 What
could be worse than a lump of coal in baby's first Christmas
stocking?
 One
of these ten gifts:
1. Any Toy or Product With More Than 10 Pieces That
Must Be Put Together
Ever see a new parent on Christmas day? You know why
they look so tired? Because they spent the previous
12 hours putting together a single baby toy that promised
to be "easy to assemble."
If you see the words, 'Assembly Required' anywhere
on the packaging, that is not a gift you want to give
for baby's first Christmas.
If you're absolutely in love with a particular toy
or baby product that requires assembly, put it together
yourself before you give the gift. The new parents will
appreciate your efforts as much as the baby gift itself."
2. Frilly, Impractical, "High-Maintenance"
Baby Clothes
You know the outfits: They're oh-so-cute, yet oh-so-impractical.
They have buttons instead of snaps. Or they have no
snaps in the legs. Or they snap up the back, rather
than the front, turning diaper-changing into a gymnastics
exercise for the parents. Or worse yet, they're dry
clean only.
Think about it: What new mom has time to take her baby's
clothes to the dry cleaners every time he spits up?"
3. "Hot Button Baby Christmas Gifts"
These are products the parents will only use if they
subscribe to one particular parenting theory or style.
For example, books like "On Becoming Baby Wise"
by Gary Ezzo and "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems,"
by Richard Ferber, are "hot button baby gifts,"
because parents tend to either strongly agree or strongly
disagree with these theories.
So are things like breast pumps and nursing pillows
(unless you're absolutely sure the new mom is nursing),
and bottles and bottle accessories (again, unless you
know for certain the parents are using them).
 4.
Incomplete Gifts
Don't make your recipients work to enjoy your gifts.
If the recipient has to buy something else in order
to use the gift, it's a loser.
For example, a Boppy (special nursing pillow) is a
great gift. But the Bare-Naked Boppy is not, because
you have to buy a slipcover for it, which costs almost
as much as the original gift.
Most people expect to have to buy batteries for toys
and baby gear, but including them is one of the most
thoughtful things you can do to make your Christmas
gift for baby stand out.
5. Wipe Warmer
Not only do wipe warmers cause wipes to dry out and
get discolored, they're often more uncomfortable for
babies than cold wipes.
Babies are much more sensitive to heat than we are.
They don't want anything too hot touching their skin,
whether it's a warmed wipe or hot bath water.
6. Baby Bouncy
This stabilized exercise ball, which retails for $39.95,
is supposed to calm a colicky baby and help the mother
"exercise her core" at the same time.
But how many moms can accomplish anything while trying
to soothe a colicky baby? Yes, babies do like to be
bounced, but they typically enjoy a motion that requires
the parent to be on his or her feet, not sitting down.
What's more, there are cheaper bouncing alternatives
that last much longer, such as the Fisher-Price Infant-to-Toddler
Rocker, which goes from birth to 40 pounds.
7. Baby Walker
Each year, some 8,000 children are treated in hospital
emergency rooms because of injuries related to baby
walkers. The American Academy of Pediatrics has called
for the sale of baby walkers to be banned in the United
States. They are simply unsafe.
That should be reason enough to skip the walker for
baby's first Christmas. But if it isn't, consider this:
Baby walkers do not help children walk sooner. In fact,
they can delay walking.
 8.
Cradle
Another beautiful, but impractical, baby gift, cradles
are unsafe because the rocking can cause baby to turn
over and suffocate.
9. Newborn Clothes
Even if the baby was born last week, newborn clothes
are a baby Christmas gift "Don't."
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There reasons are simple:
1) The parents probably already got oodles of newborn
outfits at the baby shower 2) babies typically grow
out of newborn clothes within a few weeks.
A better bet: 3-6 month clothes.
10. Baby Shoes
Pediatricians recommend that babies go barefoot or
with socks until they're actually walking, making baby
shoes unnecessary. Some doctors even say baby shoes
can interfere with proper gross motor development.
For a list of holiday baby gifts that are sure to please,
go to The
Shopping Mom's Guide to Baby Gifts
About the author: Stephanie Gallagher,
a.k.a., The Shopping Mom, is the author of several parenting
books and Editor of The Shopping Mom's Guide to Baby
Gifts, http://www.gifts-babies-love.com
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