Baby Gift Hampers

There's nothing more delightful than giving or receiving a hamper full of gifts! They're an endless source of fun and surprise for the parents of babies as they plunge into a lovely wickerwork hamper and discover dozens of thoughtfully chosen, pretty and fun gifts for their precious bundle of joy! Beautifully packed and charmingly decorated, this is a unique gift which can please the hearts of both giver and receiver.

Before choosing the items that can go into the gift hampers, it's important to keep a few tips in mind:
Age of the baby: Ensure that you purchase age-appropriate gifts. However children develop at such a rapid pace that they may soon outgrow items bought for them at the newborn stage. Clothing is one such gift that can be rapidly outgrown hence if you're purchasing clothes for newborns, it is quite acceptable to buy slightly larger sizes which the parents can keep till the baby is older.

Safety: Always purchase gifts from reputed baby stores and reputed manufacturers. Non-toxic plastics, non-allergenic fabrics, items with rounded, smooth edges would be the ideal choice. Don't buy painted or metal items for infants and toddlers. If you are purchasing goods made from organic materials, ensure that they are appropriate for children, since some organic items may not be treated or processed to resist bacteria and fungi.

Apart from these tips, you can either buy a ready-made hamper which has a mix of clothes, blankets, toys, accessories for the room, etc. Some stores offer theme-based hampers like "Just Arrived" "Home from Hospital" "Sleepover Sets" or hampers in innovative packaging like stork or other animal shapes, nursery rhyme characters, hampers that can be converted into a car-seat, special baskets for twins, etc or you can make up the hamper yourself with a mix of all these and include personalized, quirky, fun items of your own.

Some of the things you can include are: Stroller-blankets, baby toiletries, super-sized packs of diapers, wipes, bath-items, towels, nail-clippers and baby thermometer, a range of soft toys and small plastic rattles, teething-rings and mobiles, baby-books, photo albums, story-telling/music DVDs and educational DVDs for the parents, sheet and pillow-cover sets, etc. Include a few fun things for the parents too, like a coupon-book offering your baby-sitting services whenever they want some time out, ear-plugs, baby-cookbooks, etc. You can also include a few really expensive keepsake items like silver spoons and drinking mugs, silver photo-frames, or some gold, diamond or pearl jewelry for a baby girl.

Put the hamper together based on your budget, gifting style, on how well you know the parents, e.g. whether it's for a beloved family member or an office colleague, while keeping safety and the age of the baby as top priority.