love and she brings THAT one everywhere. They have a new sister, now, and I just didn’t have the time to knit her a full blanket so I made her a little sweater instead—and I’ve already been told that therapy is in the cards! 

The point is, the time I spent in these “labors of love” is so appreciated by the recipients that I am happy each time I present a unique baby gift, personalized to the recipient. I’ve actually now turned my “signature gift” into a baby sweater for the child–quicker than a blanket, cute, and far more satisfying than “real people” sweaters (I found that out the hard way when I tried to make my sister a sweater and the arms could wrap around her 2-3 times!) 

All in all, the lesson I learned is that the time spent personalizing a baby gift—whether you’ve made it yourself or spent the time picking each specific piece of a baby layette or basket—pays off when you see that child loving the gift…even if they are dragging $140 worth of chenille through the dirt!

I’m the mom of three girls who were all born fairly close together. As such, I’m often consulted on the “perfect new baby gift”…the ideal christening gift…or any interesting baby shower gift ideas. 

Of course I can come up with all of the standard items—the diaper pails, the diapers themselves, the onesies and such. But especially for something like a Christening, I’ve found that things that are long-term and lasting can be even more special—and whenever possible I’ve tried to both give and encourage such great gifts.

I’m not talking about only the engraved silver cups or spoons—which are wonderful gifts, and don’t always have to break the bank. I’ve both given and received those items and still have mine, from when I was a little girl—those sorts of cherished keepsakes make a perfect new baby gift that lasts and is remembered. 

And of course, there’s always a savings bond (or a new “modern” equivalent, the 529 Plan), which allows you to give the child a head start on college or whatever they’d like to pursue. Even a low priced savings bond ($50, purchased for $25) may come in handy when at age 15, the child “needs” a special something… 

But there’s other things that are unique baby gifts, treasured by both parents and (eventually) the children themselves. I received a clay-modeling-kit, including frame and matting, that allowed me to put a photo of my oldest right next to her handprint and footprint. To this day it sits on our mantle in a spot of honor and I love looking at her little handprint, especially in comparison to her big girl hands of today! 

Along the same lines—a great gift idea is a certificate to a pottery place that allows kids to paint or model their own…we have three plates across our kitchen with little footprints, marked “seven months”…that are a great decoration and wonderful remembrance—and have the story, attached, of how one shows a normal 10 toes, for the laid back twin, while the other shows 8 since that twin was screaming as if we were amputating her feet at the ankles when we dipped her tootsies in paint. That’s her, that’s how she is immortalized, and that’s what we’ll always remember! 

There are also personalized frames you can buy—with child’s name, or ages…that encourage parents to print and frame each milestone (as if they need encouragement!) These are especially treasured, I think, as they mark out each year—along the same lines, a great baby book with milestones laid out for busy parents to simply fill in can keep moms on-track with their resolutions to record each and every moment of their child’s life. We all think we’ll remember it all and then how quickly we forget… 

A promise of scrapbooking for a mom who’s not so inclined; a certificate for a portrait session (even offered by you, if you’ve got photographic talent)…whatever you find that helps parents preserve the special milestones or ages of a child will surely be appreciated—both when received, and for years after.

In this economy, more and more of us are trying to pinch pennies wherever we can. Whether you’re clipping coupons, denying yourself Starbucks coffee, or forgoing dinners out…a lot of people are in the same boat. 

That’s why it can be tough to get an invitation to a new baby shower, or to be included in a christening, and feel like you are forced to go out and drop a bundle on someone else’s new little bundle. 

Thankfully, there are great sites out there that package together beautiful and/or much needed items in cute baskets, with personalized messages or adorable packaging. Instead of paying for the gift and then shelling out more money for cards and wrapping—then finding time to get to the post office and pay to mail the present, if the recipient isn’t local—these sites make it easy. With unique baby gifts, fresh ideas, and items targeted as “baby girl gifts”, “baby boy gifts”, and then gender-neutral ideas, they are perfect to peruse for wonderful bargains and ideas—they’ve done the legwork for you. 

I recently found myself five months behind in getting a gift for a girl who had worked for me. Making me feel even worse, her new baby was in the hospital for two months prior to coming home; this little blessing was doing much better, and home healthy with mom and dad, but “Get baby gift” had remained top of my to-do list for some time without it actually getting checked off! I wanted to find something truly special, something to mark the momentous occasion of his special birth and to recognize what both he and his parents had gone through. I couldn’t commit to anything I saw in stores, and I was so happy to find a site that offered a variety of choices that seemed quite “grand”—but for prices I found extremely reasonable. Because the site pulled together a number of items in one basket, they took the hard work out and made a new baby gift that I felt was really special. 

One more idea for a great gift on a budget, especially if the baby is local, is to consider a small keepsake item like a favorite book that was special to you or your child, and give it accompanied with a coupon (or set of coupons) for babysitting. For laundry sorting. For a grocery store run. And those coupons should have no expiration date!

Especially for new moms, these offers to help—especially if they are “enforced”—can make all the difference once she’s two months in, exhausted, and needing a few minutes of her own! Girlfriends can even team up to have one spend several hours with the baby while another takes the new mom for a manicure, for a coffee, or for a glass of wine. This time, donated by friends, is “cheap” to provide but can make all the difference to new parents…or even to old parents.

 Now of course, these opinions are my own. Over and above everything listed below is a feeling of  gratitude and thankfulness that anyone took the time to go and pick out a gift for my children, so this is not meant to be at all “rude”…but especially if you don’t have children, and are searching for the perfect new baby gift or are at a loss for the ideal baby shower gift idea…here’s some things you may want to avoid. 

Note that each of these new baby gift “don’ts” has a caveat that turns it into a “do”… 

1.  Stuffed animals. Kids get SO many and they tend to sit around on shelves and gather dust! I personally have found that kids don’t tend to play with any but the special animal they’ve chosen as their own. And that’s the exception—you simply never can tell what a baby might chose as their special item. My oldest ignored two matching teddy bears in her bed that my second grabbed and to this day carries everywhere; a random tiger beany-baby that was attached to another gift, from a friend, has turned into my third child’s “don’t leave home without it” special toy. 

2.   Baby bathrobes  I have to admit that I got 6-8 baby bathrobes for my oldest daughter. I think this is because they are bar-none the cutest baby items out there: they are so ridiculously miniaturized that you can’t resist picking them up and putting them in a new baby gift designed for the perfect après-bath appearance! The problem is, most babies go from bath to towl to pajamas and robe time, where they sit around and drink coffee, never really happens. So all my cute robes sat unworn.

Caveat? I have a cute personalized robe that my oldest still squeezes into here and there—it certainly hasn’t been worn nearly enough to make it worthwhile, but anything with their name on it is always cool! 

3.   First aid kits. I received several of these as baby shower gifts, and they tend to be geared to the first time parent (I assume)—covering every single emergency you may have. The problem: especially when you are a first time parent, you’ll call your pediatrician (or your mom) for those emergencies. And by the second or third, when you’ve calmed down, the supplies are out-of-date (or you are ignoring all but the most major symptoms in a sleepless state!) The exception on this one is a good thermometer, especially one that works well for infants. 

4.   Baby powder. I guess baby powder is for use in changing babies? I got several cans as baby shower gifts. They remain unused (except by my husband for his sneakers) because my pampers worked fine without powder—and, because we had a friend whose child actually paid a visit to the emergency room as a result of inhaling baby powder. I don’t think kids need it. The caveat here is I’m sure some moms swear by it; I’d rather have a tub of A&D which always comes in handy!

Moms used to have two choices—either use cloth diapers, with the laundering and cleaning inherent with that choice—or the much more convenient disposable diapers, that in the back of our heads we knew were sitting in landfills forever. Well, now–believe it or not–there are even “green” disposable diapers. These organically-made diapers are 100% biodegradable and are chlorine-free, safe for even sensitive babies’ skin.

And beyond diapers, there are soft-knit cotton onesies made from organic materials. T-shirts, pajamas, socks…many manufacturers are realizing that natural materials and organically produced cotton provides the softest touch for new baby’s skin, and the beautiful pieces that result are a great way to keep your baby both fashionable AND environmentally conscious! 

Bath products are one last way to go organic; while most baby products do go through rigorous screening, to make sure they are safe for baby’s skin, organic products use only natural materials and avoid any allergens that can irritate a new baby in the bath. Lotions, bath wash, and even diaper creams are all available in organic varieties, and paired together with soft cotton onesies or towels, make a great and earth friendly new baby gift or shower gift. You can even find these organic products packaged together, as organic baby diaper cakes or “baby bunches”, with soft onesies packaged as flowers that unfold from a reusable bucket.

And that’s the last hint for “green” baby dressing—you can always recycle baby gear to a friend, a cousin, or a little sister or brother! Reusing those soft onesies and blankets means a longer life for the clothes and less waste, and with the high quality cotton that goes into many of these organic products, they’ll last several generations. So get shopping and “look for green”!

 Why not use that time to shop on the internet? Indeed, you can find a ton of baby gifts online  and you can work the shopping time into your schedule. It’s the most flexible and easy way for a busy person to still find a quality gift. 

The greatest part of buying gifts online is that you can browse through a bunch of different baby gifts ideas in a short period of time. Clicking through pages of products is much easier than walking up and down store aisles.

 You can put everything you like into a virtual shopping cart, and you can even leave it in there for a few days while you think things over. You don’t have to pay for anything right away, and you can work the shopping into your daily schedule. It seems like the best solution for anybody who can’t get to the store. 

One thing you will need to watch for when buying baby gifts online is that you might have to pay for shipping and handling. This isn’t always the case, but it is something you’ll want to add into your total before you pay.

Luckily, items online are usually marked at a much lower price than those on store shelves because of their inventory availability and ease of the purchase. Thus the shipping cost included still equals out to a regular purchase price. You don’t have to worry that you’re paying too much. 

The only thing to consider beyond the cost and the type of gift you want to buy is how you are going to pay for the gift. Since you cannot complete the transaction in cash, you will have to use a credit card to order baby gifts online.

 If you have a PayPal account, you can usually use that to pay for the items, which often prove to be much safer than using a credit card. PayPal is a safe and convenient virtual bank account that puts a third party in between your money and the store that acts sort of like a body guard.

No matter how you pay for an item or what you buy though, you can always have convenient access to a variety of baby gifts if you choose to shop online