1) For the Luxist Mama: The Robbie Adrian Blanket: pure organic luxury, worthy of an orange box (she’ll understand that).   Consider including a small bottle of Veuve. It makes everything nicer. $44 – $270

2) For the Romantic Mama: Organic Poetry Blankets (I have 3!) Consider including with a children’s poetry book. She will cry when she reads the “Blake”:

“To see the world in a grain of sand, And heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour”.  $38

3) For the Spa Mama: The Earth Mama, Angel Baby Ultimate Gift basket . Honestly, all the other guests will just give up and go home after they see this. $243

4) For the Caretaker Mama:  The sweetest Wendy Moses organic bassinet. This will make your cigarette smoking, champers drinking friends want to have babies. Almost.

5) For the Practical Mama: She’ll appreciate the bamboo Itzy Ritzy Carseat cover that is non-trendy enough to survive until the next child, and will keep the carseat clean enough to place on Craigslist one day. $110

6) For the Neurotic Mama: An air filter. Either the no ozone Baby’s Breath Room filter or a no-ozone producing car filter (especially if they just ran out and bought a new car). $300 and $125 respectively. Consider including stickers to decorate the filters that will match the nursery theme.

7) For “Doctor” Mama (that friend that ALWAYS just happens to have a band-aid and malaria pills in her purse.) A fabulous organic lion that has warm stones in his tummy, for a colicky baby, plus a BPA/PVC free baby care taking kit. Consider adding a baby first aid book. $32 + $16

For Yoga Mama: Aside from the obvious Yoga and Baby books and DVD’s, give her a PVC free baby gym for tummy time. It’s good karma. $78

9) For the Foodie Mama: The Beaba Baby cook will make them salivate. Consider adding an organic baby cookbook to inspire her. $150

10) For Lush Mama. Let’s face it, 9 months is a loooooooong time to go without a Kir Royale. Give this mama who is up to here with onesies, blankets and wooden toys – a bottle of her favourite poison, with a basket of Milkscreen breast milk testers.  She will be so grateful. And she will ever drink to your health.

Cheers!

Take a Deep Breath

The Environmental Protection Agency has identified indoor air quality as one of the TOP FIVE most urgent environmental risks to public health – and, if that didn’t make you gasp,  it has revealed that levels of air pollution inside the home can be TWO TO FIVE TIMES HIGHER — and occasionally up to A HUNDRED times higher — than outdoor levels. Read here.

Ozone producing air purifiers are bad, and banned in some states.

So, to save you time, if you don’t want to do hours of your own research, just buy a no-ozone producing  Austin Air air purifier. Gosh, get several. You can buy them in Pink and Blue (among other colours), and you won’t need to change the filter for 5 years.  

(Off topic: I placed a few vintage luggage stickers on my Austin, to blend it into the baby room.)

Even if you have an air filter, it is CRITICAL that even in the dead of winter (and being from Chicago, I know from the dead of winter), that you AIR OUT your baby room at LEAST once a day.  Make like Queen Victoria at Balmoral and VENTILATE. (Obviously, take your wee one to a warm room whilst this regal process is going on.) More from the exciting EPA on ventilation, health and indoor air quality here.

Can’t sleep? Read the full report.

Lesson #4: The air in your home is polluted, (unless you are reading this from the Alps). Get a no-ozone producing air purifier. Stickers will make it cuter.