I’ve been invited to a baby shower for my cousin in a few weeks.  Since my children are getting older, I decided spend some time browsing the baby departments of both my favorite local and online stores to see what products are out there today.

It was great to see one of my all time favorites still available in the stores.  The Boppy Pillow has to be one of my all time favorite products.  As I was researching for this article, I found out that the Boppy Pillow has been voted America’s favorite baby product for SEVEN years in a row!  I not only used it for nursing my children, but also for helping to support them as they grew bigger.  This product makes a great gift for any mom to be and baby.

Another of my favorites was my infant baby carrier and I noticed these items were still on the shelves.  The baby carrier allowed me to keep my infant close to me and away from stranger’s hands that enjoyed reaching out and touching.  Also, these carriers keep baby close by the parents heart beat and scent, something they get used to very quickly, and find comforting.  These also allow you to have two hands to do work around the house, to shop with, or to hold your older child’s hand.  This is another great gift for the expectant mom.

One item I could not live without was my diaper genie!  This kept the odor in the baby’s room down to a minimum and was easy to clean out.  Nobody enjoys dirty diapers and if disposables are your choice, then a diaper genie is a necessity.   Keep this close to the changing table, and your child’s room will remain fresh.

My baby swing was one item I could not live without.  It helped me cook dinner, clean the house and even grade papers when I went back to work.  My favorite part of my swing was that it could be turned to a cradle rock or a back and forth swing.  These are still on the market, and have a nice sleek design in compared to mine from 2000.  These swings fold up to slide into a corner when not in use.  This is another must have for a mom to be.

A stroller is another must have.  Depending upon the use of the stroller will depend on what type you need.  If you will be walking or running daily, the jogging strollers are great.  If you plan on using it to shop with, one that allows the infant seat to attach in would be a great option.  Everyone should have a small lightweight stroller to store in the car.  These make life easy at any destination.

Another great purchase for the new mom is a supply of diapers in a variety of sizes.  These will grow with the baby and allow for the new mom have a stock pile of one of the most important items for the baby.  Do find out whether your mom-to-be is planning on using cloth diapers or disposable, and purchase accordingly.  Diaper wipes are also a great investment.

If you know the mom-to-be is going to nurse her baby, you could purchase some items to help with this as well.  A nursing cover is a great gift.  The nursing cover allows mom to nurse in public, but not give everyone an eye full.  Another great idea would be to purchase a nursing shirt, or gift certificate to a store that sells nursing shirts.  This will help the mom get some new clothes for this special time of her life.

Any gift that you give the mom-to-be will make her day.  She will be grateful for all the baby supplies she receives.  One last gift idea, purchase a few sets of thank you cards and postage stamps.  At the shower, ask each guest to write their name and address on the envelope, helping the mom-to-be prepare her thank you notes.

I enjoyed shopping for the gift, and reminiscing about years gone by.  I am glad to see that so many of my favorites are still available for other moms-to-be.