Gift Advice from Totally Tots!

Need a little gift advice? Here is some help with Terminology, help with gifts for boys or girls, making your gift special, buying for twins, triplets or siblings. Also, gifts for when you don't know the gender of the little one or when you want to tell the new mommy she is special too. Finally, complete gift sets, book sets and clothing, choosing the right size for the little one, and how to best search for gift items.

Terms, or What's that for?

Tot An infant or child ; a small child. Someone who is pampered by gifts from Totally Tots!

Burp cloth, Burpcloth, or burp rag A burpcloth is considered a prime necessity by most parents. It is usually made of soft absorbent fabric. It is used when baby is being burped to protect the parent's clothing from spit up or drool. Our burpcloths are extra long, extra absorbent and so darn cute - an excellent gift item! Our customers have used them for wiping up spills, changing diapers, as well as for drooly newborns. Coordinate them with a hat/blanket set for a wonderful fun and practical gift.

Fleece Fleece is a 100% polyester man-made fabric that is warm, soft, and fuzzy. We chose fleece for our blankets because it not only has these wonderful qualities but it is easy to care for - machine wash and dry and it's ready to go.

Sibling Gifts Sibling Gifts are gifts given to an older child or children when a new child is added to the family. It is believed that a small gift helps the older child feel included and cared for since the new addition receives so much attention (and so many gifts). Look below for some suggestions.

Receiving Blanket A receiving blanket is a blanket that a baby is swaddled (wrapped) in to stay warm and secure. Parents will need several of these for the baby. They are normally made of flannel, like our 100% cotton flannel receiving blankets.

Swaddle To swaddle means to wrap. Babies are swaddled in blankets to make them feel secure and warm.

Gender Neutral Fabric Basically a gender neutral fabric is a fabric with colors or patterns that don't make you think of a boy or a girl, the way traditional blue and pink do. This is not as obvious as one would think. Gender neutral colors are traditionally yellows and greens, but we say you can try vibrant red, plucky purple, and even aqua for a different kind of gift.

Some Gifts for Boys

We always recommend our wonderful hat/blanket sets in some of the following patterns: We suggest Head in the Clouds, Starry Night, Under the Sea, Gridlock and Blue Menagerie, and we also have cuddly soft doll rattles that are masculine yet cute for the boy. For the crib, why not get a Gund Musical Classic Pooh Pullstring to help soothe the little one? For a soft and fuzzy trio, look at our Gridlock Gift Set or if the lucky young man is a little older or a sibling to the newbie, try our new Dinos to Go, Gund's wonderful Teach Me Pooh or Teach Me Pups. My First Lunchbox is a longtime favorite. Don't forget that we have wonderful Gift Sets and Baskets that are no-brainers for the gift impaired! For a new baby boy, try the Froggy Hippity Hop Basket, any of our Higgins or Opie Bear N' Blanket Gift sets in the blanket fabrics mentioned above, or our Hippo Frame, Rattle N Burp set. Please, browse around - we're sure you'll find something great!

Some Gifts for Girls

As always, we recommend our wonderful hat/blanket sets in some of the following patterns: Lazy Daisy Yellow, Mosaic Alchemy, ButterFly By, Pinkadelic, SouthPolar Pink and Bearly Pink. For a very fashionable baby, may we suggest the Leopard Latte fleece set. To top off any gift we have super-sweet soft doll rattles that are adorable for a little girl, and the Buggy N Burps gift set will be a delight for any newborn. For the little lady we suggest Gund's My First Purse. Please note we have other fabulous Gift Sets and Baskets that you should find absolutely charming. Take a look at our Higgins or Opie Bear N' Blanket Gift sets in the blanket fabrics mentioned previously for a wonderfully unique present or our exclusive Elephant Frame, Rattle N Burp set. Go on and poke around - we're sure you'll be delighted with what you find!

So you don't know the gender...

Or maybe you forgot. Nonetheless, what can you get that is unique and useful? If the child is older, why not try one of our Learning or Activity Toys which are a hit with girls and boys alike? You can try our Gund My First Lunchbox or My First Tools for a fun gift all tots. We suggest our hat/blanket set in one of our gender neutral fabrics like AtoZebra, Critter Confetti, Vanilla Downs, Allistar Rabbit, Blue Menagerie, Ducks In a Row, Plaid Fad, Pins in Periwinkle, or Polar People. Alternatively fabrics like Nursery School Band, Penguin Party, and Banana Downs offer bright alternatives to the more pastel-ly tones of the fabrics mentioned above. Don't miss out on sets like our Giraffe Frame, Rattle N Burp or Buggy N Burp sets, our Plush Animal and Hat/Blanket sets like our Sprinkles Giraffe and Sprinkles Hippo sets, or Higgins or Opie Bear N' Blanket Gift sets in any of the above mentioned fabrics.

In addition to these great sets, we also have a wide selection of Gund Plush Toys. Search for Gund on our search page to see them all!

Special additions - When you want to give a little more...

Adding on to a gift to make it special is really easy at TotallyTots. Choose one of our nicely-priced items to Customize Your Gift. These are priced to be added onto a gift to give more bang for your buck. We have an assortment of rattles, frames, soft toys and candies that will add that extra something to your gift. Don't forget you can also always email to us for suggestions - we are happy to help!

Gift Sets

These sets have it all! They include our own hat and blanket sets and/or burpcloth sets and are completed with things for the bath, toys, bibs, etc. We had a lot of fun making our Pat the Bunny Set and think your tot will have just as much fun snuggling with it! Or go with a a teddy bear set with a twist - our Higgins or Opie Bear N' Blanket sets that have a cool or a traditional teddy snuggled in one of our hat/blanket sets. We also have sets with frames and burpcloths, and these items can also be purchased separately. Sounds like a lot?

We'd also be happy to make one up for you, starting with one of our hat and blanket sets or burpcloths and tied in by theme or color. Send us an email with your wishes.

Book Sets

So you want to give something different than a stuffed animal or rattle as your gift. Well, we have the answer here at Totally Tots. We suggest you give one of our Romper and Book sets - it's sure to please. Each set comes with a Gund soft book and one of our adorable fleece appliqued rompers. Try the Buggy Book or the Barnyard Romper N Book Set - it's sure to please. You can also get our Wooden Book Puzzles - smart, durable, reminiscent of when we were young.

Clothing

Try our exclusive line of hand-detailed Totally Tots Clothing. Each item is appliqued and hand painted for an amazingly gorgeous gift for boys or girls.

Twins, Triplets, Multiples, etc.

Ok, it's a no-brainer if you like for the twins to have the same pattern hat/blanket set - just order two of the same. But what if the twins aren't the same gender or you want to give them something unique that coordinates rather than matches exactly? Here are some suggestions for sets that aren't "matchy-matchy", but look good together on twins. For matching sets, see the suggestions for Identical Sets. For triplets, just look for fabrics that follow the themes suggested for twins. If you just want to see all the fabrics to make up your own mind, click here.

Coordinating Sets - Twin Boys, Multiples - All Boys
We like the cloud theme here. We suggest Starry Night and Head in the Clouds blanket sets. Try giving each child a different Ring Rattle for fun. We also like Under the Sea and Blue Menagerie since they both have different vivid blue backgrounds. Don't forget to check Coordinating Sets - Gender Unknown.

Coordinating Sets - Twin Girls, Multiples - All Girls
Try the following combos for the little cuties: Lazy Daisy Purple with Lazy Daisy Yellow which are the same pattern in two different colors. How about Mosaic Alchemy with ButterFly By? These have similar aqua tones but different patterns. Or Pinkadelic with SouthPolar Pink - just being pink and cute is what makes them a terrific pair. Don't forget to check Coordinating Sets - Gender Unknown for even more suggestions.

Coordinating Sets - Gender Unknown
We suggest AtoZebra and Critter Confetti which are both animal oriented and bright pastels. For vivid blues try Allistar Rabbit and Blue Menagerie. Another favorite combo is Ducks In a Row and Skis Please because of their wonderful yellows. Finally, Plaid Fad and Polar People both have pink and blue, so you can't go wrong.

Coordinating Sets - Mixed Gender, Boy and Girl Twins, Boy and Girl Multiples
Vanilla Downs and Banana Downs are a good match. Either works well for a boy or girl. If you want to go for (kindof) traditional pink and blue, why not try Gridlock for the boy and Bearly Pink for the girl? Don't forget to check Coordinating Sets - Gender Unknown for more ideas. Include soft doll rattles of each gender for an added hit!

Identical Sets Suggestions - Twin Boys, Twin Girls
We get it, you like the idea of identical sets. Let's distinguish the gifts for the little ones by selecting a different add on gift for each child. We suggest you get identical hat and blanket sets, but for one child get the Rattle Set and for the other get the Soft Block Set. Or with the hat and blanket sets, add a colorful Rainbow Sport Balls Rattles from Gund for each child. For a lower cost option, get them coordinating Soft Animal Rattles. Or choose Pat the Bunny Sets and we'll include different versions of the Pat the Bunny Rattle.

Sibling Gifts - Gifts for the Older Brother, Older Sister (aka Big Boy, Big Girl)

So, now you know what a sibling gift is, what do you get? If the child is in the young toddler stage, why not try an Activity or Learning Toy? . There are the soft books Who Is This? and The Buggy Book from Gund available. From Russ Berrie we have Teach Me Dolls like Russ's Austin, Russ's Doc, Russ's Woody, or Russ's Ladders dolls which lets the older little one improve their manual skills by tieing, buckling, and snapping the Doll's gear. Finally there are musical toys like Once Upon a Rhyme - Musical Lamb from Gund, or the lower cost Musical Friends. These are so great to show the older child they are special. We also have those soft, bouncy, biodegradable and lovable cars called Huggy Buggys that are wonderful for both Boys and Girls. There are also Huggy Buggy Vehicles - train, helicopter, plane, and trucks that are just as soft and fun. For more action, try the newest addition to the HuggyBuggy family, Huggy Action Vehicles. These gems have soft moving parts that are great for imaginitive play. Choose from a Fire Truck, Dump Truck, and Bull Dozer.

One the softer side, try one of Gund's sleepytime softies like Sleepytime Tigger. These come complete with a blankie and nightcap - great to show little ones how napping gets done. You can also try one of Russ Berrie's great Activity Dolls. These dolls are absolutely delightful and are a great gift because they help teach the basic skills of getting dressed and are fun friends too. Choose from Russ Doc Doctor, Russ Ladders Fireman, Russ Austin Astronaut, and Russ Woody Carpenter Activity Dolls, which are all velour fabric and are soft as can be. Russ Doc Doctor doll has a stethescope and is dressed in a lab coat and scrubs. Russ Ladders Fireman doll has a firehose and is dressed in a fireman's coat and hat. Russ Austin Astronaut doll is dressed in a (soft) helmet and spacesuit and air tank. Russ Woody Carpenter doll has a toolbelt and is dressed in overalls.

Mommy Gifts

We like to give the mommy a special gift for being - the mommy. Why not give her a Sprinkles Picture Frame from Gund to hold the picture of her new little one? Or choose great animal shaped neck and eye soothers that are both cute and cozy. Candy is another wonderful gift. Why not give her a Little Pops or a Truffles assortment that we have gotten directly from See's Candies, a wonderful and well-known chocolatier? Finally, see them all on our page dedicated to great Mommy Gifts.

Choosing the Right Size

Yes, you've picked the gift, but how do you know the right size to get? We tried to make it a little easier for you by showing sizes in months - this means that if the child is around the average size for their age, the article should fit. But sometimes you need to buy the gift for a pending birth, and it's hard to know whether to buy newborn or 6 months. Below is a chart to help figure it all out. Remember, our hat/blanket sets are practical year 'round.

Practical Guide for Purchasing the right size Hat/Blankets and Rompers

Last thoughts? Search!

Still looking? Did you know you can search for specific themes here? Sure, you can search for ducks, different animals, stars. etc. We suggest you start with a theme you know the parents will like, like clouds and stars, or perhaps a color they like. If you don't know that, perhaps you can find out the color scheme of the nursery and coordinate some presents that way. You can take a look at our fleece swatches and then search for some other items that coordinate and make the gift extra special.