The Melissa and Doug Deluxe Wooden Railway Set includes tracks, bridges, the engine shed, trees, and so much more. $64.99 is a pretty impressive price for a 138 piece set. Trains, cranes, tracks! Putting it all together is even part of the fun. Sold at Amazon.com, I think this is something to keep it in mind for this Christmas. I think it will be compatible with some of our other sets and Thomas trains as well. You can even get this set, Suretrack (keeps tracks from pulling apart), and the train table for $195.09

There are a lot of pirate costumes on the market, but this is one of the cuter ones that I’ve seen. It includes everything your child will need to transform himself into a fierce (or not so fierce) pirate: cuffed jacket, elastic waist pants, a belt, boot covers, eye patch, and pirate hat. Available in sizes from toddler through young adult, this is sure to be a favorite even after Halloween. You can purchase one on sale for $27.99 (down from $41.95) at overstock.com.

If you’re searching for the ultimate baby gift set, you might want to consider this Nash Deluxe Gift Set by Sloppy Baby. Including a Nash bib and burp cloth set and Nash baby blanket, this set features an amphibian camouflage print and has a real marine, underwater appeal. All parts of this gift set are made in the USA and are machine washable, another plus in gifts of this kind. You can view this gift set at StacysOrganicBoutique.com, where it sells for $68.

When I was a child, I loved weaving potholders. Best of all, my sweet Aunt Mary was so generous as to buy them from me. I think my mother still has some of these creations as well. With so many busy, electronic toys around these days, it is nice to see that these looms are still out there. Made in the USA, the set includes instructions for making potholders, or combining them to make placemats, doll sleeping bags, and purses. You can purchase the set for $24.95 at blueberryforest.com. It seems like it would be a nice change of pace for many kids.

When my oldest daughter was a toddler, we had all of the plastic Little Tikes kitchen pieces. This  Deluxe Wooden Kitchen & Laundry Center has really come a long way from those early models. It includes everything little ones need to keep house–from a stove and refrigerator to a laundry center, complete with an adorable little laundry basket. This would definitely inspire hours of dramatic play at our house. You can purchase one for $199 at LittleTikes.com.

I stumbled upon the up-and-coming line of luxury crib bedding by Sew Crib Creations quite by accident.  The designer’s daughter, expecting around the same time I am, posted a picture of one of these gorgeous sets on a forum that I frequent, and I knew I had to see more.  The line includes a number of designs for both boys and girls, as well as gender-neutral sets like this adorable one featuring sock monkeys.

The sock monkey set includes everything you could possibly need to furnish your nursery in coordinating style: a crib sheet, blanket, a crib skirt (your choice of straight or pleated), an accent pillow, bumper pads, a diaper stacker, a toy bag, and two valences.  Each piece offers a fun pairing of the playful sock monkey print and other fabrics such as brown and white dots, red twill, and plush chenille.  Everything is made by hand with extreme care and expertise.

Each set is custom-made when you order, so you will need to allow approximately three weeks for delivery.  It will be well worth the wait!  This particular set retails for $799 and can be purchased at CrazyAboutBabies.com.  Alternately, you can contact the designer, Sheila Wood, to arrange a custom order, and view some of her previous designs through her ebay page. Styles are available in a number of different price ranges.  A customized set would also make a wonderfully thoughtful gift for a mom-to-be.

If you’re looking for the ultimate shower or new baby gift for a baby boy, look no further. This Deluxe Welcome Wagon has the rest of them beat, hands down. Made by Baby Gift Creations, it features a wagon measuring 24″x10″x23″ H filled with sports-themed gifts, including a terry velour bathbag, hooded terry towel, receiving blanket, undergarment, terry bib and burp pad, plush teddy bear, baseball cap, embroidered hat, brush and comb set, two soft toys, pacifier, rattle, and an 8 oz. bottle. You can add to that (for an extra charge) a sportsball cover-up, daywear, and/or gown.

It also comes gift-wrapped, to make gift giving that much easier. At $135, this is definitely not your run-of-the-mill baby gift. You can view and purchase the Deluxe Welcome Wagon at BabyGiftCreations.com.

This Baby’s First Year Deluxe Scrapbooking Kit would make a great baby shower gift.  Everyone wishes that they had started scrapbooking earlier than they did, and now you can give the new mom a head start.

Offer to take pictures of the baby shower to include in her scrapbooking project. There are many scrapbooking how-to’s and suggestions on the Internet to help the new mom if she’s never done scrapbooking before. This could be a gift that keeps giving because you can include seasonal and special occasion scrapbooking accessories with gifts throughout the year: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines, Baby’s First Birthday. It’s a fun way to keep in touch and up-to-date with baby’s first year.

The scrapbook comes in Pink, Baby Blue, Ecru, and Kiwi for $120 at  UltimateBabyBoutique.com.

I can think of a couple of ways off the top of my head for sharing your little “heartthrob” via the Summer Infant Deluxe Prenatal Heart Listening System. Not only can you listen to your baby’s wonderful heartbeat, you can also record it.  Once the heartbeat is recorded you can download it to your home computer and attach it to an email announcing your due date. When the baby is born and you start downloading all those digital pics to your computer, you’ll have a very unique soundtrack for baby’s first slide show.

But best of all, you have a personal way of connecting with baby in the womb. Just think, you could hear his/her little heartbeat each night before you go to sleep. How comforting that would be. It’s priced at $24.99 (sale) at Amazon.com.

The Safety 1st Baby’s Deluxe Grooming Collection is an organized way to keep all of your baby’s grooming essentials, not just for travel but also on baby’s dresser/changing table. If you remember to put things back after you use them, you know where they are when you need them. Sounds like common sense but most of us really have to work at it. But once you get into the habit of putting things back where they belong, and this little case has a place for everything, you’ll be a much saner mommy.

Also known as the Hospital’s Choice, this kit includes: 1 nail clipper, 8 emery boards, no scratch mittens, toddler brush and comb, cradle cap comb, toddler toothbrush, and an infant gum massager, all in a convenient travel case. It’s appropriate for use from birth on up.

This neat little kit is priced at $39.99 at Amazon.com.

The GR8X Baby Traveller Deluxe might sound like a sports car, but if speed is your need this backpack and changer is made for you and yours. You can see how easily it will fold back into a backpack. Just look at how everything spreads out for easy access when it’s time to change baby. This product saves you time from setting up a sanitary changing area and scrounging around in a packed diaper bag for needed items.

The changing area measures 36 cm high x 33 cm wide. Closed, the bag measures 36 cm high x 39 cm wide. The GR8X Baby Traveller Deluxe comes with removable stroller straps, adjustable backpack straps, removable change mat, insulated bottle traveller, mobile phone pouch, and plenty of pockets for everything you’ll need to change your baby. It is machine washable for easy care.

Price: $79.95 at BabyEarth.com.