Yes, babies are usually put in cribs without blankets now. We didn't use one, but I would have still been thrilled with a cashmere blanket. It's an upgrade from the standard baby blanket from the store. The blankets do get used eventually for over a carseat (outside), tummy time, etc.

Go for the blankie! I'm sure others will have great ideas. Even though they don't need anything I would still think some practical stuff would be appreciated as fillers for a nice basket. Maybe throw in some wine for the parents, hehe. :)

I love to give parents a collection of Robert Sabuda's books They are the most wonderful pop-up books where as you turn each page up pops multiple amazing 3d paper structures that help tell the story. I love all his books but I tend to give his version of classics like Alice in Wonderland, Wonderful Wizard of Oz etc.

Because Sabuda's books are delicate and for older children, I always throw in a few "Pat the Bunny" touch and feel books which has a nice retro look and are perfect for babies to handle Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

Thanks for the ideas! Ellendi, that is so cute, I am definitely bookmarking that.

Not sure it'd be for them, though, as they are the polar opposite of cutesy/kitschy. That's why it's a tough one. Think sleek, minimalist, urban,

As for books, I give those at the 1yr old parties. I don't like giving gifts that realistically won't be used for quite a while. I have some of those books, though, and they are lovely. I also love the William Accorsi books, esp the one with buttons, which was done by a friend of one of my aunts. Those are very cool.

My go-to baby gift is Robeez shoes. In smaller sizes they are good for keeping socks on. And in bigger sizes they are excellent first walking shoes. And they are just adorable. I frequently hear that we are the only people who have given shoes.

Also, I like to give Aden and anais swaddling blankets. No loose blankets in the crib now for babies, but a lot of people do swaddle. My dd hated being swaddled, but these blankets are great for lots of things--extra shade for the stroller, blanket for the stroller, burp cloth, etc, etc.

Hanna Andersson clothes are always nice. Soft and sweet and practical for babies.

A gift card for a baby wearing store might also be nice. Baby carriers tend to be kind of personal (avoid baby bjorns, I loved my freehand Mei tai, my pikkolo and my ergo) so I'd either go with a gift card or a place that will do exchanges. Twins might make that a less practical gift though unless both parents are willing to baby wear (my dh seldom did).

The cool kids on Pinterest like these leather baby moccasins by Freshly Picked. They are indulgent but also practical.

http://freshlypicked.com/collections/spring-2015

They look really cute on.

Love the moc's! A little something different, "in", interesting color choices (I dont like pink and blue too much), and indulgent without being totally useless and impractical.

Sold!

My grandaughter had a couple different styles and colors of those leather moccasins during her first 18 months of life. Her mother bought them from a couple different vendors on ETSY. They always looked cute and stayed on her feet. You can't go wrong with them.

Funny -- just stumbled on this after seeing your post! http://theinspiredroom.net

Jolly Jumpers!

This one comes with a musical mat

or Aiden & Anais baby blankets

My go to gift is pottery barn kids hooded animal towels ( I personalize them)

Lately I have been buying these cute personalized books that use animals and letters to spell out the baby's name-- and at the end the animals declare that they have created the perfect name! They can be further personalized with the date of birth. These are definitely appropriate for newborn gifts, though they may not be used for a while.

My Very Own Name book

You'll find lovely gifts by age or occasion at Dragons of Walton Street. They ship anywhere and have pretty things you won't find in the States.

When we lived in the frozen north my standard baby gift was a plaid wool pram blanket. Nothing cutesy about it, no embroidered giraffes or fish, but very practical and the perfect size for English or German prams. They were about $50 - $75 back when all my friends were having babies in the 80's and early 90's.

KSWL, Oh, I love that site. I would love to get plaid blankets for them. They are very design conscious and have a rather avant garde modern home; I would be almost certain that they will eschew pink and blue.

The site did have a wonderful blanket though, if only they had more colors.

Isnt this yummy?

I know it is alittle old fashioned, but my favorite baby gifts were an engraved Tiffany rattle and teething rings. The cold silver was perfect for my teething babies and the engraved rattles still sit fondly on the kids' bookshelves.

http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?sku=14551239

Edited to add it looks like this item is no longer available. Sorry, I gave it to a friend a year or so ago so there maybe in the store still.

I like those too, but I always worry they will get multiples of that. I know we did, but I didn't mind!

IMO, best baby gifts are those that do something for both the baby and the parents. That's why I love Jolly Jumpers and think they're the perfect baby gift. Rarely see them anymore, but babies love them, and they give the baby a workout and some fun play while giving mom and dad a break! Lol.

How about an assortment of bonnets and hats for the babies to wear when out in the sun, cool days, home from the hospital a la Princess Charlotte?

http://www.melondipity.com

Tibb, You don't see them anymore because, even when my kids were babies, people were against them. Some say they are dangerous. Some put them in the category of those things designed to imprison a baby, so that parents don't have to bothered. I tend not to be a worry wart about such things, but we did not use them.

And for this particular couple I am sure they are hoping they never have to affix anything to their walls, and certainly not in that color scheme! Don't get me wrong, I think they will be terrific parents, but I think they will eschew Fisher Price for violins, if you get my drift. They may be in for a rude awakening on that front, LOL.

At any rate, that Melondipity site is so darn cute!

For these two, I am pretty sure I am going with the Fresh Picked mocs, unless I can find hip, gender neutral baby blankets.

With my baby shower I received everything, it seemed. A surprise gift (not on a registry and something I never thought of) was a wagon. Perhaps you could find something a little more unique than a radio flyer to appeal to the parents.

AJM, that is a wonderful gift! Charmingly retro, and useful too.

PS They are not on a registry. They are totally non-traditional.

Check out some of these very cool modern wood designer toys. Love the wood animals for a collection . http://www.nova68.com/modern-toys.html

Do you have any "arts festivals" near you - the kind that sell a range of gifts/jewelry/art etc.? Sometimes there are people selling hand made children's toys carved out of wood without any hazardous shiny finishes on the wood. I bought a particularly cute wooden toy train suitable for a toddler last year and the parents were so thrilled with it that every time I see them they thank me. Cute enough for a modern minimalist parent to display on a shelf but safe and suitable for real children's play.

This is an english product, my dh is english, but I hate pack and plays permanently up when the babies are young so I had this diaper bag/travel cot in one that I put on a desk downstairs for changing table and it was perfect for traveling and my husband loved it when he took the baby out because it gave him a clean area for diaper changes, men's rooms do not have changing stations.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delta-Baby-Travel-Bag-Carrycot/dp/B000FVXH86

1) Happiest Baby on the Block DVD.

2) Blankets? Noooo. We had a BundleMe for the carseat and another one for the stroller. Keeps baby warm and no dangling ends to get loose. When it got really cold, we used the 7 am Enfant down sleeping bag for the stroller. Also, if they are planning on doing babywearing, you can get covers for almost any major brand (Ergo, Bjorn) that keep baby snuggly and don't fall off.

Bloomingdales has Marimekko baby clothing, that might appeal.

Yeah, we just didn't use traditional baby blankets--and I got a bunch with my oldest. They all got donated, except hand made ones that I saved for the kids to use when they got older. Ds never did use any of his and dd used one of hers for about six months and then traded it for stuffed animals. They can't go in the crib until the baby is at least one, IMO. The bundle mes or other stroller specific blankets are much better for strollers. If you really want to do a blanket type thing, the Aden and Anais swaddling blankets are much more versatile, IMO.

Or a good picnic blanket with waterproof backing would likely get a ton of use over a number of years.

Robeez come in a lot of styles and we used them extensively for both of our kids.

The thing I loved the most were these used burp cloths we got from a friend that were fairly thin, very absorbent cotton, and the size of a kitchen towel, but not as thick, more like tea towel type material. They were awesome and it would have been nice if I could find something like them that had nicer designs to take with us. We were given these and had about 12 of them and used those exclusively over any other burp cloths we received. If you could find something like that it would be useful and you could get it to be more stylish.

the size was good as we could fold as needed to size and in some cases you just needed a larger area. I even used them to nurse under in public. I passed them on to my friend who also loved them. The thickness just worked so much better for actual wiping of stuff off the baby than any of the thicker ones ever did.

I got my newborn nephew a sled something like this sled from LL Bean along with a blanket. They also have a winter pull wagon.

And for some non-traditional lullabies, I recommend http://www.rockabyebabymusic.com/. My favorite is the Led Zeppelin:

Moms I know use coordinating baby blankets when the kids are dressed up, and swaddling blankets, bundle mes and sleeping bags and converters every day. Blankets have become sort of a formal wear accessory, as it were! Or a de facto surface.

Wooden toys can be lovely if you find the right one, and if it is small. I hate to overburden parents with "stuff". DH always says the smaller the kid, the more stuff you have!.

Roarah, that is an excellent point I did not think of. Thankfully there are more and more "family bathrooms", but having a good environment to change the twins could be a real issue if all they have available are men's rooms. OTOH to get them each a diaper bag seems too personal a gift, but I might mention those designs to them.

I am filing away all of these great ideas. We have a baby boom on the way so it will be nice to have something different to consider. Thanks again for taking the time, everyone.

I always give the great book - "Happiest Baby on the Block" plus "miracle" swaddling blanket.

Gender Neutral Baby Blanket

We often give one of those metal Radio Flyer wagons (the kind I grew up with in the 50s) and fill it with gifts that are able to be used immediately-always a hit.

I love in2green blankets. They have an amazing weight.

I know a lot of you are mentioning baby blankets, but to me they were the least useful item. We didn't use any as we used sleep sacks, since it is recommended to not use blankets in the crib, and then they are too small to use later. I still have a lot and I let my daughter use them to play with as otherwise they wouldn't really get use. Even a toddler sized version is still limited use. If you get a blanket I'd suggest a larger size as it most likely won't get used until the child is larger anyways.

blankets are such a popular gift that I probably would choose something else... I didn't use a lot of blankets when my kids were infants, except thin blankets to swaddle them in...

love the robeez idea...

we had a double jogging stroller that was the absolute best!!! (more appropriate for a group gift tho...)

Cyn, I have a friend that always gives that gift and it is a hit.

I have four baby gifts coming up and although some people do not like books until the first year milestone I'm going to go ahead and help start baby's first library. They are all getting the same thing, Julie Merbergs Dreaming with Rousseau and Julie Merbergs Mini Masters Boxed set that includes Dancing with Degas, A picnic with Monet, A Magical day with Matisse and In the Garden with Van Gogh. I guess even 7 month olds like the Dreaming with Rousseau and as we all know seven months comes up real fast.

for stylish parents a little art in everyday life is necessary. Love these Freda Kahlo bibs. The same maker also uses some terrific day of the dead fabric.

http://www.shopboutiqueboutique.com/#!Frida Kahlo Bib (fleece Back) $16/zoom/c15ax/imageigt

When a friend recently had her first baby I remembered this thread and came looking for gift ideas. Loved the moccasins! Found an adorable pair on Etsy. He won't be able to wear them for awhile, but that's ok.

Thanks to all who shared!

If you would like a gift the baby can grow into, and if they have the space to store it for 18 months or so, here's one of the best baby gifts I ever received (albeit a much earlier model):Puky trike/stroller