Whether you are celebrating your own baby boy’s birthday, or have been invited to share in the joy of another little man in your life, it can be difficult to know what to bring for a gift. Girls like dolls and frilly clothes, but boys have a reputation for being hard to buy for. Actually, that isn’t the case at all. There are plenty of options to choose from. In fact, your biggest challenge will be narrowing down the choices. What are the top baby boy gifts? How can you ensure that your gift is memorable and original?

Handmade is Hip

There was a time when handmade was not very popular. Luckily, society has made a complete turnaround, largely due to the plethora of online forums that provide an outlet for high quality, handmade fare. Places like Ebay and Etsy showcase beautiful gift ideas for the baby boy in your life. These options are highly favored by celebrity moms. If you are skilled yourself, you can recreate your favorite listing, using your own personal touch.

Keep Them Moving

If little boys fit into any mold, it’s the one of activity. Boys just like to go! Many of the top baby boy gifts tap into this energy, providing your little man with toys and activities that stimulate that active and energetic part of his personality. Boys like anything that rolls and makes noise. For a first birthday gift, it’s your job to pay attention to quality and safety. Wooden toys with natural finishes are worth the investment. These are not only safe for babies who still chew, but will stand up to use and abuse for quite some time.

Presents with a Purpose

Another category of top baby boy gifts are those that are useful. These aren’t always the most interesting gifts in the mix, but they are often the most appreciated. A baby boy is likely inundated with toys on his first birthday, but still has plenty of other needs that can be met. If you are not the parent, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for suggestions as to what the little man needs. A pair of quality shoes, clothing or even a new coat can be a great choice.

Bath-time Enjoyment

By the time a little boy hits their first birthday, they have spent a lot of time bathing. Most babies love taking a bath. Tub toys are some of the top baby boy gifts for one-year-olds. With recent safety concerns, it’s imperative to purchase tested products. Heat can cause toxins to release quicker and at a higher rate. Always double check tub toys for lead testing and phthalates.

Don’t Forget Books

Studies show that children who regularly share reading time with a parent find it easier to learn to read. While your baby boy is much too young to grasp the complicated aspects of the written word, now is the time to set the foundation for mastering this necessary skill. Books are magical- even babies feel this. For a top baby boy gift, look for hardback books with beautiful illustrations and engaging text. Many parents make purchasing a special book a tradition, with their collection of special books growing as their child does.

For any gift-giving occasion, there will always be choices to be made. Your gift should be age appropriate, engaging and appreciated. By paying attention to these top baby boy gifts, you can be sure that whatever you present will be a favorite for both the parents and that special baby boy.

Owls are definitely very trendy these days and a big hit with parents as well since the style itself has that slightly retro feel. The nice thing about owl nursery decor is that it allows for many colors and additional themes to be used along side. You can create an entire forest theme, a jungle theme, or a sweet garden setting for your baby nursery decor.

DwellStudio’s Owl crib bedding set is a modern take on the wise woodland creature and recalls classic versions updated with a sweetly playful sensibility. DwellStudio prints are all low-impact fiber-reactive dyes. They contain no heavy metals or other known toxic substances, they are AZO free and Formaldehyde free, and they meet all the criteria for being eco-friendly pigments.

A coordinating boudoir pillow is available to pop in the crib for additional styling or you could consider adding an additional crib sheet in a coordinating print. This cute owl set includes the bumper with applique,  reversible play blanket, fitted crib sheet and crib skirt. This set matches well with many neutral and natural colors. Owls are a fun decorative design for your baby boy bedding and makes a great eco-friendly feathery nursery theme as well.

Earth Day began back in 1970 as a way to celebrate our planet and help think about creative ways in which to preserve our environment and educate those coming into our world about ways to reduce, reuse, and protect.

Everyone can experience and participate in earth day (even babies) and below are a few simple ways to help the environment and enjoy Earth Day with little ones.

Here are some quick ideas for celebrating Earth Day with your babies/toddlers and kids:

• Plant a tree, an herb garden, or a flower patch- let your little one dig in the dirt and explore the surroundings! Depending on how old your baby or toddler is you can pick up leaves and create a composition pile or make a composting container. Talk to your babies and young children about ways to protect and save our planet. The very best way kids learn is by watching you- their parents and care takers, so pick an activity to work on for Earth Day and allow your young child to participate or just watch.
• Find a neighborhood park, close beach or public location and pick up the trash. Place young babies in their sling, backpack , or stroller and just get out into the fresh air and help out if only for 20 minutes. Little kids are great at picking up trash! I’d avoid this activity with young toddlers who like to put everything in their mouths though!
• Take a walk or go for a bike ride- babies love to be pulled in the carriages behind bikes. Talk to your kids about nature and ways to protect our natural resources, even if you feel they don’t quite get it yet, it’s a start.
• Find items in your house that can be reused, recycled, donated, or reduced. Replace old light bulbs and opt for the energy saving ones, turn the furnace off, seal up drafty windows, clean out the baby’s closet and toy bin, and look for ways to make your house more ‘green’ friendly. This goes great with spring cleaning and lets you save some money at the same time.
• Visit your local library and find some great books on protecting the environment, recycling, and saving precious animals, and read them to your babies and kids. You’d be amazed at what even very young kids pick up on and how reading to them allows them to develop certain preferences in the future.

If you have older kids and would like some additional ideas on how you can spend Earth Day with your kids, check out this flier at Earth Day.net and find some create actives to do with your kids.

Happy Earth Day!

IsaBooties were created when two women (Libby and Laura) went in search of the perfect baby shoe only to be disappointed, so they decided to create their own! And boy are we glad. These shoes are not only very cute and trendy for baby boys (and baby girls) but they are animal free, dye free, eco-friendly, and made using fair labor practices. They are also machine washable… and trust me,  when you have a lil’ one just learning to walk around keeping them clean is a daily task- Isabooties makes it a piece of cake- ok not that I am comparing laundry to cake and all, but you get the idea right?

These shoes are very soft and perfect for babies feet and little ones just learning to walk. Pediatricians have recommended soft soled shoes for babies just starting out walking while their feet are still growing, developing, and gaining strength. Hard soled shoes should be used when they are ready to explore the outside world and might step on something uncomfortable.

IsaBooties are much like socks being that they can be washed but are stronger and more durable all around for fun runs on the grass, jumping around inside, and exploring new territory. They are also a breeze to put on without hassle and can be worn with or without baby socks. I think my son went through 4 pairs at least – and mainly because his feet grew out of the smaller ones- he had really wide feet too and these fit great. Besides all the different styles and colors it’s hard not to love Isabooties and we are thrilled to have such great mompreneurs around to keep our kids feet happy and healthy.

All IsaBooties:

* are 100% animal-free;
* are formaldehyde-free;
* are made in the USA with fair labor;
* use fabrics that far exceed the Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety (ASTM F963-07);
* come in packaging that is recycled/recyclable and printed with soy ink; and
* are 100% machine-washable/machine-dryable just like socks offering a clean, healthy choice in footwear.

When my wee little one was young, I was always on the look out for unique baby boy clothing to suit his crazy and outgoing style. There were some fun rockstar tees and silly bibs, but nothing came close to these uber unique pirate pants hand knitted by one wicked cool mama over at Crankypants! When I saw these I just had to take a closer look, and it looks like many people have as well since the demand for her knitted pants have exceed her knitting hands!

Crankypants specializes in hand made clothes and accessories for wee beasties, argh mateys, and the likes! They offer lounge wear, tees, and of course are most well known for their ‘classic crankypants longies’ which features either the pirate skull shown here, a monsters mouth, a sock puppet monkey face, or other cute designs all on the tushy of these unique hand knitted pants. Custom designs can be created as well.

Because the demand is so high they have forged a partnership with a Fair Trade Federation certified knitting cooperative in Peru to have the Classic styles made in greater quantities while keeping them hand knit and ethically produced. The cooperative is made up of head of household women who use knitting to support their families. The crankypant longies are hand knit using 100% wool from the Peruvian Highlands that has been locally small batch died especially for Crankypants. Hooray for fair trade clothing!!

Each size and style features extra rows knit into the bum to make room for a cloth diaper and a drawstring waist for growing room. They are available up to size 24 months.