If your family is as captivated by the antics of Olivia the pig from the bestselling books as mine is, you might want to consider giving your child this cute Olivia toy this holiday. The Olivia Helps with Christmas doll stands 10 inches high.  She is made from high-quality materials and looks just like her storybook self.  I love her pajamas which are as bright and bold as her character.  Whether you allow your child to play with her, or put her on a shelf for decoration, you can’t go wrong with this charming pig.  You can purchase her for $15.99 at MyBookStork.com.  If you don’t already own the Olivia books, they make a wonderful gift as well.

The Baby Pink & Blue Stripe Plush Piggy is an adorable gift for baby’s shower. Posh Tots decorated this piggy with soft embroidery, without the use of plastic parts or beads. An optional star-shaped blanket that reverses to blue stripes is also available (sold separately). If you’re considering this item as a baby shower gift, you can also purchase the gift box and wrap, coordinating tissue paper, ribbon and gift card. It will make a lovely gift for baby and it makes your part much easier by supplying the finishing touches.

This cuddly piggy is machine washable and dryable on gently cycle. Visit poshtots.com to purchase your gift for $65.

Maybe it’s a little late now to buy Turley the Turkey for this Thanksgiving, but he’s so cute and colorful I couldn’t resist taking a look. Made by Zoobie Pets, Turley the Turkey is a limited edition, so if you purchase one this year, it will be of value in the years to come. Not to mention the value it will have for your child, as hidden inside Turley the Turkey is a 33″ x 55″ soft fleece blanket! The blanket zips off the turkey for easy washing, and the turkey himself is also machine washable (using a lingerie bag). When your child is done with the blanket and wants to store it back inside Turley, two bottom hook and loop velcro tabs get him back into turkey shape.

Turley himself measures 19″ long. His head is stuffed with microbeads, so your child will enjoy squeezing it. Turley the Turkey is recommended for ages 3 and up, although the manufacturer says it has been safety tested for all ages. You can purchase Turley at HunkyDoryOnline.com for $29.99.

Not your run of the mill My Little Pony, the Happy Horse Soft Baby Toy is vividly colored and adorned with lovely flowers. Her smile is friendly and her big feet are endearing. Her yarn hair should be easy to care for, safe from all the tangling which usually befalls more “real” looking toy horse manes. She’d make a pretty addition to a nursery done in reds and whites or a nice gift for a lucky little girl. Buy your own at spiffybaby.com for $26.95.

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.

I really like this idea. Made by Jaag, the Time’s Up Teddy Bear has a 60-minute timer embedded in his belly. This could help your child keep track of time for various things — set it for 2 minutes for brushing his teeth, to 30 minutes for time for television viewing, or for a computer game, to help kids learn to share (each child gets 5 minutes with a toy), or to help a child count the minutes until bedtime. It could also be used as a time-out timer. The timer has a loud “ding” when it goes off.

The manufacturer says “they can’t argue with the bear!” This is true. Experienced parents advised me in the past to use a timer for setting limits on video games, and I thought, no, my son would still get mad after 30 minutes and have a tantrum when time’s up. But to my surprise, they were right - as long as some other device (other than Mom or Dad) is telling him time’s up, he’s fine with it, and does exactly what he’s supposed to. He knows that when the bell signals time’s up, that’s the end of the activity.

Time’s not up, however, for your to purchase the Time’s Up Teddy Bear at PeppyParents.com for $20.95.