Dear
Sharon: I am in desperate need to buy
a baby shower gift
for a rather savvy
fashionable
relative. Unfortunately, I am absolutely
out of the newborn loop
and can't even begin to figure out what to buy. Should I buy clothing, toys,
necessities, or what? Help!- Goo Goo Ga Ga Gift
Dear Goo Goo
Ga Ga Gift: Baby gifts can be rather
tricky, sooo many people give what they would like their child to have
rather than consider the
parent's tastes or needs. Bravo, for
thinking outside of yourself! With this in mind, many moms-to-be register
their wish list at a favorite store. You can ask if there is a baby registry
and case closed, eeeny meany miny mo, just pick something in your price
range and go.
Otherwise, chat up the mom-to-be or whomever is throwing the shower to see
if there are any
preferences or absolute no-no's. I've
known moms to be phobic of anything with an appliqué, certain colors,
non-natural fibers, or frilly headbands. Seek things that
both look good and are good for
the baby.
Try your best to stick to the taste level of the parents. If mom was a
funky mama
way before the blessed event, she won't cotton to her "mini me" dressed in a
big floral romper with a lacy trimmed Peter Pan collar and a coordinating
bountiful bonnet. Hint,
BabyGap and Old Navy have darling, hip newborn clothing and they have a
lengthy return policy if you include the gift receipt.
Stuffed animals are a given, and that's the problem. After receiving a few,
they become large dust collectors, so I suggest aiming for
gifts that either "do
something" or have some educational value
rather than merely being cute and decorative. But, a stuffed animal
filled with baby's first bath products, like the
Baby Bee Gift
Basket is a great idea.
Necessities are not a bad
gift idea. A carton of newborn or size
one diapers will be a tremendous asset once baby arrives. As will some hours
of pitch hitting babysitting to let the parents acclimate alone together to
the new edition or just let mom go out and get a pedicure.
For the more financial minded, there's always
the gift of equity,
like a bond or stock--
My First Stock is custom-framed just for the occasion.
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luxurious keepsake
like a monogrammed silver rattle or sterling picture frame will be
cherished far beyond the first six months. My baby woke us up every
morning with the precious jingle from his silver rattle and I will
always cherish that sound. There are some wonderfulselections
available online. |
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Soft toys that are
fun and stimulating
are the way to go.
Tiny Love Gymini Deluxe: Noah's Ark Design provides hours of
entertainment as baby's first "gym". The Lameze series from Learning
Curve offers an array of age appropriate marvels designed to foster
specific developmental milestones-love the
Lamaze First Mirror. |
Baby Einsteinby Family Home Entertainment is a "video board book" of
stimulating images with
voiceovers reciting nursery rhymes or
counting in six different languages-could a future job at the United Nations
be in the cards?
Babyscapes Baby's Smart Start primary colors-red, white, black- images
are set to classical
music to both relax and stimulate. Of
course, any
Teletubbie video reinforces "the big hug," and there's nothing wrong
with that-guarantee you'll catch yourself humming their theme song in no
time.
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A
Musical Carousel
that looks old world beautiful will lull and entertain baby now and be
terrific fun for a toddler to wind up.Twist
A Pillar by Fisher-Price, is a colorful, friendly caterpillar who
coils it's way around a stroller, crib, swing, or bouncer seat. The
Combi Bouncer Seat (babybasics.com) rocks, vibrates, and soothes, plus
it's an attractive go with any kind of home décor navy dot pattern.
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Baby transport
starts to take on a life of its own. Most new parents can't live without a
Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier (babybasics.com)-opt for a chic simple black or
navy. The Snap-N-Go LX Frame
Stroller by Baby Trend easily turns an infant car seat into a
super-light stroller (with a nice size shopping basket) in a click. Choose a
cuddly
 Layette
Set to perfectly swaddle angleface from crib to stroller.
Something mom will never
be far from is a diaper bag. Nix the
cutesy cartoon prints and find a "real bag" that just happens to organize
diapers, wipes, pacifiers, toys, books, bottles, formula, a change of
clothing, and other sundry paraphernalia for poopsy all at easy reach for
the next waaaaaa.
Babystyle.com
has an assortment of diaper totes, backpacks, and fanny bags ranging
from simple to the trendiest prints-no dancing sheep prints here, but they
do have Cindy Crawford on board!.
Don't feel limited to buying items only suitable for a newborn; you will be
thanked for considering
gifts that can be used down the road when
the avalanche of useable welcome-to-the-world gifts starts to outgrow
itself. Style on.
Copyright (c)2000 Sharon Haver, distributed
by FocusOnStyle.com. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be
copied, published, broadcast, or otherwise distributed or reproduced without
the prior written permission of Sharon Haver.www.focusonstyle.com
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