What to give a couple expecting a child?

[dolphins4life]

This is the first time I've done this.

They don't know the gender.

Any suggestions?

[Landshark]

Diapers and wipes.

[BigDaddyFin]

If you like the couple, baby clothes are always a good thing.  Get a bigger size as people routinely "buy ahead" and let the kid grow into them.

If you don't like the couple, get a couple of toys that ring, make annoying sounds or something where the kid can press the button over and over again.  The old adage "toys that make the noise" is where you want to go in this case.

[EKnight]

Depends on how well you know them and how much you want to spend. Most people register, so you could see if they did and pick something from the list. Otherwise, things like bouncy chairs, diaper bags, mobiles, and swings are not that expensive and come in non-gender specific choices. Those were the kinds of things we got before we knew what we were having. -EK

[Sunstroke]

Ask if they are registered anywhere online for baby gifts...there might be specific things they really want that you can get them if they are part of a registry.

[pondwater]

This is the first time I've done this.

They don't know the gender.

Any suggestions?

In my opinion, a "congratulations" is in order. Unless of course you are attending a baby shower, which 90% of the time only chicks go to in the first place.

[dolphins4life]

They are part of a community group I joined to help me cope with my problems.

What do you mean by register online for baby gifts?

[EKnight]

People can register online for baby gifts the same way they register for wedding gifts. -EK

[Dave Gray]

Based on what you're saying, it sounds like you aren't extremely close, so your gift will mostly be a token, rather than something meaningful.  They make a set of 2-3 baby wash/baby lotion bottles that are relatively inexpensive (about $10) and would be appropriate. 

If they are registered, you can go that route and get something small.

[Sunstroke]

What do you mean by register online for baby gifts?

It's becoming quite popular to add a gift registry program on retail sites these days. Three of the "baby products" websites I write for are www.SignatureLittleOnes.com, www.OrganicBabyGarden.com and www.IdealBaby.com. If you look at the top of any page on those websites, you'll see links that say "Gift Registry" or "Baby Registry." If your friends were registered with that site, you could go into the registry, find your friend's name, and view a breakdown of baby products on their "I hope someone gets this for me as a gift" list.

[Buddhagirl]

For some reason, the idea of 'stroke writing for baby websites cracks me up.

[Sunstroke]

For some reason, the idea of 'stroke writing for baby websites cracks me up.

I am the ultimate in versatile copy writers, Buddha-babeage... Yesterday was a good example. Within a 6 hour window, I wrote copy on the following topics:

Organic baby products
Hardcore biker gear
Farm livestock medical procedures
Professional DJ equipment
Holy Land sightseeing
Italian cuisine

On the baby writing...it helps that I just think of babies as young midgets.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I am the ultimate in versatile copy writers, Buddha-babeage... Yesterday was a good example. Within a 6 hour window, I wrote copy on the following topics:

Organic baby products
Hardcore biker gear
Farm livestock medical procedures
Professional DJ equipment
Holy Land sightseeing
Italian cuisine

On the baby writing...it helps that I just think of babies as young midgets.

Are you actually knowledgeable in all these areas or do you just make shit up? 

[Sunstroke]

Semi-knowledgeable in most of it, and a quick researcher in others. In a lot of cases, especially when it comes to writing page copy for websites, I don't really need to be an expert, I just need to have a decent enough feel for the products/services being offered to write quality sales copy (semantic phrasing to appease Google, introduce several products on page and highlight the features of those products that will make a customer want to purchase them, then create a unique call to action to wrap things up). When it comes to writing a blog post or link-building article on subject matter that I don't know much about, I usually scan the trades to find topics that are trending, read 3-4 articles about it, and then formulate a different take on the subject for the copy.

You can't really "make shit up" when you write for another business though, because if it isn't accurate, it makes that business look bad.

[Buddhagirl]

Young midget sounds so much more interesting than babies.