Gaybee Gift Guide

All of the makers and sellers of the following products were thrilled to be included in this gift guide for gay parents, so feel good supporting them with your patronage: We’ve come a long way baby!

Essential Gear

Move over Bugaboo, Quinny, the brand synonymous with “stroller” in many European countries, is taking the US malls and sidewalks by storm. The Buzz 4 ($630) features head-turning styling and colors and impressive hydraulic fold-up technology, and an optional Buzz Box for extra storage.

For cruising in style, baby can sit pretty with the top parent-rated Priori snug and secure convertible car seat ($199), available in delicious colors like Citro, for tots 5 to 40 pounds. www.quinny.com  and www.maxi-cosi.com

Primp your ride with Baby Ritzy Rider infant car seat covers ($110) by Itzy Ritzy, or cover those germy shopping carts and public highchairs at restaurants with Ritzy Sitzy covers ($68) in gorgeous patterns such as Hollywood and Manhattan. Available at www.itzyritzy.com and boutiques nationwide. For a 20 % discount, enter promo code OutWithBaby when ordering online.

Really Cute Toys

Maya Organic Toys, including the Kit Kit Rattle ($12), Peppy Five ($26) little people stackers and Pom Pom Rail ($30) and Tuttu Turtle ($12) pull toys, are handmade from Hale tree branches -- not felled trees -- and hand-painted with natural dyes by fair-labor craftspeople in India. www.earthfriendlyllc.com

Baby Basics

Make bath time good clean fun with Boon’s Frog Pod and Flo Bonus Pack ($50), which includes designer bath toys and a water deflector/bubble bath dispenser. For mealtime, set a trendy table with Boon’s ultra-cool designer feeding sets with bendable utensils and detachable side plates. www.booninc.com

The party goes on during bathtime with Disco Tub Lights ($7) by Munchkin that float or suction to the tub wall and blink and glow, and the Pelican Rinser ($7), to make shampooing fun and easy. www.munchkin.com

So beautiful you will want to display it on your wall, Cat in an Apron, named after the 70's anthem "Free to be You and Me," hand makes swaddle blankets ($38) lined in soft and cozy 100 % cotton flannel. www.catinanapron.com.

Ouchies happen, so be ready with Grandma Minnie Mom & Baby Care Big Brave Boo-Boo Balm ($20) and other allergen-free products, such as Mommycoddling All-Over Lotion and Coo & Clean Baby Wash, by VMV Hypoallergenics. www.vmvhypoallergenics.com

For great stocking stuffers, satisfy baby’s sucking needs with BornFree’s soft-handle, orthodontic silicone Day and Night pacifiers ($8), and help baby get off the bottle with the Bisphenol-A free Born Free Training Cup ($10) with a spill-resistant spout with a low-vacuum value for easy, smooth drinking. www.newbornfree.com

Need a ready-to-go gift? The Sweatleaf Baby Gift Set ($40) by Thymes includes a fragrant nursery mist, lotion, gentle soaps, hand sanitizer and a wash cloth and towel set. www.thymes.com

To pack it up and head out, Queen Bee Creations offers the smart handmade Spout Chickpea diaper bag with Fuzzybutt Changing Pad ($130), made from recycled materials. www.queenbee-creations.com

A Place at the Table

It is hard to get excited about a bib, but the innovative layered Encore bib ($40) by Petite Miette, is an exception. Made from 100 % organic cotton with removable toppers, the bib cover can be easily snapped off and changed without bothering baby. Locate stores nationwide at www.PetiteMiette.com.

Make mealtime a fun learning time with The SugerBooger Nursery Rhyme Feeding Set ($30) and other cute dinnerware from Chocolate Cake Club. The durable Melamine set includes a suction-cup base spill-proof baby plate with dividers to keep kiddie cuisine separate. Shipped with a free chocolate cake recipe. www.Chocolatecakeclub.com

Sippy cups are one basic there can never enough of in the cupboard. With all the scare about toxic plastics, The Safe Sippy ($16.95) came up with a sleek and modern solution by using medical-grade stainless steel that does not leach chemicals into liquids. www.thesafesippy.com

Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Go green this season with the Green Baby Gift ($50) gender-neutral bamboo infant onsie, pants and kimono set, size 3 to 6 months, beautifully gift wrapped in recycled and biodegradable materials, avaialbel at www.GreenBabyGiftsonline.com, or check out the Green Baby section of www.Diapers.com for a full line of eco-friendly baby products and cloth diapers.

Wrap up the little cuddle bug in a luxurious bamboo silky swaddling blanket ($32) by Satsuma, makers of a variety of bamboo-spun gifts and gear for baby and home. www.satsumadesigns.com

Down to their soles, little gay-bees can go green as soon as they can walk in ScooterBees ($38), the darndest cutest baby shoes ever. Imprinted with adorable nature images, and featuring easy-to-put-on wrap-around Velcro fasteners, these soft slippers are made from recycled fibers, such as water bottles and other PVC-free, phthalate-free and photodegradeable materials. Sizes 0 to 24 months. www.scooterbees.com

Tot Model

Bamboo is the new black in baby fashion. This sustainably harvested, silky smooth and naturally anti-bacterial fiber is woven into soft and stretchy togs, such as the Kicky Pants Bamboo Basics collection, in mix-and-match styles of tees ($16) and pants ($18) in terrific earth colors like orchid and moss. www.kickypants.com

While best known for their frilly dresses that bring out the princess in any girly girl, Baby Lulu by Erin Murphy also carries charming boyswear such as the comfy and cute Pepper Toes rabbit two-piece playsuit ($72). www.babylulu.com

For parents having double the fun, The Trendy Twins Shop carries great gift items times two, such as the classy monogrammed corduroy Boys John John romper ($60 to $68) and other coordinating couture for twins and siblings to make every baby feel special. www.TrendyTwinsShop.com 

For the holidays and chilly winters, there’s always a favorite sweater that brings back memories for years to come, such as the warm and wooly Golden Retriever or detachable Scottie novelty crewneck sweaters (both $98) available at Best & Co., the luxury children’s fashion brand of exquisite children’s cashmere coats, pants, blankets, footies, hats and booties. www.bestandcompany.com

For the cotton snob on your holiday list, Michael Stars, the original SoCal high-fashion tee maker, offers its Mikey Stars line including supima cotton short- and long-sleeve tees ($30), leggings ($29) and beanies ($17) in sizes from 3 to 24 months. www.michaelstars.com

A Good Understanding

Start them young with sensible shoes such as Isa Booties, supple and funky eco-friendly soft-soles shoes, such as the boys Espresso Racers or girls Cotton Candy Ballet Criss-Crossers (both $29), made from 100 % animal-free, machine washable materials. Sizes for little feet from 3 to 24 months. www.isabooties.com

For footwear that is not only functional but fun to wear, older toddlers can express themselves by simply changing their socks worn with Uneaks environmentally friendly, customizable shoes, such as the Camel Rev ($40) or sporty Boomerang ($34) styles, with cut-out sides so that the sock design shows through. Sizes start at a little person’s 6. www.uneaks.com

Music to Baby Ears

Give the music lover on your list a change of pace from typical sleepy baby CDs with Alphabet Rockers ($15), a hip (hop) educational music CD and recipient of the 2008 Parents Choice Award, produced by lesbian Dawn Richardson, formerly of the 4NonBlondes, and Kaitlyn McGaw, a San Francisco singer. www.CDBaby.com and www.Amazon.com

For classic tastes, lesbian conductor Nan Washburn of the Plymouth Canton Symphony Society, leads her amazing orchestra in its first children's CD, Magical Tunes & Marvelous Tales ($15). The CD features both narrated and un-narrated works inspired by such well-loved children's classics as "Jack & the Beanstalk," "Island of the Blue Dolphins," "Paddle to the Sea," and "Ferdinand the Bull." www.CDBaby.com and www.plymouthsymphony.org

When lullabies can not get baby to nap, the Sleep Sheep by Cloud B ($26) is a cute, cuddly answer to those therapist-office-looking white noise machines. With four soothing sound effects -- spring showers, ocean surf, whale songs and a heartbeat, soon baby and parents will be snoozing soundly. www.cloudb.com

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Feel Good Gifts

For a good feeling in your heart and your baby’s sole, your purchase of the boys Hunter shoe ($38) by Aldabella Scarpa, Italian for "most beautiful shoes" will help a young boy named Hunter Zen (www.healinghunter.blogspot.com) who is fighting leukemia. Aldabella Scarpa’s classic children’s shoes feature fine quality leather and distinctive stitching for comfort and style. www.aldabellascarpa.com

For the tree hugger on your list, Seed Sucker baby onesies ($20) are made of an earth-friendly bamboo and cotton blend and imprinted with statements like “Make a change – My future depends on it!” Plant the hang-tag to grow wildflowers or go online to register the code on the tag and Seed Sucker Foundation plants a tree at the location of your choice. Available in sizes 0 to 12 months at Current Energy, the world’s first energy-efficient store (www.currentenergy.com).

As part of the annual Thanks and Giving Campaign, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital offers a wide array cute newborn and toddler gift items, and 100% of profits go to fund research and medical care for children. Perfect for the holidays is the red cotton long-sleeve infant romper with a reindeer holiday design. Sizes 6 to 24 months, ($18). Available at www.stjude.org/shop.

Gay for Me and You

The crochet rainbow patch or rainbow heart hat (both $27) are perfect for taking the little one out for a Prop 8 march or just hanging at WeHo’s Abbey on Sunday afternoon. These adorable knit hats, along with other custom couture accessories for infants were designed by a proud mom of a gay son and owner of www.TheBabyGalleria.com.

Out proud parents will love to wiggle the wee-uns into Tiny Revolutionary 100 % pima cotton “Two Mommies One Love Tee” ($25) or the Rainbow Snuggle Onsie ($21), with $1 from the sale of each tee goes to children’s charities. www.tinyrevolutionary.com

Beach Baby

Take care of little beachcombers’ delicate skin with beach wear from Sun Protection Zone (www.sunprotectivezone.com), including the cool Blue Flame Rash Guard UV protective body suit, the shady Legionnaires hat, My First Shades tiny sunglasses with a wrap-around headband and wearable Solar Strips to tell when its time to replenish sun screen.

For balmy beach nights, keep kiddos cozy and cool with the retro modern Grandpa Sweater ($29) from George World (www.shopgeorgieworld.com), designed by company founder and a mom of two and inspired by the southern California beach lifestyle. Sizes range from 12 months to five years.

Classics and Heirlooms

Bring back nostalgic memories of the wooden wagon of your childhood adventures with the Mountain Boy Butterfly Wagon ($200). This sturdy wagon has a unique double-seat design perfect for small children. Constructed of hand-carved willow and a 5/8"-thick deck of tongue-and-groove-joint birch planks, the wagon features comfortable, tilted back rests and easy-to-hold-onto side rails and a lead-free, protective marine-grade finish. The rugged steel undercarriage is powder-coated, and the inflatable tires provide excellent shock absorption. The Butterfly wagon meets all USC and ASTM child safety standards. www.mountainboysleds.com

The Tripp Trapp chair ($249) by Stokke (www.stokke.com) allows babies to join up at the table from the time they can sit up. A true hand-me-down through the generations, one Norwegian man found his childhood Tripp Trapp decades later, with his initial’s carved in it, in his child’s pre-school where the chairs are a staple.

Baby and Mom-and-Pop-arazzi

Give a gift to treasure for years to come with a portrait by photographer Sara Corwin (www.saracorwinphotography.com), voted top headshot photographer year after year by LA’s actors, who can capture the essence of stars like Maggie and Jake Gyllenhall and Peter Paige as well as rising child stars -- and moms and pops too -- in her cozy home studio where kids and parents feel relaxed. Check out my photo with my son Stephen running with this gift guide for proof. Sessions start at $400 and include hair, make up and coddling.

Techno Baby

Tech buffs will be stuck on the Digital Day Counter ($5 to $8) by Days Ago for baby food and other food jars and cans, with a magnet or band attachment and a counter that tracks the hours and days since food was opened. www.howmanydaysago.com

Nothing is worse than a feverish baby, but now taking baby’s temperature is easier with the Braun ThermoScan ExacTemp Ear Thermometer ($35), with a pre-warmed tip that reads in seconds. www.braun.com

Nervous Nellie’s who check the nursery thermostat every hour can relax with Grobag Egg, a color-changing digital room thermometer that tells if a room is at a safe sleeping temperature. www.gro-group.com

All gifts are available at online retailers and/or boutiques nationwide.