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Gifts UK at Buyagift unique gift ideas - special unique gifts UK choice vouchers search site map welcome to Buyagift.co.uk Looking for something different? With the widest range of amazing experiences and unique gifts we have it all. For him, for her, for kids, for someone you love, or perhaps even just for yourself... Search the site using the buttons above or from our selection to the right Select your gift and write your personal message Purchase using our 100% secure server First Class UK delivery (guaranteed next working day delivery available) Buyagift.co.uk provide unique gifts in the UK for all occasions and are one of the leading providers of activity experiences with over 400 online items to choose from. Unique presents for men, present ideas for her, birthday treats and Christmas gifts can all be found within our website. To find a product fast, simply use our search function to locate by name or price, or for categories like driving days, flying days and traditional food hampers try the easy to use simple simon or the links from the top of the page. We also have sections for best sellers and hot deals where we list our best sellers from Ferrari and rally driving to tiger moth flights and health spas. All of our gift experiences and vouchers can be personalised online, sent within 24 hours and presented in an impressive presentation wallet. Site Map Driving days | Driving experiences | Famous circuits | Activity days | Health spa days | Pamper days | Flying days | Gift ideas | Gifts for him | Gifts for her | Experience days | Gifts | Presents | Christmas gifts | Birthday gifts | Gift experiences | Unusual gifts | Unique gifts | Birthday presents | Birthday gift ideas | Present ideas | Gifts for mum | Gifts for dad | Watersports | Corporate Events | Ferrari driving | Brands Hatch | Silverstone Race Track | Knockhill Race Track | BMW Experiences at Rockingham | Oulton Park | Rally driving | Tank driving | Flying lessons | Ballooning | Hot Air Ballooning | Tiger Moth | Acre of the Moon | Name a star | Archive Newspapers | Old Newspapers | Clay Pigeon Shooting | Record a song | Hamper gifts | Wine online | Beauty makeovers | Zorbing | Birthday newspapers | Christmas gift ideas | Christmas presents | Christmas present ideas | Christmas gifts for Mum | Christmas gifts for Dad | Xmas gifts | Xmas presents | Unique Christmas Gifts | Buyagift misspellings | Steam train experience | Orgasmatron | Thames river cruise | Quad biking | Alton Towers | London Eye | Track Days | Thorpe Park | Pillage Putter | Adopt a Dolphin | Champney's Health Spas | Dancing Lessons | Scuba Diving | Ferarri Driving | Tussauds Days Out | Porsche Driving Experiences | Lamborghini Driving Experiences | Sphereing | Car Racing | Forest Mere Spa Days | Animal Adoptions | Chocolate Making Courses | Bungee Jumping | Silver Rolo | Mig Flight | Legoland | Birds of Prey Days |



Gift Certificates Commissary Gift

Commissaries.com - Commissary Gift Certificates skip to page content skip to page navigation skip to site navigation accessibility commissaries.com Your Web browser does not appear to support Javascript. To enjoy the full features of commissaries.com, you must use a Web browser that both supports JavaScript and has JavaScript enabled. Below are instruction on how to enable Javascript in various browsers. If you are still experiencing problems, please contact Web support. Internet Explorer 6.X Open Internet Explorer. Select Tools > Internet Options . In Internet Options dialog box select the Security tab. Click Custom Level button at bottom. The Security Settings dialog box will pop up. Under the Scripting category, enable Active Scripting, Allow paste options via script and Scripting of Java applets . Click OK twice to close out. Click Refresh . Netscape 7.X Open Netscape. Select Edit > Preferences . Click the arrow next to Advanced . Click Scripts & Plugins . Check Navigator beneath "Enable Javascript for". Click OK . Click Reload . Mozilla Firefox 1.X Open Firefox. Select Tools > Options > Web Features . Check Enable Javascript . Click Reload . Opera 7.X Open Opera. Select File > Quick Preferences . Check Enable Javascript . Click Reload . -- FAQs | Search commissaries.com commissaries.com -- Site Navigation Home Locations Store Locator Alphabetical List Geographical List Region Offices Shopping Savings Aisle Promotions Shopping List Find a Recipe Human Resources Job Announcements News Scholarship Info Press Releases Fact Sheets Vision Magazine Newsletter About Us Contact Us Business with DeCA Links Military News Military Links Military Community Other Links Commissary Gift Certificates Commissary Gift Certificates can be purchased several ways: Purchase to give as a gift to an authorized shopper for a special occasion. Go to "Order Commissary Gift Certificates." Purchase and take delivery , then forward to a military relief organization locally. Go to "Order Commissary Gift Certificates." Elect to donate through one of three non-profit organizations: the Air Force Aid Society for military families worldwide, the USO (for service members overseas), or Fisher House Foundation for families staying in one of 30 comfort homes near military hospitals worldwide. Once there are enough donated certificates to pass along, CertifiChecks bundles them up and forwards them to the designated charity which then distributes them as need arises. Go to "Donate Commissary Gift Certificates." You can also give a Gift from the Homefront (Exchange gift certificates). Give the Gift of Groceries! A partnership between CertifiChecks, the United Service Organizations (USO), the Air Force Aid Society (AFAS), Fisher House Foundation, Inc., and the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) lets every American make a significant material contribution to the morale and well being of military personnel at home and across the globe. Click here to DONATE Commissary Gift Certificate(s) to Military Families Click here to ORDER Commissary Gift Certificate(s) OR order by phone at 1-877-770-4438* (*US ONLY) FAQs about Commissary Gift Certificates Mail-in or Fax Commissary Gift Certificate Order Form NOTE: The above files are in PDF format. You must have Acrobat Reader installed to view and print these files. Download Acrobat Reader DISCLAIMER - The appearance of this hyperlink does not constitute endorsement by the Defense Commissary Agency of the linked web site, or the information, products or services contained therein. The Defense Commissary Agency does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at this location. The link is consistent with the stated purpose of this Department of Defense web site. Shopping Visit Our Savings Aisle See Our Promotions Create a Shopping List Customer Bill of Rights Find a Recipe Home | Locations | Shopping | Human Resources | News | About Us | Links | FAQs | Search FOIA | FWA | Food Safety | Give the Gift of Groceries | Privacy Statement | Accessibility commissaries.com - The official online resource of the Defense Commissary Agency, 1300 E Ave., Fort Lee, VA 23831-1800



Baby Gift Suggestions Berkeley

Berkeley Parents Network: Baby Gift Suggestions Berkeley Parents Network Home Members Post a Msg Reviews Advice Join BPN Help/FAQ What's New Search Baby Gift Suggestions Berkeley Parents Network Advice Babies Baby Gift Suggestions What's the one ''must have'' item? What was your best baby shower gift for under $20? Memorable Baby Gifts Gifts for Twin Babies Present for New Family in Hong Kong Checklist for Baby Needs related page: Baby Gear what/where to buy Present for New Family in Hong Kong November 2001 My brother and his wife are about to have a new baby inHong Kong. I'd like to send them a gift that would be useful, and perhaps difficult to get in there. Does anyonehave any sense of an American item that would be usefuland harder or more expensive to get there? Thanks. Have you seen the Birthday Cakes that FTD Florists make up? All theingredients are things for the baby made up to look like a birthday cake.Or throw a shower for them with your friends and then send everything over.Hong Kong pretty much has everything we have so it would be difficult tofind something unique unless you want to go the antique route (earlyamerican cradle or crib). I don't suppose they have too many of those around there.marianne When I had my baby in Hong Kong my friends and family inthe States sent lots of clothes....probably because theyare light and easy to send. However, it was like sendingcoal to Newcastle....since HK makes a lot of baby clothes.What I appreciated most were parenting magazines, books for me (What to expect in the first year, travelling with children, etc.), books for the baby, music - especially a tape of lullabyes, the black and white infant toys- expensive in HK, the baby bjorn backpack - also very expensive in HK- but available, a cheap nightlight that can stick to the wall (with batteries). You also might wait until after the baby is born to findout what they need. US medicines - baby tylenol, etc. are expensive there and a medicine kit for baby would be a great gift. As would some bathing products thatare natural - try the Real Goods store next to Smith Hawkins. HK is very dirty and something 100% cotton, cuddly, or just non-toxic is great. Good luck! Amelia It's pretty easy to get mainstream baby stuff in Hong Kong, soyou might want to go alternative (Berkeley) stuff. We had lotsof success with a "boppy" nursing pillow, Sear's Baby Book, and "natural" baby wash stuff. My sister sent Tucks Pads andLasinoh, neither of which are readily available there. What was your best baby shower gift for under $20? Gwynne What was your favorite baby-shower gift for $20 or less; and where can you get one? I got a ton of great gifts, but the best thing is what I bought for us afterward (and what I now buy for new parents): a set of burp cloths. With our 5-month-old, our motto is "you never can have enough burp bloths." You can buy a set of really good ones on Baby Center (www.babycenter.com). It sounds really dull, and it won't get the ooohs and ahs at the party. But later your friends will thank you and remember you. And the burp cloths will still be in use long after Baby has outgrown the clothes. Fran my favorite gift for under $20 are packages of flannel receiving blankets from Target. I used them all the time for my newborn, and they made great (heavyduty) spit-up cloths too. Susan favorite baby shower gift for $20.00 or less: 1) diaper covers try barefoot baby catalog or biobottoms catalog for really nice ones 2) gift certificate to a used baby clothing store Dianna Baby gifts: My two best baby gifts were: a very large, colorful, translucent scarf. This was actually the wrapping for a tiny pair of booties which my son never wore. But I got more use out of that scarf that you would believe. I used it to shield me when we were breastfeeding in public, as a blanket, as an emergency changing or napping surface, to carry things in, to play peek-a-boo with, the list goes on an on. I'd bet this tie-dyed scarf was bought on Telegraph ave. for under $10 (admittedly, 11 years ago). Second was a gift from my sister of baby tylenol, pedialyte drink, and various things of that nature such as a dropper, and medicine measuring spoon. It's just the kind of thing that one, in the happy euphoria of having a baby, doesn't think of needing, and just the kind of thing you will need some morning at 2 am. Perhaps this last present is best coming from a close friend or relative, though. I felt we got the most use out of bath toys. Two, three years later, we were still playing with bath toys we got as a baby gift. Another gift that was billed to me as "guaranteed to put your baby to sleep" was a "Lullaby Light Show." It's a wind up musical light. I've seen them at Toys R Us. We didn't really use it until our son was closer to one year old, but then it became part of our bedtime routine until he was about 3. After my baby was born, my view of shower gifts changed quite a bit. I had always gone for cuteness when giving baby shower gifts, but after my daughter arrived, I found myself returning gifts we'd received. I exchanged several adorable but impractical outfits from BabyGap and gave away a number of gadgets that went unused, and I decided then that when my next pregnant friend had her shower, I was going to do something based on actual, real maternal experience. So I put together an assortment of little things that had each turned out to be perfect for their purposes -- the perfect teething ring, for example, was one that could be frozen but that had a small nonfreezing handle so the baby wouldn't have to grip ice. The perfect carseat toy was three plastic fish that hooked together and hung from the carseat handle. (They could be unobtrusively nudged to one end of the handle when not in use.) The perfect burp cloths were a dozen cloth diapers. The perfect newborn t-shirt was the type that snapped or tied on one side instead of directly over the umbilical cord. And the perfect baby toy (which was also good for a knowing laugh from the experienced moms when it was opened) was an empty paper towel roll. I popped in a board book because I always like to give kids books, and I wrapped each item individually and then placed them all in a cute gift bag. I've given these bags to perhaps half a dozen expectant parents now -- they're always a source of fun and, well, people seem to appreciate them. This is a gift that can be tailored to any budget -- how thoughtful the choice of items is will make or break the gift's real value. David A gift of a full dinner to be delivered on a evening sometime (first week or two) after baby is born. I got both the take-out pizza and chinese on paper plate variety as well as the full home cooked chicken dinner with homemade apple pie on nice dishes variety. Both types were wonderful. The meals were delivered on a previously agreed upon evening and then the generous givers promptly left us to ourselves. In the case of the chicken dinner, the whole meal was delivered in an ice chest with instructions to return dishes to chest UNWASHED for pick up the next day. A coupon from a local restaurant that delivers would be good too. Although I didn't fully appreciate these gifts until after the birth of my daughter, these were by far the best! I generally give a toiletries kit: For about $20 you can get the teeny finger nail clippers, shampoo, cheap washcloths, mild soap, A&D, tylenol, a little tiny hairbrush. I expand the gift for closer friends to include a cute hooded towel, a bathtub and some tub toys. tampine The best shower gift I got was a sort of receiving blanket with feet. I know you said under $20 and this is about $40 but go in on it with someone because it's truly great! Imagine a five-point star. The baby's head goes at the top point, the two side points fold across her/his body, and the little feet go in "pockets" at the two bottom points. It's perfect because it doesn't get all bunched up in the car seat and baby bjorn-type things since it sort of has legs. Hard to explain, but go look at them at Rockridge Kids. The one I got was long-john fabric but I've seen them in flannel too. Oh, and it comes with a little cap too. Hadley The Fisher Price Soothing Sounds Aquarium! But I think it is $25. It is my son't favorite thing and I think he will love it for years to come. Available at Toys R US. Fisher Price Soothing VIBRATING (this is key) bouncer about $25. Available at Toys R US. Sassy makes a fish shaped rattle available only at Target it seems, and that is far and away my sons favorite toy. Probably around $4 Mustella makes a great starter kit of their soaps and it is about $20. Available at Rockridge Kids. This was a great gift. Judy a very high quality set of childrens nail scissors. Great for when the baby is small, and i *still* use them on my 10 and 6 year old. I have to say that the ONLY shower gift that I am still using is my Diaper Genie. I LOVE IT. I have a "very sensitive" sense of smell and often gag while changing poopy diapers. I would not be able to live in our house if they were not sealed up in the diaper genie. (I remember baby sitting in houses that reeked of diaper pail. I could smell it as soon as I crossed the threshold.) I know that this is not a very "Berkeley" type gift, but I highly recommend it. The gift I give at baby showers is homemade receiving blankets. The moms just nod and say thanks at first, but a couple of months down the road they are very grateful, raving about them. In case you haven't noticed in the stores most commercial receiving blankets are small rectangles of cloth... 30'x36' or 36'x40'. These are usually 100% cotton and shrink up so that they are much smaller and often no longer rectangular. They make swaddling difficult, are thin, and get ratty looking very fast. Instead, I buy 100% cotton flannel and make square receiving blankets. (2 pieces of flannel sewn right sides together, then turned right sides out, and sew around the edge with a blanket stitch to finish. I usually pick one print for the top and then a solid in a complementary color for the back.) The first ones that I made were 36'x36' but as I started making more I began making them about 40'x40' (have them cut 1 1/4 yds of each fabric to do this) just to waste less fabric. These swaddle a little more bulky, but most parents I know give up on swaddling after the first two weeks... and use receiving blankets as regular blankets after that anyway. Because they are double thick flannel they are quite warm, and are good for use in the winter months. Linda Baby shower gift: I love the little mirrors that hook onto the rear-view mirror in the car so I can see my kid in the back seat without turning around. My kid is 9 now, and I still use it! I've seen them at various baby stores, usually with the childproofing things. Memorable Baby Gifts Feb 1999 Someone gave us a lovely picture frame with our baby's name engraved on it,which we really liked. They are easy to get at Things Remembered (in mallsall over the bay area), there are many styles to choose from, and they arenot expensive. Ann Quilts are always memorable gifts, but there is a catalog called"Exposures" which not only does a quilt, but it puts your pictures that yougive them on the quilt (as sepias or black/whites). I always thought itwould be cool to do a "family tree" quilt and put a picture of the parentsas kids/babies, and then their parents. I don't have Exposure's number offhand, but if you call the 1-800 operator, they'll have the number and youcan request a catalog. It is expensive though, as I recall. Around 250$.But it would be memorable and special! Hilary A really special and unique baby gitf is a DREAM CATCHER. A Dream Catcheras I understand it was designed years ago by the Native Americans and comein many sizes shape and colors. They are a type of hanging mobile that youhang on or over the baby's crib or in their room not just for the baby tolook at but legend has it that it catches all the baby's bad dreams so thatthey will never have a bad dream or nightmare. I have seen some reallybeautiful ones sold right on Telegraph and run anywhere from $10 to $65depending on size and complexity. They have always been received extremelywell by mothers when I have given them. Margie Someone had a horoscope chart done for my son. It was pretty cool to readabout how he would turn out (at least according to the stars!) Of course,this is a pretty expensive gift, especially if you have limited belief inastrology. Diana One of my favorite baby gifts is a music box. The music box that I wasgiven as a baby played the theme from "Romeo and Juliet" and to this daywhenever I hear that song I think of my music box. My Aunt and Uncle gaveme my music box when I was born, and in turn we gave my their daughter amusic box when she was born. I had comptetely forgotten about the musicboxes until I opened the gift from my aunt for my baby. It is so nice tothink that he will have a special connection to a song (His plays "ZipityDo Dah"). Rose I was given a memory box on the occasion of my baby's birth and have reallyappreciated it. I don't know where it came from, but it's basically like acigar box decorated with antique-y Winnie the Pooh figures on it, andentitled "a box to put thing in." It's nice because it can accommodatethings other than papers (like the hospital bracelets, etc) and you can useit in about one second--just open the lid and drop the item in--no need towait for time enough to write/glue/label etc. as you would with a regularscrapbook. Meg Gifts for Twin Babies Nov 1999 I would appreciate some advice regarding twins. I have friends whowill be new parents of twins next spring, and I want to get them a nicechristmas present. Any of you who've recently had twins - can you tell me what was a really useful and fabulous thing [not a service, but an item] that just made life so much better for you? And all of that for around $125 -$150?I thought about a comfy rocking chair, or one of those doublebaby-bjorn things [although that's not the brand], but I'm just not sure.Thanks. I have 9 month old twins and the most useful items so far were:bouncy chairs with toy bars, baby bjorns, snap-n-gos - you attach the car seat to them to make a strollerI found that two of everything was needed so two of one of the above wouldbe a great present. By the way - the double snuggly (like the baby bjorn)was really cumbersome - two baby bjorns are much better. We have 6 month old twins, and the best gifts we got were: a doublejogger (more than your budget but a great gift if you want to go inwith a few other people), a double stroller, and vibrating bouncy seats. Home | Reviews | Advice | Members | Post a Message Join BPN | Help | What's New | Search Please send questions and comments to Berkeley Parents Network . Last updated: May 20, 2004 © 1996-2005 Berkeley Parents Network The opinions and statements expressed on this website are those of parents who subscribe to the Berkeley Parents Network . Please see our Disclaimer for details.



ToP TeN GiFTS To

Nature's ToP TeN GiFTS To TurKeY Nature's ToP TeN GiFTS To TurKeY 10. Istanbul Bosphorus The bosphorus that separates two continents, Asia and Europe, offersa wonderful sightseeing by boat. 9. Manyas Birds Paradise A preservation area for 239 different species of birds. Millions of birdsmigrate to the soutern hemisphere and back to the northern every year. 8. Mount Ala Great trekking sites in the mountains of Central Turkey. 7. Dalyan An inland waterway in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey that unites a lakeand the Mediterranean sea. It's a natural preservation area for sea turtlesCaretta Caretta. 6. Antalya, three seasons in one Ski in the mountains, smell the spring flowers in the plains and swim inthe gorgeous Mediterranean just one hour after your skiing session. 5. Verdant beauty of the Black Sea region Picture Forest and mountain scenery in the fertile lands of tea plantations andhazelnut trees. Evergreen landscape and the plains in the mountains offer superb views and a relaxing atmosphere. 4. Sandy beaches of the Mediterranean known as Turkish Riviera Picture Beaches that extend for miles along the coast offering both public beaches and isolated areas for tanning and swimming. 3. Pamukkale Picture A spectacular and magical site, of snow white lime stones where springs thermal water considered as theurapetic since the time of the Romans. 2. Capadoccia Picture A region in Central Anatolia that offers a lunar-like landscape. In thevalleys, stones and rock formations in the shape of mushrooms calledfairy chimneys stand out in an amazing landscape. 1. Thousands of bays and coves on the Eagean and the Mediterranean Picture Bay and coves where the trees meet the sea under the blue sunny skies, whereyou can swim, dive, fish or simply relax under the sun. It's possibleto discover that small special cove where you will be alone with the nature and the sea. Turkey, a Travel at Warp Speeds We will form an "Another Nature's ToP TeN GiFTS To TuRKeY" for less known beauties. Vacation rentals, villas and apartments around the world (c) 1995-1998 Elektronik Bilgi Bilgisayar Ltd. Co.



Baby Gift Suggestions Berkeley

Berkeley Parents Network: Baby Gift Suggestions Berkeley Parents Network Home Members Post a Msg Reviews Advice Join BPN Help/FAQ What's New Search Baby Gift Suggestions Berkeley Parents Network Advice Babies Baby Gift Suggestions What's the one ''must have'' item? What was your best baby shower gift for under $20? Memorable Baby Gifts Gifts for Twin Babies Present for New Family in Hong Kong Checklist for Baby Needs related page: Baby Gear what/where to buy Present for New Family in Hong Kong November 2001 My brother and his wife are about to have a new baby inHong Kong. I'd like to send them a gift that would be useful, and perhaps difficult to get in there. Does anyonehave any sense of an American item that would be usefuland harder or more expensive to get there? Thanks. Have you seen the Birthday Cakes that FTD Florists make up? All theingredients are things for the baby made up to look like a birthday cake.Or throw a shower for them with your friends and then send everything over.Hong Kong pretty much has everything we have so it would be difficult tofind something unique unless you want to go the antique route (earlyamerican cradle or crib). I don't suppose they have too many of those around there.marianne When I had my baby in Hong Kong my friends and family inthe States sent lots of clothes....probably because theyare light and easy to send. However, it was like sendingcoal to Newcastle....since HK makes a lot of baby clothes.What I appreciated most were parenting magazines, books for me (What to expect in the first year, travelling with children, etc.), books for the baby, music - especially a tape of lullabyes, the black and white infant toys- expensive in HK, the baby bjorn backpack - also very expensive in HK- but available, a cheap nightlight that can stick to the wall (with batteries). You also might wait until after the baby is born to findout what they need. US medicines - baby tylenol, etc. are expensive there and a medicine kit for baby would be a great gift. As would some bathing products thatare natural - try the Real Goods store next to Smith Hawkins. HK is very dirty and something 100% cotton, cuddly, or just non-toxic is great. Good luck! Amelia It's pretty easy to get mainstream baby stuff in Hong Kong, soyou might want to go alternative (Berkeley) stuff. We had lotsof success with a "boppy" nursing pillow, Sear's Baby Book, and "natural" baby wash stuff. My sister sent Tucks Pads andLasinoh, neither of which are readily available there. What was your best baby shower gift for under $20? Gwynne What was your favorite baby-shower gift for $20 or less; and where can you get one? I got a ton of great gifts, but the best thing is what I bought for us afterward (and what I now buy for new parents): a set of burp cloths. With our 5-month-old, our motto is "you never can have enough burp bloths." You can buy a set of really good ones on Baby Center (www.babycenter.com). It sounds really dull, and it won't get the ooohs and ahs at the party. But later your friends will thank you and remember you. And the burp cloths will still be in use long after Baby has outgrown the clothes. Fran my favorite gift for under $20 are packages of flannel receiving blankets from Target. I used them all the time for my newborn, and they made great (heavyduty) spit-up cloths too. Susan favorite baby shower gift for $20.00 or less: 1) diaper covers try barefoot baby catalog or biobottoms catalog for really nice ones 2) gift certificate to a used baby clothing store Dianna Baby gifts: My two best baby gifts were: a very large, colorful, translucent scarf. This was actually the wrapping for a tiny pair of booties which my son never wore. But I got more use out of that scarf that you would believe. I used it to shield me when we were breastfeeding in public, as a blanket, as an emergency changing or napping surface, to carry things in, to play peek-a-boo with, the list goes on an on. I'd bet this tie-dyed scarf was bought on Telegraph ave. for under $10 (admittedly, 11 years ago). Second was a gift from my sister of baby tylenol, pedialyte drink, and various things of that nature such as a dropper, and medicine measuring spoon. It's just the kind of thing that one, in the happy euphoria of having a baby, doesn't think of needing, and just the kind of thing you will need some morning at 2 am. Perhaps this last present is best coming from a close friend or relative, though. I felt we got the most use out of bath toys. Two, three years later, we were still playing with bath toys we got as a baby gift. Another gift that was billed to me as "guaranteed to put your baby to sleep" was a "Lullaby Light Show." It's a wind up musical light. I've seen them at Toys R Us. We didn't really use it until our son was closer to one year old, but then it became part of our bedtime routine until he was about 3. After my baby was born, my view of shower gifts changed quite a bit. I had always gone for cuteness when giving baby shower gifts, but after my daughter arrived, I found myself returning gifts we'd received. I exchanged several adorable but impractical outfits from BabyGap and gave away a number of gadgets that went unused, and I decided then that when my next pregnant friend had her shower, I was going to do something based on actual, real maternal experience. So I put together an assortment of little things that had each turned out to be perfect for their purposes -- the perfect teething ring, for example, was one that could be frozen but that had a small nonfreezing handle so the baby wouldn't have to grip ice. The perfect carseat toy was three plastic fish that hooked together and hung from the carseat handle. (They could be unobtrusively nudged to one end of the handle when not in use.) The perfect burp cloths were a dozen cloth diapers. The perfect newborn t-shirt was the type that snapped or tied on one side instead of directly over the umbilical cord. And the perfect baby toy (which was also good for a knowing laugh from the experienced moms when it was opened) was an empty paper towel roll. I popped in a board book because I always like to give kids books, and I wrapped each item individually and then placed them all in a cute gift bag. I've given these bags to perhaps half a dozen expectant parents now -- they're always a source of fun and, well, people seem to appreciate them. This is a gift that can be tailored to any budget -- how thoughtful the choice of items is will make or break the gift's real value. David A gift of a full dinner to be delivered on a evening sometime (first week or two) after baby is born. I got both the take-out pizza and chinese on paper plate variety as well as the full home cooked chicken dinner with homemade apple pie on nice dishes variety. Both types were wonderful. The meals were delivered on a previously agreed upon evening and then the generous givers promptly left us to ourselves. In the case of the chicken dinner, the whole meal was delivered in an ice chest with instructions to return dishes to chest UNWASHED for pick up the next day. A coupon from a local restaurant that delivers would be good too. Although I didn't fully appreciate these gifts until after the birth of my daughter, these were by far the best! I generally give a toiletries kit: For about $20 you can get the teeny finger nail clippers, shampoo, cheap washcloths, mild soap, A&D, tylenol, a little tiny hairbrush. I expand the gift for closer friends to include a cute hooded towel, a bathtub and some tub toys. tampine The best shower gift I got was a sort of receiving blanket with feet. I know you said under $20 and this is about $40 but go in on it with someone because it's truly great! Imagine a five-point star. The baby's head goes at the top point, the two side points fold across her/his body, and the little feet go in "pockets" at the two bottom points. It's perfect because it doesn't get all bunched up in the car seat and baby bjorn-type things since it sort of has legs. Hard to explain, but go look at them at Rockridge Kids. The one I got was long-john fabric but I've seen them in flannel too. Oh, and it comes with a little cap too. Hadley The Fisher Price Soothing Sounds Aquarium! But I think it is $25. It is my son't favorite thing and I think he will love it for years to come. Available at Toys R US. Fisher Price Soothing VIBRATING (this is key) bouncer about $25. Available at Toys R US. Sassy makes a fish shaped rattle available only at Target it seems, and that is far and away my sons favorite toy. Probably around $4 Mustella makes a great starter kit of their soaps and it is about $20. Available at Rockridge Kids. This was a great gift. Judy a very high quality set of childrens nail scissors. Great for when the baby is small, and i *still* use them on my 10 and 6 year old. I have to say that the ONLY shower gift that I am still using is my Diaper Genie. I LOVE IT. I have a "very sensitive" sense of smell and often gag while changing poopy diapers. I would not be able to live in our house if they were not sealed up in the diaper genie. (I remember baby sitting in houses that reeked of diaper pail. I could smell it as soon as I crossed the threshold.) I know that this is not a very "Berkeley" type gift, but I highly recommend it. The gift I give at baby showers is homemade receiving blankets. The moms just nod and say thanks at first, but a couple of months down the road they are very grateful, raving about them. In case you haven't noticed in the stores most commercial receiving blankets are small rectangles of cloth... 30'x36' or 36'x40'. These are usually 100% cotton and shrink up so that they are much smaller and often no longer rectangular. They make swaddling difficult, are thin, and get ratty looking very fast. Instead, I buy 100% cotton flannel and make square receiving blankets. (2 pieces of flannel sewn right sides together, then turned right sides out, and sew around the edge with a blanket stitch to finish. I usually pick one print for the top and then a solid in a complementary color for the back.) The first ones that I made were 36'x36' but as I started making more I began making them about 40'x40' (have them cut 1 1/4 yds of each fabric to do this) just to waste less fabric. These swaddle a little more bulky, but most parents I know give up on swaddling after the first two weeks... and use receiving blankets as regular blankets after that anyway. Because they are double thick flannel they are quite warm, and are good for use in the winter months. Linda Baby shower gift: I love the little mirrors that hook onto the rear-view mirror in the car so I can see my kid in the back seat without turning around. My kid is 9 now, and I still use it! I've seen them at various baby stores, usually with the childproofing things. Memorable Baby Gifts Feb 1999 Someone gave us a lovely picture frame with our baby's name engraved on it,which we really liked. They are easy to get at Things Remembered (in mallsall over the bay area), there are many styles to choose from, and they arenot expensive. Ann Quilts are always memorable gifts, but there is a catalog called"Exposures" which not only does a quilt, but it puts your pictures that yougive them on the quilt (as sepias or black/whites). I always thought itwould be cool to do a "family tree" quilt and put a picture of the parentsas kids/babies, and then their parents. I don't have Exposure's number offhand, but if you call the 1-800 operator, they'll have the number and youcan request a catalog. It is expensive though, as I recall. Around 250$.But it would be memorable and special! Hilary A really special and unique baby gitf is a DREAM CATCHER. A Dream Catcheras I understand it was designed years ago by the Native Americans and comein many sizes shape and colors. They are a type of hanging mobile that youhang on or over the baby's crib or in their room not just for the baby tolook at but legend has it that it catches all the baby's bad dreams so thatthey will never have a bad dream or nightmare. I have seen some reallybeautiful ones sold right on Telegraph and run anywhere from $10 to $65depending on size and complexity. They have always been received extremelywell by mothers when I have given them. Margie Someone had a horoscope chart done for my son. It was pretty cool to readabout how he would turn out (at least according to the stars!) Of course,this is a pretty expensive gift, especially if you have limited belief inastrology. Diana One of my favorite baby gifts is a music box. The music box that I wasgiven as a baby played the theme from "Romeo and Juliet" and to this daywhenever I hear that song I think of my music box. My Aunt and Uncle gaveme my music box when I was born, and in turn we gave my their daughter amusic box when she was born. I had comptetely forgotten about the musicboxes until I opened the gift from my aunt for my baby. It is so nice tothink that he will have a special connection to a song (His plays "ZipityDo Dah"). Rose I was given a memory box on the occasion of my baby's birth and have reallyappreciated it. I don't know where it came from, but it's basically like acigar box decorated with antique-y Winnie the Pooh figures on it, andentitled "a box to put thing in." It's nice because it can accommodatethings other than papers (like the hospital bracelets, etc) and you can useit in about one second--just open the lid and drop the item in--no need towait for time enough to write/glue/label etc. as you would with a regularscrapbook. Meg Gifts for Twin Babies Nov 1999 I would appreciate some advice regarding twins. I have friends whowill be new parents of twins next spring, and I want to get them a nicechristmas present. Any of you who've recently had twins - can you tell me what was a really useful and fabulous thing [not a service, but an item] that just made life so much better for you? And all of that for around $125 -$150?I thought about a comfy rocking chair, or one of those doublebaby-bjorn things [although that's not the brand], but I'm just not sure.Thanks. I have 9 month old twins and the most useful items so far were:bouncy chairs with toy bars, baby bjorns, snap-n-gos - you attach the car seat to them to make a strollerI found that two of everything was needed so two of one of the above wouldbe a great present. By the way - the double snuggly (like the baby bjorn)was really cumbersome - two baby bjorns are much better. We have 6 month old twins, and the best gifts we got were: a doublejogger (more than your budget but a great gift if you want to go inwith a few other people), a double stroller, and vibrating bouncy seats. Home | Reviews | Advice | Members | Post a Message Join BPN | Help | What's New | Search Please send questions and comments to Berkeley Parents Network . Last updated: May 20, 2004 © 1996-2005 Berkeley Parents Network The opinions and statements expressed on this website are those of parents who subscribe to the Berkeley Parents Network . Please see our Disclaimer for details.




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