When your time comes to shower a new mom or family with baby gifts, keep in mind that not all gifts are created equally.

Baby gifts can be broken down into several categories, including those for infants, toddlers and beyond.

There are several well intentioned items that end up in a corner or drawer never to be looked at again when received. To make the most of your best intention, keep in mind that infants seldom need elaborate toys and educational accessories to crowd their nursery.

Some well appreciated and useful gifts for infants include the following:

*Diapers: lots and lots of diapers. The typical infant goes through 5-8 diapers per day that translates into as many as 56 diapers a week or more than 200 per month. Babies may not express their enthusiasm at the offering, but a parent certainly will.

*Diaper service: this is a wonderful and thoughtful gift for someone considering using cloth instead of disposable diapers.

*Wipes

*Diaper Disposal System

*Onesies of varying sizes and colors

*Baby Bath Items

*Socks to keep an infant's feet warm

*Caps

*Teething rings

*Hampers

*Crib sheets, Changing Table Sheets

*Burp Cloths

*Sleepers

*Baby Bouncer Chair

*Playpens

*Crib Mobiles

Coming into the Toddler stage of course, everything changes! Here is where the gifts start becoming fun. Toddlers may make much better use of educational toys than infants.

Among the offerings certain to be appreciated in this category include the following:

*More teething toys

*Anything colorful

*Balls

*Books

*Baby Einstein or Disney Videos

*Junior Bikes

*Stuffed Animals

*Musical Toys

*Building Blocks

*Toy Cars or other Vehicles

*Discovery Centers

Once a toddler moves into an older stage, be sure to consult with parents regarding gifts. Find out what types of hobbies their child or children are into. In some instances some of the gifts that apply for toddlers apply to older children as well.

These include bicycles, books, and animals (stuffed or otherwise).

Many well intentioned friends consider buying an older child a pet as a gift. And many well meaning parents do the same for their children, thinking having an animal will help teach responsibility.

Keep in mind though that young children are still barely grasping how to take care of themselves, and while having a pet can be entertaining and enlightening, a majority of the care giving will likely still rest on the shoulders of the parents instead of the child.

Adriana Copaceanu is a busy mom of 2. Visit her at Busy Moms Online if you are looking for ways to maximize your precious time. And if you are a new mom, you'll find everything you need to know at her Baby's First Year website.