The first thing you need to decide on is the size of basket that you may need. Craft stores carry all different sizes and shapes of baskets that come with or without handles. These also come in a variety of colors and styles. You might even decide to make your baby gift ?basket? out of a diaper bag, a laundry basket, or some other useful item that the new mother can use later.

Once you have decided the size and style of gift basket that you wish to use, you now want to decide what the theme of your baby gift basket will be. You can choose to do a traditional basket that is pink for a girl or blue for a boy, or you may decide on a certain childhood theme, such as balloons or clowns. You can also choose a beloved character to base your basket on, such as Winnie the Pooh or Elmo. Whatever your choice is, you can purchase bows and ribbons as well as clear cellophane wrap in the particular colors that you have chosen. You can also purchase these items with designs or characters on them, depending on what your theme is.

Your next decision is to pick the gifts that you wish to include in the basket. You could concentrate on a particular area of the baby's daily needs. For example, you could make a gift basket that contains the supplies that the new mother will need to bathe her little one. Baby bathing items are inexpensive, so you should be able to pick up quite a few of these for a reasonable price. You could include baby shampoo, baby soap, baby powder, baby wash, and baby bubble bath. When purchasing these items, you should remember to read the label to ensure that the products are hypoallergenic to prevent the baby from having an allergic reaction.

You could also include baby wash cloths and baby towels. These items should be made of 100% cotton to protect the new baby's soft skin. If you are focusing on a particular character, you can purchase towels and cloths that have that character on them.

You could choose gifts that deal with the baby's mealtimes. For this gift basket, you could include baby dishes, baby spoons, baby bottles, nipples, and a cereal feeder. You should make sure that these items are microwavable and dishwasher safe to ensure that the new mother can use them to the fullest. Again, if you have based your basket on a particular design or character, you can buy these items with the design or character displayed on them.

A different approach that you could take when making your baby gift basket is to buy items to help decorate the nursery if it is not yet completed. You can ask the new parents what theme they wish to base their nursery on, and then you can purchase curtains, pictures, blankets, and other nursery items that are based on that theme. The parents would probably appreciate any help that you could give them in this area.

Once you have purchased the gifts that you wish to include in your basket, you can place them neatly in your basket and wrap them with the cellophane wrap. Some people like to wrap each gift, but it is not a necessity. Finish your basket by trimming it with bows and ribbons, and you have just created your own baby gift basket.