The oohs and ahhs over teeny-weeny baby booties, lacy gowns, and baby Gift Baskets will always be cherished by the soon-to-be mom, a sweet reminder of her passage into womanhood that will stay with her long after the euphoria of baby’s shower is gone. Like getting married, having a baby tugs at the core of what it means to be a woman, absolutely exhilarating and satisfying at the same time. That’s why the tradition of giving mom-to-be gifts for her baby is something family and friends undertake with enthusiasm.

Here are tips happy family members or friends about to go Gift Shopping will find useful:

Traditional Gifts

In your desire to be different, it’s easy to limit your choices only to novel or newfangled presents. Know, however, that some of the most useful gifts are those which are considered traditional.

Diapers

You probably might not have thought of it as one, but one practical gift would be diapers. The average American newborn needs changing up to ten times a day, or over 3,000 a year. Before baby’s completely out of it, mom can expect to spend around $1,500 on diapers, so you’d probably be doing mom a great favor if you gift her with one or two months worth of diapers. Yes, you have a valid concern: what if it doesn’t fit, or baby doesn’t like it? Well, you might try Pampers Custom Fit Cruisers or Huggies Supreme. Both fit a variety of kids, keep baby dry, and resist leaks, with Pampers having the better fastener quality.

Crib

Major brands include Alta Baby, Angel Line, Babi Italia, Baby’s Dream, Bellini, Child’s Craft, Childesigns, Cosco, Delta, Evenflo, Jardine, Kindercraft, Simmons, and Storkcraft. The prices range from $100 for assembly line models to $3,000 for a custom-made crib with canopy. Don’t buy cribs made before 1999, and choose ones with JPMA and ASTM certifications.

Crib Mattresses

You’d at least expect the crib to come with crib mattresses. For one thing, mattresses should fit cribs snugly-- a two-finger gap between the mattress and any side of the crib could be deadly: baby’s torso or head could get stuck in that gap. For some reasons, however, cribs don’t come with mattresses, and the crib mattress has to be procured separately.

It’d be good if mom signed up for a registry, the retailer will take care of this important detail. Know, however, that mattresses have to be manufactured a certain way (28+/-5/8 inches wide by 52.3/8 inches long), although one couldn’t be sure all mattresses comply with this standard. Whether foam or innerspring, it pays not to skimp. Budget anywhere between $90 and $160, and make sure to keep your receipt. Should the mattress fail the two-finger test, it should be promptly returned.

Crib Alternatives

Cribs are by no means all there is when it comes to the question of where baby should sleep. What a crib can do, a bassinet (also called a Moses basket) can do too, with some built-in advantages. Bassinets are compact—more in line with the dimensions of the original baby’s home, mom’s womb. Bassinets are also immensely mobile, useful when baby has to sleep and mom has to cook dinner. Babies quickly outgrow their bassinets at two to three months, however.

Bed sleepers enable moms to be right beside baby without having baby over on Mom and Dad’s bed. Again, babies quickly outgrow bed sleepers.

Cradles are charming, but don’t buy one—they rock in the wrong direction! Babies like a rocking motion, but it should be the head-to-toe type of rocking chairs, not the side-by-side motion of cradles.

Changing Table

The changing table’s not so much for baby as for the mom-to-be. She can look forward to over 3,000 diaper changes before baby finally overgrows diapers, and her back will suffer without this handy invention. Go for short and fat (not tall and thin), choose ones with barriers on all four sides, and avoid those with drawers.

Rocking chair or glider

Original American homes didn’t have rocking chairs for no reason. Once baby arrives, you’ll find out why: the rocking motion. Any rocking motion’s sure to be a hit with babies. Let African and Asian moms tell you that, one reason why they carry their babies in slings—the rocking motion soothes baby, allowing mom precious time to work. Don’t buy rocking chairs nor gliders online, these are items that are better tried out at the store. Ask for a warranty; your glider should last at lest ten years, so your warranty should last at least that long. Choose a rocker or glider that locks and that’s wide enough for you and a nursing pillow. Darker colors are preferable to pastels—this should hide stains.

Diaper Pail

If you don’t know which, you’ll have to check first whether mom would be using disposables or cloth diapers, although there are models which work well with both disposables and cloth diapers. Cloth diaper pails are plastic containers for soaking cloth diapers before laundering. Disposable diaper pails are also plastic containers but with special provisions to lock in odors at a flip of a handle. Diaper Genie, a favorite, has a funnel which allows you to twist the diaper into a tight lump, locking in odor. Diaper Champ and Diaper Dekor are simpler models that use ordinary trash bags.

Diaper Bags

First-time moms may not know it yet, but diaper bags are something they simply can’t be without. This is because of the sheer number of things that mom needs when venturing outside of the home with baby. Where, for instance, would you put the following, except if you have a diaper bag:

Diapers, 5 or 6 pieces if you have to be out the whole day

Leak-free bags to put in used cloth diapers and wet clothes

Plastic bags to put in used disposable diapers

Zinc oxide for treatment of diaper rash

A small towel for spit-ups and spills

A complete change of baby’s clothes

Extra formula and sterilized water

Snacks in plastic containers

Sunscreen during summer

Wipes, at least one pack

Baby’s favorite toy

Extra baby blanket

Paperback. Yours.

Tissue paper roll

Feeding bottles

Two pacifiers

Changing pad

Teething toys

First-aid kit

Lunch bag

Bibs

Come to think of it, babies’ essentials haven’t changed much over the millennia. That they seem different from the ones we see in ancient Egyptian murals, for instance, is simply because we have better tools at our disposal.