Countdown This Exciting Time! (Photo Courtesy of PinkMoose)

With so many expecting friends and family members, I’ve been looking for creative ways to help them countdown to this exciting day. With close friends you don’t necessarily want to wait until their baby shower to give them a gift celebrating the arrival of their new little one. So here are some unique ideas for counting down their due date with a gift.

Countdown Clock

The excited new parents can countdown the days, minutes and seconds until their son or daughter’s arrival with the countdown clock. After the baby’s arrival the clock can be used to display the current day and time. It can be used to countdown any date from now until the year 2049.

Magnetic Calendar

This magnetic calendar is made with a dry erase surface so it can be reused for future bundles of joy as well! It’s a 40-week pregnancy calendar that highlights some of the major milestones along the way.

Advent Calendar

This advent calendar features 40 doors and each week the expectant mom opens one of the doors to see what’s happening with her developing baby. This makes a great gift for moms who already have children so that they can get excited and learn about the new sibling’s arrival.

Pregnancy Countdown Book

New moms want to know what’s going on with their baby. The Pregnancy Countdown Book lets the stay informed every step of the way. They’ll know exactly what stage of development their baby is reaching each week.

Countdown Magnets

With the baby countdown magnets you’ll get a full set of 21 magnets so you can arrange the days or weeks until your baby’s arrival. The set comes in different color combinations so you can find one that fits your style. They’ll be able to display their countdown right on the fridge for everyone to see.

Perpetual Wooden Calendar

For a versatile gift, give them this perpetual wooden calendar. It can countdown baby’s arrival and then be used as a regular day-by-day calendar once the little one is born. It’s eco-friendly and well designed.

photo courtesy of Alison Storm

Looking for a creative, low-cost baby gift that would work in a boy’s or girl’s nursery? Try making a bird baby mobile. You can adjust the colors to fit any style or scheme. I found the idea on a great blog called Spool. Using a little help from them and some supplies I had around the house I was able to create this cute gift for my neighbor’s new arrival.
Step One: Download the Pattern

Spool created this amazing free pattern to help you sew the birds for your baby mobile. Simply print it out and cut out the two pieces that make up the pattern.

Step Two: Choose Your Fabric

Think about the colors of the nursery and coordinate fabric to match. Choose solids and prints. Since the pattern does not require the pieces to be very big you may have suitable fabric already. You can also check out remnant sales at fabric stores to pick up small amounts of discounted fabric.

Step Three: Sew Your Birds

Pin the two sections of the bird together, right sides on the inside. You can use a machine to sew your birds, or do it by hand. Choose coordinating thread and leave the tail open so you can fill it with stuffing.

Step Four: Stuff Your Birds

This sounds like an activity for Thanksgiving, but it’s not. Carefully fill your birds with stuffing to give them a plump shape.

The branches for your mobile can likely be found in your own backyard. Choose a couple that are relatively straight. You can either sand them slightly and leave them natural, or for a more polished look spray paint your sticks.

photo courtesy of Alison Storm

Using fishing line and some wire, attach your birds to the sticks. Be creative with your positioning. You can have several birds grouped together, facing different ways or even suspend a bird from one of the sticks so it looks like it’s in mid-air.

Step Seven: Hang Your Mobile

The mobile can be easily hung using additional fishing line and some hooks screwed into the ceiling. Another option is hanging it from a curtain rod like the one you see pictured. Just make sure you hang it high enough so it is well out of baby’s reach.

Step Eight: Enjoy!

Your baby will enjoy watching the colorful birds flying or perched above and you’ll enjoy your lovely handmade creation.

Fond-ue Memories Gift Basket photo courtesy of BookWormBaskets.com

 We were very happy to mention BookwormBaskets.com in our 2009 Valentine’s Gift Guide.

At BookwormBaskets.com “the book is only just the beginning”… If you want to offer a gift that is based on a book, then BookwormBaskets is the place to go to!

They have lots of choices and every basket is customized to fit the theme of the book. And if your New Year’s Resolution was “going green”, then you should really check them out! They have been adding eco-friendly products to their baskets; also for every book you buy from them, a tree will be planted! That is because they joined Eco-Libris in their efforts towards sustainable reading! 

My Bubbly Valentine

Another nice thing about them is that they create custom baskets. Just tell them what your favorite book is and they’ll find the right products! 

It was hard for me to choose my favorites… they all look so good!  Especially the ones for babies! Finally, I decided on the “Fond-ue Memories” and “My Bubbly Valentine“ gift baskets; both on sale for $59.99.

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DISCOUNT COUPON

I am delighted to say that Bookwormbaskets.com were very generous to offer our happy readers a 15% discount with the discount code: HC15. Check out their awesome gift baskets at BookwormBaskets.com !

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This is one very cute gift for babies!

It comes in pastel colors for baby girls and white – blue for baby boys. More surprisingly, the sections are made of essential products for babies: a 100% cotton blanket, a terry hooded towel, a quiltet tote bag, a quiltet changing pad, a terry toy and a wrist rattle.

The packaging is absolutely adorable! They may not want to unpackage it!

The Baby Carterpillar gift set is a great start, especially for first-time parents!

Price: $64.99
Today ON SALE for $54.99 (You SAVE $10!)

Gifts are great, especially when you can use them. The worst type of present is the one that never gets used. It’s a picture frame that doesn’t quite go with the decor, a shirt that’s too small, or a kitchen gadget that’s resorted to collecting dust. Before you give a gift that just ends up earning a couple bucks at a future yard sale, consider these practical gift ideas.

For the New Mom

It’s so fun to pick out little pink or blue outfits, but practical gifts are great for new parents, too. New babies can use up to ten diapers a day and if you’ve walked down the baby aisle lately you know that is a major expense. Wrap up a big box of diapers- it’s a gift that really will get used.

For the Graduate

College kids typically don’t have the best cars, yet they can spend a lot of time on the road. Buy them a AAA membership and it might come in handy during a difficult situation. Instead of being stranded on the side of the road with little cash, they’ll be able to use that membership to get help. Plus it comes with lots of other perks, like discounts and coupons.

For the Younger Child

It’s never too early to start saving. Teach a youngster about money by giving them a cool bank. Start them off with a few dollars in change. It will get them excited about saving.

For the Homeowner

Looking for a good gift for newlyweds, new homeowners, or anybody that’s too busy to mow? Try treating them to some free lawn care. Have a service cut their grass, trim the hedges and pull some weeds. Taking care of this chore will be a welcomed gift.

Photo courtesy of Siti Saad

If you’d like to buy a cute Easter Bunny outfit for your child, grandchild or any other child, here is our suggestion:

Little Bunny Jacket

Adorable baby blue jacket made of fluffy terry fleece and lined with satin that completely cuddles little ones in warmth and silky comfort. Easy-to-use zipfront design is finished with something simple and fun that families love: two bunny ears on the hood.

Comes in 2 colors: blue and white.

Listing price: $48. Today on SALE for $24.