Gift Ideas For Newborns

Are you trying to think of a good gift idea for your friend's newborn? A newborn can be difficult to shop for since gifts can be so quickly out grown. Plus people all tend to buy the same things so a newborn usually winds up with more booties and clothes than he really needs. Below are a few gifts for newborns that have the potential to keep on giving as the baby grows.

Music

Music is a timeless gift for newborns and can instill a love of music for years to come. Anything from classical compositions to gentle lullabies are suitable for newborns. In fact, the wider the variety, the better. The newborn will be exposed to the beauty of sound in all its forms. The more he hears, the more his appreciation will expand. Instrumental and vocal are both good. Music can also be used to enhance the mood of the newborn. For example, classical music is calming and jazz is uplifting. Introducing a wide variety of music at a very early age can lead to a life long appreciation of music and maybe even a career as a musician. So if you are trying to come up with a gift for a newborn, picking up some music CDs would be a very good choice.

Books

Books are an excellent choice for newborns. Of course newborns can't read yet but they can be soothed by being read to. Reading to an infant has many benefits. It can be the beginning of a love of the written word and lead to a lifelong appreciation for reading. Being read to can help a child learn to read sooner which leads to doing better in school. Being read to helps to enhance the bond between mother and newborn. Many books are designed for infants so they can be chewed on and wiped clean. They are filled with rhyming words and bright pictures. There are many books on the market for infants and children which makes it easy to pick up something to give to a newborn as a gift.

Baby yoga and infant massage

Gift certificates for a baby yoga or infant massage make for a great gift for the newborn and mother alike. Participating in these classes will help nurture the mother-baby bond. You will be giving the newborn the gift of movement and healthy touch. Massage can help babies learn about their bodies and can also be used to relax them and relieve pain. Yoga can help the newborn to learn healthy movement and can be relaxing as well.

The above three suggestions as gifts for newborns have the potential to keep on giving for years to come. While another pair of baby booties might never be worn and tossed out in a short time, the gift of music, reading, or movement can go on to influence the newborn's life throughout childhood and beyond.

Infant deaths spur SIDS education (Herald & Review)

DECATUR - Customary warnings to reduce the risk of suffocation have not kept infants from dying. Macon County Coroner Michael E. Day said four of five infant deaths investigated by his office since Jan. 1 involved sleeping behaviors health care professionals advise against.

Child endangerment case continued (Sioux City Journal)

SIOUX CITY -- The trial of a Sioux City woman accused of shaking an infant at a day care in her home has been continued.

Infant hospitalized after she stops breathing at day care (San Antonio Express-News & KENS 5)

The infant was transported to University Hospital in critical condition after paramedics noticed she had trauma at the back of her head.

Baby in foster care after abandoned in woods (Orlando Sentinel)

TODAY'S UPDATES:

Mistrial frees dad in bathtub drowning of infant son (The Sacramento Bee)

A dad whose distractions led to a drowned baby got out of jail Tuesday after a jury voted 11-1 to acquit him of criminal child neglect charges.