Top Gift Ideas For Parents

Every parent must have a Baby Bjorn!  It's simply the best baby carrier.  Ask anyone.  You'll hear comments like: "I've never seen a baby crying in one."  "It's the greatest feeling to have a warm baby sleeping on your chest."

What's so great?  What does the Baby Bjorn do?  Simply put, it lets you suspend your baby in front of you, either facing you or facing out.  The baby gets a great ride, a great view and stays nice and cozy.  Meanwhile the parent carrying the infant gets to keep their arms free and is able to walk around normally.

If you have an infant, age 1-12 months, you'll get a lot of use from a the Baby Bjorn carrier. Once your child grows to be too large, you'll undoubtedly find a relative or family friend to give this your Baby Bjorn on to as a wonderful gift.

Baby Bjorn at Amazon

Baby Bjorn at BabyUniverse

Breastfeeding is proven to be better for infants than formula.  Having a breast pump makes breast feeding possible for a longer period of time.  If the mother is working or needs to be away for part of the day, the pump can help. 

We used a medela Pump in Style® Shoulder Bag Breastpump for 3 years, and then gave it to a friend.  It's a very portable breast pump and can be taken on trips or to the office easily. It has held up well, it's easy to carry and easy to use.

All new parents MUST have a digital camera.  It's hard to get babies to stay still, or get them to smile.  The great thing about a digital camera is you can click away until you finally capture the picture you want.  You aren't wasting film, so it's much cheaper in the long run.

Many digital cameras today have "movie mode", so you can take 30 second movies.  This is a great feature to look for, because the parents often won't want to carry a video camera, and the smaller digital camera can capture the action and sound.

Also, if the parents already have a digital camera, consider giving them a larger memory card.

If you are looking for a 4 Mega pixel camera, I'd recommend the Olympus D-580, which we just started using. It has a nice video feature, and the pictures are very good. One reason I recommend it over the Canon A75 is that some people have reported problems with the zoom on the Canon breaking.

Also, if the parents already have a digital camera, consider giving them a larger memory card.

New parents don't get out much.  Giving gift certificates for the movies, and volunteering to baby-sit can be a good gift.  If that's not practical, give them DVDs or even better - a subscription to Netflix. The convienience factor is paramount.  With Netflix, DVDs come in the mail, and they can keep them as long as they need to.  There's no late fee.  When you're done with the movie (and it may take several days to get enough time to see it all), you simply drop it in the mail.

Vicki Iovine brings fun to a subject which can be overwhelming.

Funny, reassuring, practical advice for both expectant mothers and fathers. What to bring to the hospital, the real story on maternity clothes, how to deal with the good and bad of pregnancy.  If you only buy one guide - this is probably not the one you want!

However, if you've read a bunch, and are ready for a new take, pick up "Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy"