I have no idea how to shop for babies.

Celles

I think I mentioned in another thread that I'm covering for our buyer, who is out on maternity leave.  Since most of what we buy is tech related and I'm decently tech saavy -- no problem!

Except now I'm supposed to buy a gift basket from the company for the co-worker whose position I'm covering, and I'm completely out of my element. 

It took a few weeks to get the requisition approved so the baby -- a girl -- is about a month old now.  Should I try to find something in the 3-6 month range, assuming that the new mom already has everything she needs for a newborn?  Or should I avoid clothes altogether and look for some combination of toys, blankets, washcloths, etc.?  What do mothers with babies that age even need?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 

Other relevant details: I have a budget of around $100. Gift cards are out because HR is sending one of those; this should be something tangible from her department.  And her manager would rather I buy something online that I can ship directly to her home, because if I try to buy something locally or make a gift basket myself he either has to go with me (to use his Pcard, since I don't have one) or reimburse me after the fact, which involves paperwork. 

Blueyed228

I always buy clothes in the 3-9 month range.  All of my friends with kids said that the first few months were spend in onesies and not much else.  My sister has a ton of newborn-3 month stuff with the tags still on it.

Diapers are always a good gift too.  With wipes.  I always give diapers, wipes and a wipe warmer with my gifts.

ski2play

Cool site for baby stuff.

http://www.babybasket.com/

Celles

I didn't even think of a registry!

I'm Googling now and I can't find one for her, though.  This is her second child so she may not have one. 

lbarr088

Ditto Blue.  

I recently asked a CW of mine who has an infant when I was shopping for a baby shower what she needed most.  All of the cutesy stuff is fun but in all reality, it's what they really NEED that will make a great gift.    Onesies were on the top of her list and so were diapers as well.  

Celles

Okay, stupid question, but ...  how long do babies wear onesies?

Blueyed228

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_i-have-no-idea-how-to-shop-for-babies?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:f40cc181-48b2-4d17-8db3-c10ddac22a27Post:748216db-3c2d-4d98-9eff-aef9fea92a1a">Re: I have no idea how to shop for babies.</a>:
[QUOTE]Okay, stupid question, but ...  how long do babies wear onesies?
Posted by Celles[/QUOTE]

Over a year.  They are easy for diaper changing.

reils

I think babies wear onsies until they are about 12 months or so. I am basing this off of my niece and nephews though so I might be wrong. 

lbarr088

If you are looking in the 3-6 month range I would say that onesies would still be appropriate.  Couple it with an outfit or two if you would like.  Oh!  Another piece of advice my CW gave me was that keep the outfits as simple as possible.  Limit the amount of snaps, buttons, etc.  Momma needs easy access and it's annoying to have to unclip, unbutton, and unsnap a million things.

Blueyed228

Celles- what about some kids books for a library?

This is a great link for good books for kids

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/50-books-child-read-kindergarten/?cid=80.

Celles

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_i-have-no-idea-how-to-shop-for-babies?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:f40cc181-48b2-4d17-8db3-c10ddac22a27Post:c891caf3-354a-4a8c-aab3-89a18c66126c">Re: I have no idea how to shop for babies.</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: I have no idea how to shop for babies. : Over a year.  They are easy for diaper changing.
Posted by Blueyed228[/QUOTE]

Oh, that makes sense.  I wasn't sure if it was just for the first month or so.

Thanks for tips and links, guys.  I really appreciate it.  :)  I was thisclose to calling my co-worker (we're friends outside of work -- although more happy-hour-once-a-week-friends and less come-over-and-see-the-new-baby-friends) and telling her "Your boss wants to buy you a gift.  Pick something!" ... but that seems kind of disrespectful to him, even though I bet she'd find it funny.

Celles

I love that idea, Blue!  I bet her little boy would love it, too.  He's 5.

Wiscisbliss

Things I have liked recieving:

Board books

Clothes for 6 mo +

Target gift card

Things that we have too many of already:

Stuffed animals

musicxstore

I remember when my friend had a baby I was wondering whether to buy newborn sized clothing or not, but ultimately decided to go with 3-6 months and I'm glad I did. As it turned out, newborn clothing fits babies up to 8 pounds (I think) and her daughter weighed 7 when she was born. 3-6 month clothing goes up to 12 pounds. I hope this helps.

tidetravel

Honestly, I'd look for something for mom rather than the baby.  At this point, she probably has most of the "essentials," especially if it's her second child.  Diapers, wipes, etc are always appreciated, but I would hesitate to even buy those if you don't know what type she uses (at this point, she's probaby experimented with brands and sizing).  What she probably doesn't have a lot of right now is sleep, or time to relax.  Maybe combine a gift for her and a gift for baby?

 If you want to do clothes, buy season appropriate clothes in 3/6 or 6/9 month range.  Books are always good too. 

$100 is a good chunk of change, so personally, I'd get her some gear that she's not likely to have right now.  Something like a bumbo seat or an exersaucer that the baby can use in a couple of months would be a good idea.  These have been favorites of my kids: 

http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-6161948-Splash-Mega-Exersaucer/dp/B002VUCBC2/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330542679&sr=8-1-spell

http://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-402-Baby-Seat-Blue/dp/B0007ORN7M/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1330542793&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Infant-To-Toddler-Rocker-Blue-Green/dp/B000WUB9O4/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1330542826&sr=1-1

mica178

Is there any chance that she has a registry for a shower that you can find?  I like to get expectant mothers something from their registry plus something cute for when the baby is older.

Also, LVB makes adorable burp cloths and other baby kind of stuff.  Everything is made by her, and you can pick out colors and patterns.  It's pretty cool.  I think you can reach her by FB PM since she does not advertise at all on TK.  (She has a website and accepts PayPal too.)

allisong23

I have more onsies than I know what to do with. K will never wear all the onsies he has. I really like the book idea. they will last much longer than clothes, which she may  get a few months out of. Wipes are always useful.  Maybe a bunch of small toys too - like little stuff for the baby to gnaw on and learn to grasp? Kieran loves Manhattan Toy stuff -

http://www.manhattantoy.com/category/28704/Baby

Bett2012

My mom always buys clothes in the 12 month range.. you never know how big a baby is going to be, sometimes babies start out with 6month clothing if they're pretty big. Also, everyone gives the little little clothes, she said she appreciated getting some bigger clothes for baby gifts because it spread it out a little more and she got more use out of everything. I plan to do the same once my friends start having babies