Having a baby is one of the greatest gifts you can ever be given.
It can also be an overwhelming experience because a new mother doesn't always know what she needs.
The best thing to do is start making a list of the things you think you'll need when the baby arrives.
A lot of the heartache can be managed by throwing a baby shower.
They are fun and defer a lot of stress that otherwise would be put on the mother to be.
When you have a baby shower the burden of searching and looking for baby apparel is shifted to the invitees.
This raises the question of when and where the shower will take place.
The easiest solution is to have a theme that will help guide the baby shower along.
If you already know if you are having a boy or a girl you could base the theme on color; pink for a girl and blue for a boy.
You could also have a character based theme such as Barney or Sesame Street.
Another great theme is called the "Time-Of Day" where each person brings a specific gift dependent on the time they were dealt.
What are the best gifts for a baby shower? There are a million things that you could bring to a baby shower but the best gifts are the ones that get used.
One gift that always pleases is a baby gift basket full of clothes.
Bottles, strollers, intercoms, and diapers are always a crowd pleaser.
Once the shower is over its important to take stock of what you already have and what you don't.
Most people give a gift receipt to make returning a duplicate item simple.
For the items that you did not receive, simply exchange the duplicate item for the one in need.
Here are a few more tips when holding a successful baby shower: make sure you hold it six to eight weeks before your due date.
This will give you ample amount of time to gather the items you didn't receive.
Write down and mail your guest list 3 weeks prior to the date of the shower.
Make sure you include the theme, menu and the time frame in the invitation so your invitees know what to expect and bring.