You just need to ask yourself if you want to give a gift the new mom and baby can use, or would you rather celebrate the new arrival with something most other babies don’t have—that’s where the “unique baby gift” part comes in. Here are three uncommon baby gift ideas that will last forever…
Adopt/Sponsor a Zoo Animal—Even an infant can help save a species from extinction when you adopt or sponsor a species in honor of the baby. Even if you don’t live near a zoo, you can adopt or sponsor a species at almost every zoo in the country—the National Zoo, the San Diego Zoo, the Cincinnati Zoo, Zoo Atlanta and many others. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also has a species adoption program. You can choose the species, and typically the baby will receive a photo and fact sheet about the animal, a personalized certificate and, depending on the size of the donation, a plush toy. These adoption programs support the care and services of the animal by providing food, medical care, equipment and habitat improvement. It’s a real win-win gift!
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Name a Star After the Baby—There’s not enough paper on the planet to gift-wrap a star, but this is the next best thing. At one online star registry, the star-naming kit at the bottom tier price of $54 includes a 12″ X 16″ full color parchment certificate personalized with the star name, date and coordinates, a personalized 12″ X 16″ sky chart containing the star name, star date, the constellation and the location circled in red where the star is in the sky, a booklet on astronomy written by a professional astronomer with additional sky charts, and letter of congratulations for the recipient. The new parents can tell everyone a star truly has been born!
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Get a Personalized Brick in a Ballpark—if the new parents are baseball fans, you might want to see if their favorite major-league team’s ballpark has a 
Personalized Brick program. The bricks are installed around the ballpark for all to see. For example, Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves, has a Legacy Brick Paver Program that allows fans to become a permanent part of Turner Field, where the personalized bricks are positioned among the statues of baseball legends including Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro and Ty Cobb, so it will be seen by thousands of visitors throughout the year. Along with the brick, baby receives a complimentary replica brick with the same inscription (like “John S. Jones/ Born Feb 22, 2011), an individually numbered official certificate of acknowledgment bearing the inscription and a detailed locator map for easy reference to find the brick at Turner Field. Prices vary, because they offer different sizes. The smallest brick (4″ x 8”) is $150, and the money supports community organizations and their programs in the metro Atlanta area. Another win-win!
