Baby gifts are a fun way to celebrate the arrival of a new baby. Just finding out that a loved one is expecting a baby can make you incredibly excited. You spend months waiting for the special bundle of joy, but if you have ever had a baby you know how much stuff is required to raise a baby. Thankfully you can celebrate the new baby with a baby gift that is useful and cute. Some favorite baby gifts are classified as baby care, clothing, furniture, and toys.

Baby care items can include such items as bottles, pacifiers, diaper cream, baby wash, baby powder, and baby lotion as well as diapers, wipes, towels, bathtubs, diaper pails, receiving blankets, crib sheets, blankets, mattress pads, and washcloths. The wonderful thing about this category of gifts is that many of the items will need to be replenished so duplicate gifts are still gratefully welcomed. The mother-to-be will appreciate these gifts for months to come.

Another classification of baby gifts is clothing. This is perhaps the absolute favorite gift to buy. All baby clothes are cute because they are so tiny. It is important to have a fair amount of clothing as most babies have at least a little "spitting up" and tend to get the clothes wet. This gift generally elicits the most "oohs" and "aahs" in any gathering. Some clothing items include onesies or gowns, socks, shoes, shirts, shorts or skirts, bibs, hats, mittens, rompers, and booties.

Furniture items are usually more expensive and are generally purchased by a combination of well-wishers. A few of the basic items are a bassinet, crib, dresser, changing table, car seat, stroller, swing, exersaucer, high chair, and pack and play. A bassinet is really only useful for the first few months because the baby will be too heavy after that. A crib and dresser are extremely welcomed but if you are giving a "hand-me-down" crib make sure it falls within the safety guidelines issued by the federal government. A car seat is the only baby item that you absolutely need because you cannot leave the hospital without it so this is a wonderful gift. Many car seats are included in the travel systems - stroller, car seat, and base. So if you are giving a car seat you may wish to purchase a convertible car seat rather than an infant car seat.

Toys make great baby gifts and are fun to buy. Some ideas in this category are play mats, rattles, "keys", books, and stuffed animals. Make sure if you are purchasing stuffed animals that they are designed for babies so they will not have parts that can come loose and choke the baby. Some books that are available for babies are board books, vinyl books, and "noisy" books (these books crinkle or squeak). Once again, make sure the books are designed specifically for babies.

The excitement of the anticipation of a new arrival cannot be matched, but every new mother loves to receive useful baby gifts to celebrate her new baby.