When our daughter was born three years ago, I had no idea on how to purchase gifts for baby showers, newborns and birthday parties. If we were invited to a baby shower or kids birthday party, I always offered to watch the baby so my wife could go out and purchase the items. Have you ever been to a Babies R Us, its stressful!

Well a few months ago we had child number two. This now meant that I had to start contributing to the gift buying. I noticed once you get past the initial shock of the Large factor, you are able to concentrate and figure out what to buy. Of course, this would make my wife nervous when I first started purchasing without a list. I was able to prove myself worthy of the task.

I looked at purchasing items that are easily returnable. I also looked at items that might not be as time sensitive for usage. Other criteria are items that could be helpful to the parents for either watching their children or keeping them occupied.

Baby leather shoes can always work wonders. Theyre cute and are a great source of protective the babys feet. They also come in a variety of colors and with some great patterns. The patterns range from fire trucks to flowers. The baby shoes we liked come in soft hand stitched leather.

Another great idea is childrens furniture. Not a bed or dresser, something that is big and soft that the kids can use for reading. We purchased a Bear Chair for our daughter that was soft and comfy. Our daughter loved it. No matter what room she was in, she would drag that chair with her. She loved it!!

One gift I wished we would have received earlier was an Activity Saucer or sometimes called an Ultra Saucer. Our daughter and now our son love this item. Its like a plastic table with the center cut out of the center. It allows the baby (our son has used it since he was 4 months old) to stand on his own and have access to 10 or 12 toys. This keeps them occupied for a while. Our son will stay in it for 30 minutes at a time!

The last gift I likebeing a Gadget person is the baby monitor. The baby video monitor allows you to watch your child with a video camera while you are in another room. Im not into spying or nanny cams, this is a tool that was very helpful for us. A few years ago, our daughter had high fevers and the baby video monitor, gave us extra security knowing we had the ability to hear and see how she was sleeping. The baby monitors are better now from when we purchased ours. They now come with a color monitor and have a better range.

So if youre like me and have been spooked by the large baby gift stores, theres hope. I hate to sound like I was a wimp at first but it was an overwhelming experience at first. Once I figured out a few gift ideas that I could rotate amongst friends I felt better. Just remember, keep it simple and always give a gift receipt.

Lawrence Shapiro is the owner of BestNineMonths.com, a unique baby products store offering baby shoes, diaper bags, baby accessories and more.