So, a friend and her husband are expecting a new baby. You're overjoyed for them, but you have no idea what kind of gift to buy. You know they'll need some basic baby gear, but you don't want to arrive bearing the same-old baby gifts you've seen at other showers over the years. You want to bring a gift that wows the new parents and shows them that you gave careful thought to your gift choice.

Ideally a baby gift should be both useful and stylish. It should address a parent's or baby's need, whether that need is practical, like blankets and diapers, or emotional, like a thoughtful keepsake.

The type of gift you buy depends on how well you know the parents, what their interests are, and of course, what you're willing to spend.

• Clothing. If you choose to buy clothing for the baby, make sure it's in bigger sizes. Newborn shirts, dresses and pants may be absolutely adorable to look at, but your friend's baby will grow out of it faster than you think. Plan ahead and get sizes the baby can wear 6 months to a year in the future. And don't forget to plan for the season. If you get a spring baby an outfit she'll be able to wear at 6 months old, make sure it will be suitable for the chilly fall weather.

• Large box of high-quality diapers. Diapers are a big expense for new parents. Getting them a large box of good-quality diapers can help ease the financial strain and makes a nice, thoughtful gift. Even if your friends have already stocked up on diapers, it never hurts to have more!

• Burp Catcher Burp Clothes.Your friend may already have bought dozens of burp cloths to prepare for the inevitable, but a Burp Catcher differs from the average burp cloth in a small but significant way. The Burp Catcher features a pocket that's designed to catch more spit-up, so that the mess ends up in the catcher, not down mom's shoulder or back.

• Natural, Eco-Friendly baby gift basket. Gift baskets for newborns have been done. A lot. The idea of packing a multitude of cute and useful items into a basket and wrapping it in attractive packaging is a good one. The problem is that many of the readily available baby care gift baskets are filled with lots of unhealthy plastics, not-so-natural skin care items, and other eco-no-no's. You might want to change things up a bit and make your baby care basket with earth-friendly and natural products. For example: glass baby bottles with colorful bottle protectors, organic baby food or cereal, natural baby bath and lotion, etc. Even if the parents aren't particularly invested in going green, they will certainly appreciate products that are more gentle and healthy for their baby. Once they get used to the high quality of these products, they might just make the switch permanently.

• Baby Shoes. The first pair of baby shoes used to be a big deal. Parents would carefully shop for the perfect pair of shoes for their little one's growing feet, and would bronze them for posterity when he grew out of them. This tradition fell by the wayside for many years thanks to an overabundance of cute but poorly made baby shoes on the market. All that is changing now and good, solid baby shoes are making a comeback. Well-fitting, sturdy shoes are important for healthy foot growth and development. And they can be cute, too!
  

Lovely Thoughts

• Indigo Night prints combine science and art to make beautiful, meaningful gifts for any occasion. Give the company any date, time, and location, and they will produce a night sky scene, complete with the correct positioning of the moon, stars and planets. You can add your own quote, or choose one from scripture or literature. This is a great keepsake for parents to commemorate the date of their child's birth in a unique way.

• Personalized Poetry and Art. If you know the name of the baby, you can have poetry, acrostics, and name meaning plaques made as gifts. These types of gifts have been around for years, but are making a comeback now thanks to a renewed interest in genealogy, and name origins. The color scheme and design of the plaque can reflect the origin of the name, for example an African or Celtic motif. The styles range from simple to ornate, and are usually framed or ready-to-frame.

New and Trendy

• My Little Seat Travel High Chair is a cool and convenient baby restraint that looks like a cross between a baby sling and a couch cushion. It features a 5-point harness that attaches baby comfortably and securely to most any chair. It comes in several eye-catching colors of durable, machine washable material.

• The Teethifier. The sleepless nights of the first few months with a newborn are barely over when teething time begins. New moms can find it difficult to impossible to soothe a baby who's miserable with the discomfort of teething. The Teethifier can help. This state-of-the-art pacifier is designed to reach baby's back teeth; the spot most traditional pacifiers miss. Its special shape is also better for the baby's developing gums and palate, so parents who normally disapprove of pacifiers might give the Teethifier a fair chance.
  

• BabyLegs. Baby Legs are little footless tights/legwarmers that come in a variety of fashionable colors and loveable designs. They keep baby's legs warm and covered and there's no waistband to pull down when changing is necessary. You might wonder, "What's so great about that?" Ask any mom who's ever tried peeling off baby's pants or traditional tights following a diaper leak or accident. Baby Legs are not just cute; they're super-convenient.

There are so many choices when it comes to baby gifts; you're bound to find something that fits the bill.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the gift possibilities, a gift certificate to a local baby store is always welcome. No matter how well prepared new parents are, there's always something they end up needing (or needing more of) during those chaotic first few months.