'Baby Babble'

“I can’t make another trip to Baby’s R Us,” I thought. “I just can’t.”

I stared back at my pregnant cousin, who had just revealed that another close family friend would be expecting. My cousin’s cheeks were flushed from delivering the good news. Eight months pregnant, her baby shower was only two weeks away. She would host the shower alongside her older sister, who was coincidentally seven months along.

In less than a year, I had been to four baby showers for some of my closest friends and family. Never mind the weddings.

Familiar with the routine, I asked my cousin about her impending shower and she quickly rejected my mentioning of a baby registry. “No, Sophia,” she said. “I want you to pick something out. I trust your taste.”

Oh, boy. I now had to come up with an ingenious gift list. And fast.

My first thought drifted towards the nursery from what she had once described: a haphazardly-painted room with unopened boxes of baby furniture mounting in a corner, hardwood floors in need of a cushy rug and bare, bland walls.

Not that I suggest my cousin transform the nursery into a ‘Winnie the Pooh’ or ‘Thomas the Engine’ themed baby room. The room should be multistage – unless you want to redecorate the room frequently. And incorporating different colors, textures and objects is the best way to do so.

Drawer pulls for under $10 in decorative butterflies and lions can be easily taken down once a child outgrows them. Storage baskets with removable liners can store diapers now and school books years later. A wooden toy chest could be used in a similar fashion.

But what about those must-have baby essentials?

Sure, everyone remembers to buy the teddy bear or princess bedding. Not everyone thinks to buy extra bed covers (see left) for the crib. Babies are neither mess nor accident-proof. I tend to look for organic cotton – some babies have sensitive skin and develop rashes from synthetic fibers.

With babies also come guilty pleasures.

For some, it’s strapping a newborn in an outfit with their favorite NFL team. For others, it’s reminding others that ‘Grandma is no. 1’ or ‘Daddy is the best.’ For me, it’s the cute factor. A set of onesies stuffed in a box like cupcakes (above right) or a bucket with a hat, onesie, bib, T-shirt and socks that are rolled to look like flowers always elicit ‘aww’s.’

Now that I have my list, it’s time to do some online shopping.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of msn.com, blissliving.com and decorinnovation.com