Last year, I was invited to six (SIX!) baby showers. Must have been something in the water.

This is not the case every year of course, but I do find myself invited to at lease one annual baby shower, and the question is always – how do I make sure my baby shower gift is unique, useful, and affordable?

Sometimes it seems as though when it comes to baby gifts, you must choose between “beautiful” and “practical.” Well, I refuse to do that! I want my gift to an expectant mom, whose life is going to dramatically change soon, to look nice, but I insist on my gift being helpful too – something that won’t just sit there accumulating dust and creating clutter, but an item that she would actually use.

Especially in the current economy, practical baby gifts make a lot of sense. I’ve got absolutely nothing against Tiffany silver rattles or baby spoons! But personally, I won’t buy them as new baby gifts, simply because they don’t pass the “practical” test.

So what did I end up buying for those baby showers last year? Here is my guide to fabulously practical baby gifts.

1. House cleaning. If the expectant parents don’t have a cleaning service, a gift certificate from a professional cleaning service is a wonderful gift. Since cleaning services are typically expensive, you can either join together with a few other friends to buy this gift, or you can simply give a certificate in any amount you’re comfortable with, that goes towards whatever the gift recipients will spend.

2. Baby clothes. As an experienced mom, I can assure you that baby can never have too many onesies! The speed at which new babies go through clothes is quite amazing indeed – in fact, with a newborn, almost every diaper change also means a full clothing change. Add to that spitting, burping and – yes – the occasional vomiting, and you can see why baby clothes – especially when beautifully presented in a baby clothes bouquet – make a wonderful baby shower gift.

3. Babysitting. If you know the parents-to-be well, give them a homemade certificate where you pledge to babysit for them a few times during the first year. Be sure to follow up after baby is born! Even if you just spend a few hours in their home, allowing the new mother to sleep, this is one of the best, most thoughtful new baby gifts you can possibly come up with.

4. Diapers or a Diaper Service. Diapers are a major expense during the first year after a baby is born. A case of disposable diapers, or a coupon to a cloth diaper service, is an extremely practical and useful baby shower gift. My only problem with this gift is that it’s hard to beautifully wrap. But I included it here anyway, because it is SO practical, it’s absolutely worth mentioning.

While I think that all of the above ideas make thoughtful, practical new baby gifts, my absolute favorite is baby bouquets, because they combine aesthetics with practicality. When you give an expectant mom a gorgeous baby gift basket, then see her face light up as she realizes that the beautiful basket contains high quality clothes for her baby, you know that you have succeeded in the seemingly impossible task of buying a unique baby gift that is adorable, affordable, AND practical!