Shopping for Baby
Congratulations! Whether this is your first or fifth child, having a baby is exciting. A new baby means love, joy and a whole new world of responsibilities. Babies also require some special gear, though what they need and how much you should spend on it is a seemingly endless debate. Luckily, the Web can help you determine what is best for your family and where to get it.
Expand All Guide SectionsBuying Baby Products
Baby gear comes with a whole vocabulary of its own: forward facing, umbrella stroller, travel ... read more »
Baby Gear Reviews
After you’ve done your research, looked at your lifestyle and decided what types of baby gear ... read more »
Where to Buy Baby Stuff
Baby gear is found almost anywhere, from small local boutiques to large national retailers, and ... read more »
Buying a Baby Gift
When a new baby arrives, so too do the gifts. Baby gifts run the gamut from practical to sentimental, and may be as inexpensive as a stuffed animal or as expensive as a crib. If you find yourself wondering what to buy for new or expecting parents, or where to find it, visit some of the sites we’ve selected and let them do the legwork for you.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Be sure to see if the expectant parents have a gift registry with a specific retailer. This can help you take the mystery out of what to get them, especially if you haven’t had much experience with babies. Registries from the larger retail stores are usually available on the Web.
- If you’re a parent but are unsure what to get for someone’s new baby, consider buying a few things that made your experience as a first-time parent easier, such as that bottle brush that worked wonders or the toy your child couldn’t live without.
- If you’re buying clothing, it’s okay and sometimes preferred to buy clothing a size or two bigger than newborn, but don’t forget to keep the season in mind. A cozy winter bunting won’t see much wear if the baby grows into it during the summer.
Dulcinea's Picks
For baby clothing …
The Tunes Company
has a small selection of classic rock concert onesies and T-shirts for babies. Buy a onesie reprinted with the original design used to advertise Bob Marley and the Wailers at San Francisco’s Paramount Theater in 1976, or the Grateful Dead’s 1973 concert poster for the Providence Civic Center.
Polka Dot Patch
has a large selection of unusual baby clothes printed with animals, sayings and other designs. Want a baby T-shirt that says “President not Princess,” or personalized blankets? This is the place. This site also has several gift baskets, or scroll down the page a bit for an extensive baby gifts section that includes categories like “Sibling Gifts” and “Organic Clothes.”
Tiny Treasures Baby
has unusual baby clothing, such as an infant-sized Harley Davidson coverall and doo rag. The selection ranges from the standard Disney-printed sets to infant hats with pink skulls on them and other, racier T-shirts.
Bowery Baby
is a site that prints infant T-shirts and onesies embroidered with a variety of sayings, such as “Do I look like I was born yesterday?” or “Nope, still can’t talk.” Shoppers can also create their own expression for an extra $2.
For baby toys …
Parents.com
has a slideshow of the top toys of 2007 for babies up to 12 months, as tested by a 4-month-old infant. All but one of these half dozen toys are under $25.
Oompa Toys
should be one of your first stops if your instinct is to run screaming from noise-making plastic toys. They have an excellent selection of high-quality wooden toys, organic rattles, knitted dolls and much more. Search by age, brand or toy type.
Genius Babies
focuses on developmental gifts. Find cloth books, flash cards, rattles, music and other toys that help stimulate babies intellectually. Prices start at $5.95.
Who knew?
Rock A Bye Baby!
is a company that has turned rock songs into lullabies. There are nearly two dozen albums with lullaby renditions of songs from the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Björk, U2, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead and Coldplay. Click on the album covers to see what tracks are available and hear a clip. The album artwork is worth seeing, too.
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