Pink or Blue? These Tips Can Help You Choose The Best Gender Specific Baby Gift For The New Arrival

It is a very common situation today, for people to feel uncertain about purchasing a baby gift, that is considered to be outside the gender norm of a new baby. When faced with such a situation, most people will strive to find a purchase of pink for girls and blue for boys. You may find yourself wondering who made up such silly rules, and why have have they remained the standard guideline for baby gift purchases? For most of us, this has simply become an enigma of American culture. We tend to blindly follow this standard of predetermined appropriateness when contemplating our specific baby gift purchases.

Women, in particular, tend to limit themselves in the way of specific color choices. When shopping for a baby gift or item of clothing, we generally seek out pink for girls and blue for boys. The furthest we might extend ourselves is with a "neutral yellow" because this color applies both, to boys and girls. However, this option remains only because it fits nicely into the predetermined rules of gender specifics. Men on the other hand, tend not to worry so much about color, but spend more energy fussing over the function of a baby gift. A doll or easy bake oven for a boy? Absolutely not! A race car or action figure for a girl? Over my dead body! The vast majority of men are far more uncomfortable about these things than women, however, women are equally as gender specific when it comes to the visual appearance and overall impression of their choice of baby gift.

One has only to sit down with a new baby or toddler and a few of the aforementioned baby gifts, to see that adults are the ones making all the fuss. A young baby simply enjoys the shapes, sounds, and colors of a new toy. They are not at all concerned about gender appropriateness as they reach out to grasp such a toy from their parents hand. A six month old girl will reach out just as equally for a G.I. Joe doll as she would for a fairy princess one. Many fear that a little boy who plays with a doll will become confused about his identity. This is simply not the case. Little boys who play with dolls in their early years tend to display more compassion and nurturing skills towards other children, and generally feel more comfortable showing empathy and emotion later in life. With this in mind then, we should spend more time focusing on what kind of gift would appeal to the baby, instead of our own predetermined ideas.

Experience has shown that as a baby grows and becomes a young child he or she will naturally seek out more gender specific toys on their own. If left unhindered, a 2 year old girl will tend to gravitate naturally toward the easy bake oven. The 2 year old boy will seek out the screwdriver he has viewed his father using. This natural tendency toward the male and female identity will begin to take shape because of the child's desire to imitate his or her same gender parent. However, some boys may still want to play with their dolls and girls with their action figures! This should not be discouraged, as the child will simply not understand what you are trying to tell them. This course of action could only result in frustration for the child. Eventually, little girls will want to be with other little girls and boys with boys. As they grow together, they will teach each other what toys boys and girls like to play with.

So parents, friends, and family need not be frustrated any longer when struggling to find an appropriate gendered baby gift. Simply choose something that appeals to the eye, has interesting sounds, and texture-whether made for a boy or girl, appropriate color or not. In doing so, you will ensure that your selected baby gift will bring happiness and fun to the life of the sweet new baby.

Cinda Serfafin is an expert on baby gifts for pre-school age children. She currently writes for the Parenting Resource Center at http://browneyedbabyboutique.com, a baby gifts boutique specializing in unique personalized baby gifts for the new baby girl or boy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pammy_Brown

Other baby articles

• Make Yours An Organic And Eco Baby by Davinos Greeno
  
• Feng Shui Baby Names by Dennis Estrada
  
• A Kid By Any Other Name by Marilyn Mackenzie
  
• Picking the Best Baby Name By Michael Russell
  
• Sleeping Arrangements for Newborns By Sarah Veda
  
• How To Pick A Baby Name By Dennis Estrada
  
• Coping with New Mommy Stress and Lack of Sleep by Sherry Frewerd
  
• Its No Child's Play by Adam Jaylin
  
• Four Tips To Help You Deal With Your Little Picky Eater by Susanne Myers
  
• Child Care by Floyd Dorrance
  
• How To Get Your Baby To Eat Vegetables by Christine Albury
  
• Pink or Blue? These Tips Can Help You Choose The Best Gender Specific Baby Gift For The New Arrival by Pammy Brown
  
• How to Ensure Your Baby's Gifts Are Safe by John English
  
• 10 Tips for Easing Reflux When Feeding Baby Formula Milk by Robin OBrien
  
• Breastfeeding Nutrition by Jacqueline Courtiol
  
• Consoling a Crying Baby by Jacqueline Courtiol
  
• The Benefits of Breastfeeding Your Baby by Brooke Schuman
  
• Childproofing Your Home by Jacqueline Courtiol
  
• Cats and Babies - Tips for a Peaceful Coexistence by Kit Marsters
  
• Infant Car Seat Saftey by Brooke Schuman
  
• How To Prevent Baby From Getting Dry Skin by Brooke Schuman
  
• Why You Absolutely Must Use an Organic Crib Mattress for Your Baby by Laura Taff
  
• Colic and Your Infant Baby - Really Nothing To Worry About by Christain Cullen
  
• Stop That Crying by Rachel Goodchild
  
• Choosing the Best Baby Shoes for Your Baby by Terri Ornstein