A bathrobe and matching slippers for age 0-6 months? What about a velour baby jogging suit? Strib business reporter and new aunt Aimee Blanchette confesses her weakness for the adorable over the practical when it comes to other people’s babies.

I don’t have kids of my own yet, but I love buying baby gifts. I like finding things in the Twin Cities that my family and friends “up north” can’t easily find. My favorite things to buy are over-the-top outfits that the little one’s mom and dad wouldn’t typically buy, yet are happy to flaunt their baby in.

I first bought baby gifts for my best friend’s little guy, who’s a year-and-a-half. The real fun, though, started about six months ago when my brother and his wife had a baby girl.

For the baby’s arrival, I wanted to get something practical, plus something whimsical that her parents would keep forever in an old cedar chest. I found the most adorable robe and matching slippers set for $30 at Pacifier, in Northeast Minneapolis. I could already hear the “oohs” and “aahs” at the baby shower.

I walk into stores looking for gifts that the child’s mom and dad wouldn’t spend money on. I put a lot of thought and time into finding these things: a hand-painted piggy bank for her baptism, a “baby’s first Christmas” santa hat and matching booties, a hand-knit snap-button sweater and a three-piece Calvin Klein velour jogging suit, to name a few.

My only pet peeve is that I never get to see the baby in any of these outfits. I live far away from them, so visits are limited to holidays and birthdays. When I do get to see my niece, I always hope she’ll arrive wearing one of the sweet little numbers I paid way too much for. Disappointingly, it hasn’t happened yet.

My best friend though has it down to a science. When I saw them last week, he was wearing the Oshkosh flannel shirt and camouflage vest I got him for his first birthday, even though it was a little snug. She also sends photos of him playing with toys I’ve bought. One picture of him wearing nothing but his diaper and his Elmo tool belt made me smile for a week.

My niece is almost six months old and big for her age. I doubt she fits the bathrobe anymore and my guess is the tags are still on it. How do I tell my brother and sister-in-law, whom I love dearly, that I would like to see my gifts put to use - even if they have to fake it? Or is it my fault for buying something impractical? Maybe I need to do a better job of buying gifts that are both useful and keepsakes. Any suggestions?

This entry was posted on Friday, January 19th, 2007 at 12:01 am and is filed under Gear, Guest Bloggers, Main, Solicited Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.