New parents may be overwhelmed by the thousands of items offered for their upcoming bundle of joy. A baby shower provides an excellent opportunity for friends to help the new mom and dad. Because a new baby is expensive, gifts should be practical to help the parents save money.

When choosing a gift, keep in mind not only the gifts registered for but also the nursery theme to keep in line with the color scheme the mom and dad have chosen. Cute clothes are fun gifts, but babies quickly grow out of them and the clothes end up as hand-me-downs. Instead, consider purchasing packs of one piece outfits with snaps, as the baby will go through multiple changes a day.

Other essential items include:

-Bottles and Bottle Inserts

-Furniture, such as a changing table, dresser, crib, and rocking chair

-Infant car seat/baby carrier

-Baby monitor

-Nursing pads, burping cloths, baby shampoo and bath wash

Because some of the aforementioned items can be pricey, baby shower attendants may want to agree on splitting the cost of the items to take the burden off of the future parents.

It has been said that the greatest cost of a new baby is diapers. Each participant may want to bring a pack of diapers and diaper cream. Again, because babies grow so quickly, more than just infant diapers should be purchased -- diapers for each growth stage would be hugely beneficial. To make the diaper gift fun, guest can create a baby diaper cake, where diapers are stacked to resemble a cake. This will make the diaper gift and shower much more fun!