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What better way to show how much you care than making a beautiful baby gift basket for the proud new parents! Baby gift baskets are a lot of fun to make and can be designed very inexpensively. In my opinion it is better not to include baby bath items as most parents are quite selective as to the brands that they prefer. Many parents choose to use natural products with little or no chemicals or scents which are usually much more expensive than common brand prodcuts. For these reasons you should avoid including these items in the baby gift basket. To start, choose the basket or container that you are going to use. There are many options besides the standard light-stained or white wicker basket. You can use a diaper pail, baby bath, babies memory box, diaper bag, or any other container that would be practicle for the new mom and baby.

Once you have your container it has to be stuffed with either newspaper, shredded paper or newsprint. It's always a good idea to cover the paper with tissue paper to ensure that no newsprint or dies come in contact with the baby items.
It is a really cute idea to stuff a baby sleeper to take the form of baby. You do this by inserting a small box (picture frame size)inside to hold the shape. Using tissue paper stuff the sleeper to look like a baby, making sure to fill the feet of the sleeper well. Using tape (clear boxing tape works the best), sit the baby in the middle of the basket with the legs hanging over the front of the basket. Take a receiving blanket, fold it in half, then fold it accordian style. Close it up like a fan and wrap curling ribbon tightly around the bottom. Then stand the fanned receiving blanket either beside or in the lap of the baby and secure with a small bit of tape. A bib can be put around the babies neck and you may also choose to put a baby hat on the top (if you don't have a hat, take tissue paper, make a small fan and stuff it in the neck opening, this will create a more finished look.
Arrange the other baby items, rattles, teethers, bath toys, baby spoons, wash cloths etc. around the baby, placing the taller items at the back, and smaller items
at the front. A board book is a great item to put at the back of the basket as it holds the shape of the basket. Be careful when taping items in place, use tape sparingly and be careful not tape items that may peel (such as the board book. Also it is a real nuisance taking apart a gift basket that is taped too much and you certainly don't want to give the new mom the extra hassle!)
Inexpensive clear wrap can be purchased at a dollar store. Cut a long piece, wider on either side than the width of the basket. Make sure to cut the wrap long enough so that you can make a nice size fan at the top of the basket.
Place the basket in the centre of the wrap and pull up the wrap at the front and the back and tie with curling ribbon securely at the top of the basket. Using tape close up the sides just like you do when wrapping a gift. If you don't know how to make bows, you can make a simple shoelace bow with two large loops and tie securely
with curling ribbon. Try and use 2 or 3 colours of curling ribbon to add a nice pretty finish to the bow. Use scissors to curl the curling ribbon and let it hang down a little bit at the front.
If there are siblings it is a really nice surprise to include a special gift for the other child/ren. A book or small toy can be added and by attaching a tag with their name on it will truly make them feel very special at this happy time for the whole family.
Imagine the joy that you will bring to the proud new parents and the whole family when you present them with this custom-made gift basket created by you just for them!

Learn more about this author, Lesley Roper.
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