Great Gifts for New Parents

New babies are such a joy in a parents life! There are so many things new babies need! Gift giving for new babies will depend on whether there are already children in the family or not but for the sake of this article, we are going to assume that these are NEW parents with no other children so that they will need everything!

One of the first important items new parents will need is a carseat. This can be purchased with or without a travel system but personally, I believe that the travel system is the way to go, even though it is more expensive. The Malawi Shuttle Travel System is one such good product that is on the market. It runs about $179 at baby stores. With a travel system, parents will get not only the infant carseat but a stroller that the car seat will fit into. This is great with new babies because one does not have to wake the baby to move him from car to stroller when going on outings. That infant seat can get very heavy as the baby grows so it is nice to be able to tote it right on the stroller. The parents will need the infant seat to leave the hospital if they are leaving by car so this is a definite must have for most new parents.

There are a lot of other items that are important for new parents to have before bringing baby home. The baby will need a place to sleep. This may be a crib or a bassinet or perhaps both will be necessary the baby will eventually outgrow a bassinet. If you are not able to buy these large items for the new parents, you may choose to buy crib sheets or bassinet sheets as well as waterproof pads to go under the sheets. Sheets and mattress pads can run anywhere between $5 to $20 and up, depending on where you purchase the sheets.

The Deluxe Bunny Cover and Play Bouncer is an asset to have with a new baby. There are other similar seats but basically they are seats that are comfortable for young babies to sit in at home. Many, like the Deluxe Bunny Cover and Play, will vibrate softly which many babies find soothing. In addition, this model has a toy bar with plush toys that hang down for a baby to look at and bat at as he gets older. So, this is a useful piece of equipment that will grow with baby. Many babies will also really like swinging. The Baby Papasan Cradle swing is great for newborns and grows with baby as well since it can be used in a more upright position as well as a laying down position.

Many parents rely on baby monitors to be able to hear baby when they are not in the same room. There are many types of baby monitors and they run a wide range of prices from $20 for the Sounds and Lights Monitor (at Babies R Us) on up. There are simple monitors with a receiver and a speaker and there are monitors which monitor baby's movement like the Angelcare Monitor and those that have a video component so you can actually see the baby.

Bathing items are very useful for new parents to have for their new babies. An infant tub is helpful in bathing baby because they put the baby in the right position and don't allow for too much water that can be unsafe for baby. Towels and washcloths as well as baby body soap and shampoo are handy items that can be put together in a cute little basket to make an adorable gift.

New parents won't need a high chair right away but it could still make a nice gift if they will have the room for it. Other feeding items will depend on whether the baby will be breast or bottle fed. For breastfed babies, a Boppy Pillow can be very useful and a very comfortable aid in feeding. Bottle fed babies will need a supply of bottles, nipples and bottle cleaners. Bibs are always useful and come in such cute designs to match outfits or just be cute!

Other important items will include lots of clothing, especially onesies and sleepers that will probably be changed several times per day. Many receiving blankets are useful because baby will like being wrapped up and cozy in the early days. Small infant safe toys are always cute for gifts as well as lots of diapers and wipes.

The best suggestion when shopping for new parents is to save your receipt or better yet to give a gift receipt because new parents receive many duplicate gifts and you wouldn't want the new parents to have things that are not useful to them. A gift receipt will allow new parents to exchange a duplicate or unneeded items for things that they really do need.