Baby Shower Gift Baskets Tips and Ideas

Personalizing a baby''s gift is an excellent idea, making the gift distinct and special and grows into a cherished token through the years. When giving or making a gift sooner, before the baby''s due, you are faced with a problem, that is, you are not yet certain of the name and the birth date. An option to consider is by giving a gift certificate for an etching or engraving design along with your gift. This way, when the wonderful day arrives, the parents can take your gift and have it personalized.

Choices for personalized gifts are baby cups, picture frame, jewelry or a cutlery set. There are wide selections of items that can be personalized; all you have to do is look.

A blanket for baby embroidered with the baby''s name alongside the name''s meaning would make an excellent gift for both mom and baby.

Your labor of love gift basket

Gift baskets are very popular today and indeed a wonderful idea which can either be purchased made-to-order or ready-made. Or, you can do it yourself by putting together all baby items that you like for the baby. Here''s how you can make one:

1. Know first the size of the basket that you will use. A very large basket may be difficult to fill, so a medium sized is recommended. Usually, craft stores sell baskets of different sizes, shapes and colors. Shredded tissue paper and raffia make great fillers to be layered at the basket''s bottom, alongside with baby towels and blankets.

2. If you do have a large basket, you can easily fill it up by choosing bigger items as well, such as crib comforters, stuffed bunny or teddy, pillows or crib bumpers.

3. Take into consideration the baby''s gender, what really the baby needs. For a first baby, there will be many things that he will need. Having to look at a baby registry if the mom to be has one, can help a lot, since you will know what the baby really needs. If there is none, you could always ask the mom what else she needs for the baby.

4. Consider having a theme. You can load the basket with everything pink for a baby girl or everything blue for a baby boy, or everything having a "pooh" or a dinosaur design. A bedtime theme basket filled with story books, music CD, blankets, pillows, pajama, musical crib mobile and a teddy bear can be a wonderful idea. Be creative and let your imagination soar.

5. Another way of being creative is instead of using a basket, a baby tub, a diaper bag, a small laundry basket or a trunk can also be used.

6. For a tub, you can fill it with baby bathing accessories, such as soaps, towels, bubble bath, powder, baby shampoo, lotion and bath rubber toys.

7. For the trunk, you can fill it with baby''s keepsake book, monogrammed items, receiving blankets, heirloom items, a picture frame and an inspirational book all about mom and baby. You can also place a little inspirational note containing all your wishes for the baby. This will add a more personal touch to your gift.

8. For the laundry basket, you can fill it with cute slippers, diapers, baby comb and brush, booties, and baby clothes.

Visit http://www.babyshowerguidebook.com/ today and download your free report on baby showers and get some great baby shower ideas.

Baby Monitors Give Parents Peace of Mind

Years ago, parents kept track of their babies by waiting for them to cry out and then checking on them. At one time, it was even advised by the experts not to check in too often, but to stick to a rigid schedule. Times have certainly changed. Now days there are monitors which will let parents listen in to the baby''s room so they will know if he is awake or asleep. They can also utilize a video monitor to keep the baby in sight while he is in his crib. They can even set up the monitors to spy on the babysitter.

It is no wonder baby monitors are so popular. They are actually quite handy devices. Now a mother can put the baby to sleep in a room upstairs and go about her day downstairs or outside and still be able to listen in on the baby to know when he wakes up or starts to cry.

The baby monitor is a simple device and is inexpensive and has become a common piece of baby equipment just like a changing table and stroller. A baby monitor has a one way speaker that lets parents listen in to their baby''s room so they can hear all his sounds from anywhere in the house. It definitely gives new parents peace of mind and saves many trips sneaking a peak at the baby to make sure he is still in the crib and okay.

In addition to the audible baby monitor, parent''s can also choose to install a baby cam. This will allow them to watch video of the sleeping child. They can even set up the baby cam to watch the babysitter take care of their baby, and keep an eye on the cam while at work or anywhere there is a computer connection. Some of the baby cams are so small, the babysitter would have no idea she was being watched.

Another type of alarm will emit a sound when the baby makes a noise. This type of baby monitor is handy if the parents are taking a nap or sleeping at night and are afraid they will not hear the baby cry.

There are even high tech medical alarms for newborn babies that sound an alarm when the baby stops breathing. This type of alarm is used for babies that are at risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or who have had incidences of apnea (cessation of breathing) in the hospital.

Apnea is not uncommon in certain medical conditions or if the baby was born very prematurely. An apnea baby monitor is connected to the baby''s chest and when the movement stops, then the unit will sound an alarm and the parents, or the nurse, simply jiggle the baby until he starts breathing again.

Newborn babies would have to remain in the hospital for much longer periods of time if it weren''t for the availability of apnea monitors.

The baby monitor in all it various styles and applications serves a very useful purpose in monitoring the baby and giving parents peace of mind. Parents of years gone by might just shake their heads at such baby monitoring technology, and advise parents not to worry so much about their sleeping bundle of joy because when he wakes up, he will definitely let everyone in the house know he needs some attention.

Anne Morris is an established freelance writer. You can find more of her writing at adoption-matters.com and baby-today.com.