When we were decorating our first son’s nursery, we poured through magazine after magazine for ideas. One of the things I loved was the idea of a personalized name decoration.

I’ve always been nuts about personalized items for myself, and something about having his name on the wall just made it feel so much more real and special.

We did have two problems, though. First, our son’s name, Kyan, is unusual, so finding one that was already made in a craft store was nothing short of impossible. Secondly, personalized anything is super expensive, and with everything else a baby actually needs, dropping $30 on a personalized decoration wasn’t exactly practical. Also, by way of budget and practicality, we knew that if we paid for one for our first son, we’d have to do the same for any other children we might have.

So, since we didn’t have the dough to have a personalized nursery decoration custom-made, we decided to get crafty and make one ourselves.

I went to the local hardware store and found some basic wooden letters. Just about every hardware or craft store has them for a buck or two a piece. I also picked up a few small jars of paint (one for a base color and then a couple to decorate with). I also bought a spool of fun ribbon to hang the letters with.

When I got home, I painted each letter a simple pale yellow and allowed it to dry. If you’d like more variety, you can paint each letter differently. Then after the paint was dry, I went back and painted designs on each letter. When everything was completely dry, I used a hot glue gun to attach a loop of ribbon on each letter to hang it.

It turned out super cute and I paid less then $10 for the whole project.

If you’re not wanting to go through the painting process, there are a lot of other fun options.

• You can use wooden blocks with the letters of your child’s name and spell it out
• You can take pictures of things in nature that look like the letters of your child’s name, like a sunflower for an ‘O’ or a tree branch that looks like a ‘Y’
• Cut out letters from pretty wrapping paper and frame them individually
• Find a pretty font on your word processing program and print the name out, then frame it with a pretty scrapbooking paper as matting

If you use your imagination, there are endless possibilities for the perfect personalized baby name decoration for your little cherub’s nursery.

Jessi Arias-Cooper is the senior writer and an editor for Advice4Parenting.com. She is a work-from-home mother of 3 boys and has been married for 10 years. If she had time for hobbies and interests outside of parenting and keeping house, they would be jewelry making, baking, watching bad B-movie horror flicks and creative writing . If you have a question for Jessi, click here.

Photo: flickr.com/photos/magpie372/4908123945

Being a woman in her early thirties, I’ve been to numerous baby showers and no matter the decor, there is always a common theme, duplicate shower gifts. Even those guests that study the mommy-to-be’s gift registry carefully have been in that awkward position of watching as an identical match to her gift is unwrapped.

I absolutely hate this moment. It’s uncomfortable for everyone involved. The guest of honor doesn’t know what to say, the gift givers shout out simultaneously, “I used the registry! Something must have happened,” and the other guests start rattling off bizarre untruths about how great it is to have two mobiles.

I’ve made a solemn vow to myself that I’ll never be one of these unfortunate gift givers who knows, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that after all the time it took to find the perfect present, it will be returned. Still, I’m not a fan of just giving money, because I like the ooh’s and ahh’s my gifts get when their opened and I want the mommy-to-be to know that I gave some thought and consideration to the needs of her family.

The best way to insure that you’re gift will be unique is to give something homemade. Mom’s love personalized blankets, quilts, nursery decor and ornaments, but alas, I wasn’t blessed with gift-quality crafting skills. If you’ve got ‘em, use ‘em!

I have to rely on purchased baby shower gifts to get by, but there are still ways to shop without getting burnt by the “how nice, I’ve got another…” bug. I’ve never liked just giving cash in a card, because while one size does very much fit all, it lacks a personal touch. With this in mind, I generally give the new mom and baby a cute stuffed animal or rattle attached to one of the following gift cards.

Portrait Sitting: Every new mom wants to show her baby off, but once they get a handle on how expensive a new baby can be, family portraits can be hard to squeeze into a budget. You can buy a gift card for a family or baby portrait or photo baby announcements

Restaurant: Those first couple weeks of new motherdom are rough. You barely have time to eat much less make a decent meal. Food gift certificates may seem unorthodox as a baby shower gift, but I guarantee both mom and dad will genuinely appreciate the break

Bookstore: Whether she wants books about parenting, board books for her new little bundle or a great book to read on sleepless nights, because we all know there are plenty in store, she can choose whatever she wants

Spa Package: Nobody, but nobody, deserves a relaxing getaway like a new mom, even if it’s for a few hours

Jeweler: Whether she wants to celebrate her sweet baby with a mother’s ring, locket or charm bracelet, she can pick out the perfect sparkly to match her taste and personality

Choosing the right baby shower gift can be stressful for a gift giver. Giving a special gift card shows you care, but prevents you from any awkward moments when your enjoying some pastel pink baby shower cake.

Jessi Arias-Cooper is the senior writer and an editor for Advice4Parenting.com. She is a work-from-home mother of 3 boys and has been married for 10 years. If she had time for hobbies and interests outside of parenting and keeping house, they would be jewelry making, baking, watching bad B-movie horror flicks and creative writing . If you have a question for Jessi, click here.

With so many styles to choose from, knowing how to buy toddler shoes can be a real challenge. The problem that many parents encounter is choosing between function versus style, practicality versus fun. After all, who wouldn’t want their little one to be most stylish toddler on the block? But sometimes fun styles can actually hurt your child’s feet and be more of a hindrance than a help as he takes his baby steps.

So what should you look for when buying your child a new pair of shoes? Here are some tips you might want to keep in mind:

- If you’re planning to bring your child to the store to try out several pairs of shoes, make sure that he is in a good mood. It’s probably a good idea to schedule this particular adventure just after a meal and a nap, and to make it the first thing you do when you hit the mall.

- Take advantage of the expertise of the salespeople in the shoe store. They can help you narrow down the best kinds of footwear that suits your child’s feet.

- The first step in knowing how to buy toddler shoes is to get your child’s feet measured. Be sure to take note of the length and width. You can have this done regularly at stores that specialize in shoes for kids.

- Kids grow at a rapid rate at this stage in their lives. That means that they can quickly outgrow their clothes and shoes, so keep track of your child’s sizes on a monthly basis.

- Have your toddler try on each pair of shoes, and allow him to walk around the store to get a feel for them. Typically, a space of about half an inch from the toes ensures proper fit and easy movement.

- Inspect your child’s feet regularly for signs of improperly fitted shoes, such as blisters on the feet, chafing, and crowded toes. Not only are these uncomfortable for your child, but wearing improperly fitted shoes can also be a cause of foot problems later on.

- Opt for velcro fasteners for easy wear and removal. As much as you want your little one to learn to tie shoelaces, sometimes your sanity is more important. It’s one more thing to do without your toddler throwing a tantrum every morning, so weigh it carefully whether you want to risk it.

Overall, keep it simple. Think of Cinderella and her glass slippers—the fit had to be just right. Don’t try to save money by buying shoes that are too big at the risk of making your toddler trip on them. Nor should you try to force his feet into an old pair he has already outgrown in order to save a few dollars. So learning how to buy toddler shoes is actually a very simple matter: you must always put comfort over style, or pay the price later.

There are plenty of baby birthday party themes that you can select from. This first birthday is a terrific milestone, and one that many parents are eager to celebrate with friends and family. There are several of them that work well for either a boy or a girl. For example the Disney characters, Winnie the Pooh characters, Sesame Street, or Noah’s Ark. All of them feature delightful characters that children seem to love instantly. Baby Einstein is another great theme that many parents consider. This is due to their many products that are targeted for the development of very young children.

There are others that seem to be viewed for either boys or girls. You can have a princess theme or a Barbie theme for little girls. Dora the Explorer is a very popular cartoon character out there too. For boys, Bob the Builder, construction themes, and farm animals seem to be a very good idea. A cowboy birthday party is one which is very popular for little boys, and you can modify it for a cowgirl theme just as easily.

When it comes to choosing baby birthday party themes, you will find you can get all the matching accessories too. This includes invitations, cups, napkins, party favors, decorations, and even a cake with that theme on it as well. You can save money by purchasing a birthday party theme lot of items instead of each of them individually. Make sure you check that out so you can save money on such items for the party.

You will find great prices online too with wholesale companies. Sometimes particular birthday party products are discontinued as well. That is another way to get a great price on them. If you are really on a low budget, you can consider making some of the items you need yourself. For example you can copy pictures online and use them of a give birthday party theme to make and print your own invitations.

Take your time to search for the right theme for your child’s first birthday. There are many you can choose from. There may be favorite toys or characters that your child already seems to identify and love. Go with what your child is interested in rather than what you find to be appealing if that is the case. Your local party store or the internet is full of great baby birthday party themes so have fun deciding on the one to use.

When puzzling over the perfect gift for that Mom-to-be in your life, consider the timeless new baby gift basket.

You have myriad options for what to put in it, so your gift can still be uniquely yours even if everyone else shows up to the baby shower with a baby gift basket bundled in her arms.  Just don’t go too crazy with your creativity, since it’s best if you stack it high with gifts the baby will need and want most.  (And yes, stuff to keep Mom sane is great too!)

When deciding what to include, consider whether the baby is already known to be a boy or a girl. If the sex is known, then it’s fine to go gender-based with pink and frilly stuff for girls and tested-and-true blue hues for the boys.  Too boring for you?  Feel free to splurge with other colors sampled from all over the rainbow according to the mother’s personality and personal tastes.  This is especially great for when the baby’s gender isn’t known yet.

As for actual items to include, onesies to wear, bibs and bottles to feed, baby wipes to clean up and teddy bears to snuggle all make good sense.  You’ve got free license to also include some more commemorative items or personalized new baby gifts, like a “first footprint” kit or a gift certificate for photography to capture those special first few weeks out of the womb.

Of course, you may not want to customize and assemble your own gift basket all by yourself.  Instead, you may want something pre-packaged but still sure to please-and that’s where it pays to shop online.  There are literally hundreds of amazing baby gift basket options ranging all over the map in price, theme and items included to choose from.  Just give yourself ample time to sort through them to find one you like and have it shipped over.

With that in mind, I’ll set you free to go begin your search right now.  Trust me….It’ll all be worth it for the expression on Mom’s face when she first glimpses her new baby gift basket.

Click here for more baby gift basket ideas

Perhaps even before wondering how to make a diaper cake, you might first be puzzled over what a diaper cake even is. Granted, it can sure sound rather strange and funny at first.  If that’s where you are, you’re probably also thinking, “Surely nobody would eat a cake made out of diapers!”

And you’d be right.  A diaper cake is just a creative way someone (nobody really knows who) once thought of to give a soon-to-be Mom a whole load of diapers in a way that looks downright presentable at worst and maybe even delightfully stylish if done right.

In fact, they can be so stylish that commercial diaper cakes–the readymade ones you can order up with a swipe of the credit card–often cost a pretty penny.  But you can capture some of that class and add your own twists and accents on top of it if you’re willing to put in some work at home.  You might even have fun doing it if you consider how happy Mom will be when she sees your truly one-of-a-kind creation.

Click here for video instructions on how to make a diaper cake

So how to make a diaper cake?  It’s easy!

Start off by rolling diapers individually and wrapping each with a rubber band in the center.  Make sure that you use thick rubber bands so that they won’t break and undo your hard work.  This can easily happen during transport, so it’s worth spending just a wee bit more money for quality rubber bands.

Alright, once you’ve got seven diapers rolled up, we’re going to put them together into a large roll.  Note that you’ll need an extra large rubber band to hold them together.  Don’t attempt to stretch a smaller rubber band too far, because that again makes the whole cake more prone to falling apart later.  You’ve no doubt heard the sayings about a “house of cards,” and a cake of diapers ain’t much different!

This larger roll can be used as the top, with layers further down being even bigger.  But before you make those foundational diaper cake layers, you can spice things up by removing the middle diaper in the bunch and stuffing in a small gift wrapped in a showy piece of cloth or even an article of baby clothing itself.  This makes for a cool hidden surprise inside each layer instead of just diapers piled on top of diapers.  There’s not much exciting about that.

Once you’ve tickled yourself to satisfaction with your top layer, make another layer just like it.  Then wrap about fifteen diapers around that to make it a bigger circle, encircling the whole piece with a larger rubber band.  You can again add a snazzy hidden treasure into the middle for Mommy to find when she devours her diaper cake.

Finally, we’ve come to the cake’s base.  Make another middle layer as described above, and then pad it with about thirty more diapers to make for a very solid foundation.  You will also want to place the base on some sort of hard material, whether a cardboard cutout, a pizza pan, a plastic tray or whatever else your mind can conjure up.

Let your imagination run wild in deciding on that and any other special embellishments you want to include to make this work of art your very own.  After all, you wouldn’t dream of buying a food cake without frosting and decoration, would you?

That’s really all there is to it. Does it sound easier than you thought? Good!  That’ll give you some good mojo and momentum to take on the task and have fun with it.  And who knows…maybe you’ll enjoy it so much that you’ll think of a design nobody else has.  Then you can create your own tutorial on how to make a diaper cake to teach your “top-secret” techniques.

Click Here for some great training videos on how to make your diaper cake look amazing!

In an age of tremendous choice with little true “wow factor,” there is still one gift option that is sure to please: personalized new baby gifts.  After all, every mother thinks her baby is the most special in all the world-the smartest one, the cutest one and the one worth all the time and attention she is pouring into her little bundle.  A personalized baby gift is the perfect way to recognize and reinforce how special her baby is to her.

So let’s explore some ways to find just the right gift…

Ask yourself: what does Baby need most? It pays to be practical.  If the baby needs something for everyday use, then it’s got great potential as a personalized gift since it’s not only one less thing for Mommy to go out and buy, but she is also going to see it often and remember you for it.  Good examples of such memorable but highly useful personalized new baby gifts include baby blankets, bibs and clothing embroidered or screen-printed with the baby’s name and birth date.

Of course, your gift doesn’t absolutely have to be the most practical in the world to be cherished for a long time to come.  This opens up a whole world of creativity and options, ranging from name plates and engraved silver cups to even keepsake photo albums and porcelain booties (don’t attempt to fit those on Baby’s little feet!)

Okay, so hopefully you’ve got some ideas swimming around in your noggin now.  But if you’re still stuck for the perfect gift, fear not.  There are plenty of websites out there dedicated to helping you find the right gift.

Just make sure to give yourself ample time to look through them all!  You don’t want to place your order the day before your Mommy friend’s bridal shower, since it could cost you a fortune for overnight shopping.  (Yes, shopping online is a hassle in that sense, but you will usually have far more options on the Net than in local malls and shops.)

Click here for some great perzonalized baby gift ideas.

Ready, set, shop!  Use these tips to get you started, and you’ll be soon holding the perfect personalized new baby gift in your hands.