Once you know you are pregnant, the excitement of planning for a whole new way of life will begin. You will find that things you had previously not even realised existed suddenly have a great deal of importance to you.

And you will find there is a whole world of baby items that never before appeared on your radar like new baby gift baskets containing soft toys, baby clothes and towels and booties.

Of course, everyone has a budget they need to keep to, so don’t expect to be able to buy all of the baby gifts that catch your eye. But it’s a good idea to start browsing quite early on so that you have plenty of time to choose from the selection of gifts for babies. These days, there are many different types of baby clothes available in different colours and designs, including organic clothes. Then there are bath items and toys, not to mention the absolute basics like nappies.

Spend some time browsing in shops and on the internet, and once you have some idea of what is out there, see if you know anyone who has small children so you can ask their opinion, and if possible, perhaps try out some of their things.

Not everyone wants to buy everything before the baby is born; some like to wait to see what they will need. The important thing is to find out what is around and then pick the right options to suit you and your family.