The closer it gets to your baby's arrival, more people ask what you are having. While some people may reply 'A baby', most of the time, what people really want to know is whether you are expecting a boy or a girl. Some expecting parents are not interested in knowing. Other parents are dying to know but were unable to find out. Either way, there is a lot to be said for neutral baby gear.

Pink frilly stuff and blue buttons are great when you are talking about accent items that can changed without great cost. They are not so advisable when you are talking about major expenditures. If you are planning on more that one child than the convertible crib natural will make far more sense in the long run if you are planning on more than one baby.

Light browns and other earth tones can be very sweet for a baby nursery. By carefully selecting neutral colors your designer baby bedding you can make sure that it is worth every cent you pay for it. These are usually high quality and can survive baby after baby, but not if they are pink with lace.

There is such a thing as too much pink or too much blue. When you overdo it the end result can be nauseating for adults. Think of the poor baby that is not able to speak up about the problem! Sticking with the earth tones will be far more calming for everyone.

The convertible crib is easily accented with other things. You can always tack on some bows, or attach some buttons to make it cuter. The biggest difference is that in the end, these things can be easily changed or eliminated. It is not so easy when the whole crib is gender specific.

Children are expensive. Buying things that are specifically from either a boy or a girl can double that expense. No matter what anyone says, it just does not feel right tucking a little baby boy into a bed designed to look like a pink castle. The same can be said of strapping a little baby girl in to a high chair decorated to look like a dump truck. Save yourself the headache and the money and keep things as neutral as possible.

Applying a little bit of foresight and common sense to your shopping can save you a lot in the long run. Even in the case of twins, keeping the item neutral will reduce fighting and bickering down the road. It makes more sense no matter now you look at it.

Famous mothers from Hollywood have radically shifted the baby gear market to include designer gifts and accessories that look as good as they feel. Indeed, Little Giraffe baby blankets has captured the worlds attention, thanks to talks shows like Oprah and Ellen. The best way to gauge the sincerity of this fad is to closely examine the most famous blankets offered by this small family business and decide if the trend has more too it than monkey-see, monkey-do.

I’m coming clean here, you know the Little Giraffe baby blanket is a special item as soon as you feel it with your own hands. The velvet blanket blends a luscious velvet fabric with a cool satin for a blanket that is both cuddily and sophisticated. The velvet comes in a variety of styles, including traditional smooth, or in a floral design or dot design. Infants are attracted to the contrasting fabrics designs, especially the dot overlay. Besides the unique styling, what makes the Little Giraffe baby blanket a great value is how easy it is to wash. And believe me, baby blankets need almost constant cleaning! The blanket is machine washable and does not need to be dry cleaned either. For velvet, this is a miracle in and of itself! In fact, the blankets only get softer with each cleaning. No doubt these blankets make a great first birthday gift, and of course they draw all the oohs and ahhs at the baby shower. The choice of colors makes it easy to find the perfect one to match the gift basket, or the baby nursery for that matter. Blue and pink will always be the most sought after colors for a Little Giraffe baby blanket, but they also come in a variety of hip seasonal tones as well.

Stylish parents everywhere have been leading a uprising that you probably haven’t heard of yet. The revolution has no name, but the idea is simple: Maternity and fashion are not at odds! Expecting clothes, baby gear, and even accessories like diaper bags are now available that are chic, stylish and downright trendy.

Let’s focus on diaper bags. These used to be a trend trainwreck when it came to style. Burlap or canvas? With or without Mickey Mouse patches? That was the extent of choices just a few years ago. But now there are dozens of diaper bags available that are so trendy some celebrities are wearing them…even when they don’t have a baby. These designer bags are styled after the hot trends in handbags, including stressed denim, vintage fabrics, and brass fixtures. It’s not just about good looks on the outside, however. Today’s top diaper bags are also full of organizational features, unlike the gigantic diaper sacks from a few years ago. Standard features in all the most popular brands include numerous pockets, insulated baby bottle warmers, and separate compartments for baby gear and mommy gear such make up, cellphones and even laptops. Lastly, these baby bags are designed to make it easier than ever to travel with the baby. Many feature removable diaper changing pads, for example, or a impervious section to hold dirty duds when there isn’t a trashcan in sight. These are the features that contemporary mothers demand, and diaper bags deliver. When all the features are wrapped in up a stylish clutch that celebrities like to wear to the most popular clubs in the world, then you know you have a winning product. Budgeting for these bags is also easy; there are styles for every pocketbook. My advice is to decide what features are most important for you and your lifestyle, and then go investigate with a price range in mind.

Finding the right baby gifts are not as simple as it used to be. Even just a decade ago, shopping for the perfect nursery gift was a matter of knowing the baby’s gender and whether or not the mom-to-be preferred cloth or disposal diapers. These days, personalized baby gifts are a multi-billion dollar industry, with designer baby gear leading the way. Style and personality are more important now than ever, giving consumers literally thousands of choices for even the simplest products.

Well, here’s some ideas to make sense from the madness in this newly expanding market. No matter what, it’s still best to think about infant gear from the heart. This means focusing on parent’s needs as much as the little one, and having some insight to find unique baby gifts that will genuinely be loved and remembered. Babies are always going to need baby bedding and onesies, but you may be able to chip in with some friends and help with designing the baby room too. Another fail-safe idea is organizing the food prep for the new parents after the baby is born. That’s one thing you can bet they won’t have time to think about – what’s on the menu today?

Of course, personalized baby gifts well-worth the extra cost, but it’s still important to consider color schemes, personal style, and lifestyle. To make a gift more from the heart, try personalizing it with a monogrammed patch, such as initials or a cute phrase.

One of the fastest growing sectors in baby gear today is the organic cotton movement. No longer the province of marginalized eco-mavericks, organic cotton is a growth market that is becoming increasingly popular. So what are the benefits of organic cotton baby blankets, and what can investment bankers expect if looking to invest in this growing niche in the fabric industry?

First, the advantage of organic cotton is its lack of reliance on petroleum for its production. Ordinary cotton is saturated with oil-based fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides in the field. Intensive organic agriculture still relies on oil for transport, but its production in the field is based on sustainable energy sources. Instead, organic cotton grows jobs for farm workers, a good choice for many cultures that are struggling as they transition into the growing global market.

Secondarily, organic cotton does not contain residues of these oil-based products when made into organic cotton baby blankets. Some studies have shown that organic cotton is safer for babies who are quickly irritated by man-made additives that can create allergens for life.

And of course organic cotton baby blankets can be great for the earth, which more and more consumers are willing to spend a little extra to protect. Ordinary cotton production poisons the soil and causes intense amounts of chemical runoff into the waterways of the world. Further, farm workers who are exposed the chemical fertilizers on a regular basis also have dramatically increased levels of cancer and other deadly ailments.

Many of today's parents have shown that these organic cotton facts are reason enough to support organic cotton baby blankets. Investing in this growing economic sector is a good move for the earth, for the health of our families, and most likely for our pocket books as well.

In the old days, all baby blankets were created equal. Thin cotton receiving blankets may have been the traditional infant wrap, but today’s modern baby blankets are warmer, softer, and more durable. If you are looking into the best baby blankets for a gift, consider the advantages that luxury baby blankets have made. The trend leader in this regard is definitely Barefoot Dreams baby blankets. These blankets have been personally endorsed by Hollywood parents and talk show hosts from coast to coast. So what is the big deal? The secret lies within the Cozychic fabric, which is a patented microfiber blend. Soft, machine washable, and able to endure many cleanings: that is the real work of a good receiving blanket.

So when celebrities began promoting Barefoot Dreams Cozychic receiving blankets a couple years ago, Barefoot Dreams quickly went from a mom-and-pop shop to an international producer of high-quality baby gear. They did this not with a high dollar promotion plan but by word-of-mouth. With classic baby colors such as blue and pink as well as fashionable choices including lilac and cream, Barefoot Dreams provides the right mixture of tradition and innovation. Another feature of Barefoot Dreams baby blankets is the signature satin patch on each blanket. Babies love the texture difference between the cool satin and the warm blanket. This can further amplified by monogramming the blanket with the baby’s name.