As a mother of two energetic kids I have received a lot of baby gifts; some which I have loved and some that I put to the back of the closet. If you are wondering what to buy for a baby gift, this article is for you. Just remember most parents need an outfit to be both practical and cute.

1) Do not buy blue or pink clothing:

This is a personal preference but I know other mothers who agree with me. When my daughter was born everybody bought her pink clothing. There was so much pink in her closet that I was sick of the colour. Daddy’s and Mommy’s favourite piece of clothing soon became a rusty orange coloured outfit. The colour complemented her skin tone and most importantly – it wasnt pink. That girly colour came back to haunt me for a second time when I had my son -I could not reuse the sleepers, socks and onesies because they were all pink.

Generic coloured clothing means that they can be easily reused and your gift will get more use.

2) Avoid sleepers/clothing with snaps/buttons down the back:

When looking at any piece of clothing ask yourself two questions a) could I get this easily off the baby at 2 am in the morning in the dark without waking him/her; and b) when the diaper leaks can this outfit come off easily without spreading the mess everywhere?

Any clothing item that is too difficult to either put on or take off a baby will soon be sent to the back of the closet.

What moms need are cute and practical outfits!

3) No ironing required!

A supermom could run the household perfectly and take care of a newborn – that was not me. Once the exhaustion sets in after having a new baby, most moms consider it an accomplishment some days just to manage to have a shower and get dressed.

The only time my daughter got to wear the adorable frilly dresses is whenever my mom visited and actually ironed them for me. As a new mom I could handle the laundry, but I never took the iron off the shelf. I was strictly a wash and wear mom.

A new parent will use a wash and wear gift. A gift that requires ironing….who knows?

4) Out of season baby clothes:

How big will the baby be in six or nine months? How can anybody know for sure?

The out of season clearance racks may allow you buy a lot of clothes at a great price, but stay away from them.

A quality gift is something the baby can use. No matter which brand name you buy out of season, if it is not used then it is not a quality gift.

My son was born in the early spring and we received a beautiful winter outfit in size 6/9 months. By the time that winter came he was too big to wear it and so it moved from the closet to the storage bin without being worn even once.

The hard part about buying a baby gift is you are really buying a gift for somebody you do not know. We have all received gifts that we have never used because they were not “right” – with some thought that wont happen to your baby gift.

You will find a great baby shower gift if you remember these 4 words: Colour, Practical, Durable and of course Adorable.