New Baby Gift Baskets

A wonderful gift for new parents is new baby gift baskets. New parents are busy, exhausted, happy people. They are frequently overwhelmed with baby care, and forget to take care of themselves. They also need plenty of baby items, especially diapers! A new baby gift basket can include items for the parents and items for the care of the baby.

The items to include come under different categories. Choose items based on what you want the basket to include, who you want to pamper, and your budget. The categories are:

• Keepsake items: photo albums, frames, baby footprint kits, baby book, personalized baby blanket, personalized piggy bank, etc.
• Baby clothing items: onesies, booties, hats, blanket, bunting, bath towel, or a comfy little outfit.
• Baby care items: packages of diapers in newborn and size 1 (note: find out if the parents are using cloth or disposable), organic baby wash, natural diaper cream, baby nail clipper, baby music, baby board books, baby toys, a teether, a rattle, and a baby thermometer. Think of packaging in a cute garbage can for the nursery, or a laundry hamper with decorations in the color of the baby's room, instead of a basket.
  A note about organics - it's wise to select organic and all natural products because 1) they are safer for the baby, 2) the parents might prefer them, and 3) even if the parents aren't the "organic type," they won't turn down organic products, while parents who are the "organic type" won't want them unless they are.
• Parent care items: funny/ helpful parenting books, relaxation products - tea, bath salts and body crèmes; restore the romance products - small bottle of wine, candles, candle sticks, DVD rental gift card, and a Barry White CD.

Once you have decided on and purchased the items you want, choose a container to put them in. A basket is only one option! You can put the items in a container that can be useful to the new parents, such as: baby bathtub, hamper, wastebasket, clothes basket, shower caddy, or large Tupperware box with a lid. Choose a container that is the right size and not too huge or too small for the items you selected. Decorate and/or personalize it with paint pens or puffy paints if you want to make it extra special.

Assemble the largest items in the center in the back of the container. Smaller items go around and in front of the largest ones. Wrap the whole thing in cellophane, a clear gift bag, or colored plastic wrap. Tie it at the top with a twist-tie, and tie a gift ribbon around it. Add a gift card, and it's ready to go!