Maybe I'm an oddball, but I really loved receiving organic baby products. They're usually a bit expensive, so new moms often don't bother, but since I received some, I've made a switch and only use organic products on his skin. Another cute idea is a diapee & wipee bag, though until her little one is a bit older it won't do her too much good. It's just a cute little bag that holds a travel pack of wipes and 2 or 3 diapers (or 2 diapers and an extra onesie) so whe can throw it into her purse instead of packing the whole diaper bag. I was skeptical at first and thought this was a silly idea, but it keeps the diapers from getting lost (and misshapen) at the bottom of your bag, and is great for tossing in the glove compartment. Two other items that I really loved are the cribside CD player, which you can find at most baby stores. It's better than a mobile because 1)more variety of music since you can put any soothing CD in there that you want, 2)longer play time than a mobile so the baby doesn't get upset when the music stops, and 3)doesn't need to be removed from the crib as soon as the baby can sit up. There's also this awesome robe/towel for giving little ones baths. I can't remember who makes it, but when I got mine, you could only get it online. Now I think they sell them in all the baby stores. It's an apron made of terrycloth that you wear to keep from getting soaked during bathtime, and then you just pick baby up out of the tub and wrap her up in the apron to keep her warm and dry until you get her dressed. It prevents having to keep an extra towel on hand and unfolding it while holding a slippery, wet, and cold baby. If you're interested, I'll look at mine when I get home and find out where I ordered it from. The last thing I'll suggest is a baby sign DVD, either the one by Baby Einstein or something along those lines. Even though your neice is too young to benefit from it just yet, you would be amazed at how quickly babies pick up sign language! Then her daughter would be able to communicate what she needs before she can actually enunciate. Even if mom just watches the dvd and uses the signs around your neice, it'll be a quick learn. Hey, if my hubby can pick it up, anyone can! lol There's also a book/dvd set about 'baby language' or how the sounds that babies make in the first 4-12 weeks of life actually mean something. I didn't find out about this method until my son was too old, and I was kicking myself, but my sister used it for her twins and swears by it. Anyway, congrats on the new family member! Oh yeah, and I'm sure her mom would appreciate something for when the baby gets older, like a savings bond, or if you opened a 529 account for her... You should check out www.upromise.com and find out how you can start saving money for her college education without spending anything! You just register your grocery cards and/or credit cards, go through their site for online purchases, you can even get a special Citi card that contributes 1% of everything you spend into this account. If the rest of your family signs up too, you can save a good amount of money without spending anything that you wouldn't normally spend. In my case, my son is 18 months old, and I've accumulated $250 for him already in this account (and I don't use a credit card very often or shop online that frequently) and linked it to a 529. It may not be a huge amount, but at this rate, by the time he's 18 I should have around $3000 in that account, in addition to any extra money I deposit. It's nice that if I buy something at say Bed Bath & Beyond, I'll see money deposited into his account a few days/weeks later. Good luck and congrats!
