Gift Ideas For Newborns

Are you trying to think of a good gift idea for your friend's newborn? A newborn can be difficult to shop for since gifts can be so quickly out grown. Plus people all tend to buy the same things so a newborn usually winds up with more booties and clothes than he really needs. Below are a few gifts for newborns that have the potential to keep on giving as the baby grows.

Music

Music is a timeless gift for newborns and can instill a love of music for years to come. Anything from classical compositions to gentle lullabies are suitable for newborns. In fact, the wider the variety, the better. The newborn will be exposed to the beauty of sound in all its forms. The more he hears, the more his appreciation will expand. Instrumental and vocal are both good. Music can also be used to enhance the mood of the newborn. For example, classical music is calming and jazz is uplifting. Introducing a wide variety of music at a very early age can lead to a life long appreciation of music and maybe even a career as a musician. So if you are trying to come up with a gift for a newborn, picking up some music CDs would be a very good choice.

Books

Books are an excellent choice for newborns. Of course newborns can't read yet but they can be soothed by being read to. Reading to an infant has many benefits. It can be the beginning of a love of the written word and lead to a lifelong appreciation for reading. Being read to can help a child learn to read sooner which leads to doing better in school. Being read to helps to enhance the bond between mother and newborn. Many books are designed for infants so they can be chewed on and wiped clean. They are filled with rhyming words and bright pictures. There are many books on the market for infants and children which makes it easy to pick up something to give to a newborn as a gift.

Baby yoga and infant massage

Gift certificates for a baby yoga or infant massage make for a great gift for the newborn and mother alike. Participating in these classes will help nurture the mother-baby bond. You will be giving the newborn the gift of movement and healthy touch. Massage can help babies learn about their bodies and can also be used to relax them and relieve pain. Yoga can help the newborn to learn healthy movement and can be relaxing as well.

The above three suggestions as gifts for newborns have the potential to keep on giving for years to come. While another pair of baby booties might never be worn and tossed out in a short time, the gift of music, reading, or movement can go on to influence the newborn's life throughout childhood and beyond.

Some Reflections on Health Care and Politics (Liberty County Times)

Wednesday, October 8, 2008 12:40 PM CDT A critical issue facing the nation at this time is health care: how it is being delivered, and how is it being paid for.

THE BABY BLUES (Las Vegas Business Press)

Krista Blaisdell -- just three weeks after giving birth to her daughter -- is already having to face the harsh reality of leaving her newborn in day care to head back to work.

Melamine-hit babies slowly on the mend (China Daily)

SHIJIAZHUANG: The anesthesia began to wear off, the pain started kicking in, and 15-month-old Zang Xiaoning started to cry. The little girl underwent surgery on Tuesday to have a kidney stone removed at Hebei Children's Hospital; and a day later, her mother was still anxious.

Obama Makes Inroads Among White Working-Class Women in Missouri (Bloomberg)

Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- From where Debbie Birleu sits, on a folding metal chair collecting drop-offs behind a Goodwill Industries store in Jefferson County, Missouri, the economy looks pretty scary. What frightens her more is the thought it might get worse.

Updated 10/10: Calendar (The Doings Western Springs)

Tea Time Talk takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the golden age of radio at 1 p.m. Oct. 16 at Elmhurst Historical Museum, 120 E. Park Ave. Presenter Larry Bergnach will demonstrate radio sound effects and share radio memorabilia from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.