I am revising this list now that I have even more experience being a mom. Now I have two children, one 3 month old and one who is 2.

Top Ten Baby Shower Gifts by category:

1. Hippie gift

Give a baby wrap. Baby wearing is all the rage. Make sure to give a wrap that offers appropriate support and is easy for the new mommy to use. I personally like the Baby K'Tan. There are so many benefits to baby wearing. My baby would be soothed instantly when I wore her giving me peace of mind when she was still in the first few months of life. When buying the Baby K'tan you need to buy the size that will fit the mom pre-pregnancy. Some baby wraps I have tried are: Baby K'tan, Moby, Solly, and Boba. I would recommend any of those. There are also shirts that you can put baby into like a kanagroo pouch. Those shirts only work for the newborn phase.

2. Ultra-Practical Gift

Give a one month subscription to a diaper company! There are companies that offer disposable diaper delivery and also companies that offer one-use compostable diaper pick-up. Newborns go through way more than 80 diapers the first week alone... so you can imagine how important diapers are for the new parents-to-be.

3. Practical Gift

Just want to give your friend something she will use? A very practical baby item is a swaddle. Why is a swaddle important? The American Pediatrics Association recommends babies sleep on their backs and that they do not use blankets. Swaddles and sleepsacks have replaced blankets. Basically the new mom needs a way to keep her little one warm at night. Also swaddles help calm fussy babies! It really works! I tried many brands of swaddles including using a blanket and swaddling with the special technique. But if it's 2:30 AM and you are sleep deprived this is not practical and is also frustrating. My favorite swaddles for newborns are Love to Dream and the Halo sleep sack is also good. I have heard of the Ollie and the Woombie but never used. Those look great as well though.

4. The "I want to give a fun/cute baby shower gift"

Pacifer with a stuffed animal attached to it (Wubbanub). Moms like these because it's hard to loose a pacifer that is attached to a stuffed animal! Babies like Wubbanub because they can grasp the stuffed animal, which soothes them.

5. 'Smart' gift

Want to nurture the future baby's brain? Give a book! This classic makes me tearful on the last page every time! On the Day You Were Born is a book with beautiful illustrations and descriptions of what was happening on earth during the child's birth. The images are high contrast making them ideal for young eyes to gaze at. I was able to read this to my infant and I know I will be reading it until she grows out of story books.

6. Gift of experience

Music Together Classes! Music Together is a music class geared towards infants and toddlers. I am a musician myself and I have to say these classes are high quality and super engaging. I brought my baby when she was 8 weeks old and she seemed to enjoy it. She was also allowed to breastfeed during the class, which was a relief! If you prefer to give a CD here is a link to Music Together Lullabies.

7. Hand-made gift

Consider busting out the old sewing machine and making a personalized gift for your friend. One of my dearest friends made my daughter a blanket with her name on it and we play on it every day! When she is older she can use the blanket on her bed or for long car trips. It's a very heartfelt and special gift! If you don't know how to sew you can order a personalized gift too.

8. The electronic gift

A white noise machine. This gadget is the most important thing for new parents if they value sleep. Babies sleep so much better with white noise. We learned this from the author of "Happiest Baby on the Block." I use this machine every single night. Before we had one of these, we would use a free sound machine app. The disadvantage of that was we couldn't use our phones for hours while baby slept. With this white noise machine we have different options with just a press of a button. It's also a nightlight so I don't have to turn on the light when I wake up to feed her in the night. This sound machine is great because you can use it as a night light when they are toddlers too. The amazing thing about it is- you can use an app to set controls for when the light turns off or changes color. This is great because you can tell your toddler that they can get up when their light turns green. This works with my two year old! I set it for a reasonable time based on her bed time. This is a game changer.

9. Unique Breastfeeding Gift

For the breastfeeding mom- the "Haakaa Silicone Breastfeeding Manual Breast Pump Milk Pump (100% Food Grade Silicone BPA PVC and Phthalate Free)" is amazing. This device is not only trendy looking- it really works! Moms that breastfeed appreciate this item SO much. It basically suctions onto her boob and milk comes out into the silicone container. It's a miracle really.

10. Baby Swing

This is one of Dr. Harvey Karp's 5 S's. If you havent heard about the 5 S's it's from the book and video called "Happiest Baby On the Block." These strategies truly work if you have a crying baby! My sister told me while I was pregnant that I definitely wanted to get a baby swing. Of course I thought I didn't need one. I was wrong! Once we got this swing our lives changed for the better. I can't recommend it enough. This is the exact swing we got and we love it.

Let me know what you think of these gift ideas in the comments below!