Today was the release of Cool Mom Picks’ 2013 Ultimate Baby Shower Gift Guide. If you don’t read Cool Mom Picks, you should! They review lots of new baby/toddler/kid gear and their gift guides are pretty thorough (and just pretty to look at). Here are a few items from their new gift guide that I’ve used:

Isobel has this stacking tower and likes playing with it and it’s really cute, but I caution against putting too many toys on a registry or buying them as shower gifts. They’re not practical for a long time and there are so many other gift options that are better for a newborn and/or new parent. 

Isobel’s iPhone teether was something I bought mostly because I thought it was cute. It turned out to be a really practical purchase too. She loved it and gnawed on it all the time. Total lifesaver during the worst of her teething. 

Cool Mom Picks put the Ergo Winter Edition ($195) on their list. I actually think that the fur lining would be too warm for summer months (I don’t think the inner fur part is removable, though the muff is). Save your money and get the standard Ergo ($130, with the unbelievably annoying little infant insert). We tried several different baby carriers/slings and the Ergo was my favorite. I still use it every now and then with Isobel. Brandon liked the Baby Bjorn ($80) better. The Ergo did have a huge learning curve and it was nerve-wracking to try and handle Isobel as a newborn and get the carrier all situated at the same time. I should have practiced a little bit more.

The aden + anais Easy Swaddles ($24.95) didn’t exist when Isobel was born and I wish they had been because she broke out of every swaddle we tried with their regular swaddle blankets. Instead, we used Summer Infant Swaddle Me blankets ($12.50), which fit her well even as a newborn. Later we used the Miracle Blanket too. 

I had a couple Gap nursing tees and tanks and they were wonderful. This one they featured is $29.95 and get an additional 30% off today with code GAPHAPPY. Target also had some good nursing basics (online—don’t bother looking in stores). One note: I’d caution against getting this as a shower gift unless you know the mom-to-be pretty well and she’s told you she’s going to try breastfeeding or pumping and/or she’s registered for other breastfeeding or pumping supplies. 

DO YOU KNOW ME BUT AT ALL

Skip Hop bath mat ($15)! Important…and cute. Increase the cuteness by getting the matching cushion so your knees don’t ache too much kneeling outside the bath tub. 

There are some other really great ideas on their baby shower list, but a lot of it is pretty and expensive and not necessarily super practical (I’m a big fan of practical registries). There are also quite a few things on their list that are better suited to older children (not newborns and new moms/dads). Making a baby registry is not easy and it’s usually not fun, so you’ll want to do research before adding a $300 diaper bag and a $90 “luxury” baby sleep sack. Just keep in mind who will be buying from your registry. Will they be willing to spend more on big ticket/expensive items or will they want more budget-friendly picks? 

A few other suggestions:

• The Baby Bargains book is actually not super helpful at finding actual bargains, but the GREAT thing about it is that it reviews nearly every brand and model in different baby gear categories: Mattresses, car seats, strollers, etc.
• Blogger reviews of baby gear is fun to read, but go to a store and try the different gear yourself too. You may hate the stroller everyone else uses and you may want to burn the Ergo in the backyard. 
• This Ultimate Baby Registry on HelloBee.com is one of the thorough and reasonable that I’ve seen and I had great luck with so many of the products mentioned. Here is another good one from The Wise Baby. 

What baby registry must-haves would you tell someone to include?