THAT [unreliable] GIRL

I mean that in the nicest way possible, of course! Allow me to explain...In a few weeks time I shall be attending my first ever baby shower, and just between you and I, I'm quietly freaking out. I'm the youngest child, I have a relatively small extended family and my exposure to babies and baby related things is more or less non-existent. I see babies in cafes sometimes, but that's about it. So the very idea of "Aunty Kit" is a scary one, for me at least (and very possibly for my future niece or nephew!)

On the bright side however, I have an excuse to shop. And naturally, in my search for gender-neutral, baby-friendly* goodies, my first (and last) port of call is Etsy.

Like this little adorable little bear from Poppy Lane. The patchwork of prints is a tiny bit flowery, but this bear is way too cool to be ruled out for boys!

Or these little dudes from stitchface. I think I'd make a little bow that could be "worn" as either a bow in her, or a bow tie for him. Ingenious!

And all kids love animals right? So why not start with Oscar the Puppy by Bit of Whimsy Dolls? After all, what child could possibly not love polka dots and an Amy Butler print? (Start them early!)

Or for the future marine biologist (or seafood lover), you can't go past this Big Purple Octopus Plush by Jayne Danger. Unfortunately his little red friend has sold, but Jayne does take custom orders!

This Red Flannel Elephant, however, is still on the market! And better still, Maiden Love will donate a percentage of profits to The Elephant Sanctuary.

Next up are these cuddly animals that I found via For Me, For You. They are all made from 100% wool sweaters (or jumpers, as us Australians call them!) that have been upcycled by ViolaStudio, and the results are just beautiful. I'm still deciding if I want one for myself too!

My family has always been a dog family, but the occasional kitten couldn't hurt, could it? This little guy is Kitten No. 94, just one of many cute kitties created by Penguin & Fish.

There's no resisting these little critters either! Please allow me to introduce you to Clark Q Bear, Tweedy Bunny and Seymour, all created by Chet and Dot, who also use recycled wool sweaters for some of their plushies.

Possibly one of my favourites is Hans, who is an Organic Teething Giraffe from Starbright Baby. Baby chew toys, woo! Far more environmentally friendly than all those crazy plastic teething rings too (See what I did there? I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about!)

And I can't leave out dinosaurs either. I refuse to believe that dinosaurs are for boys, mainly because I was absolutely obsessed with dinosaurs when I was a tot. (I could spell Archaeopteryx when I was in first grade, I was hardcore!) So this Polka-Saurus from Sewing Central definitely gets my vote.

In fact, my favourite dinosaur back in the day was no other than the Stegosaurus! This lovely green specimen is the work of A Tiny Little Bit, and not only do his child-proof eyes make him entirely baby-friendly, but he also has a bell inside him for the budding musician.

And if said budding musician wants to expand their percussive repotoire, this Baby Grand Piano would be perfect! This was a custom order by TooToo, but more can be made on request.

Babies are kinda fun to shop for! And let's be honest, I would happily buy any (or all) of these toys for myself too. So who knows, maybe I might be a good Aunt after all?!

*Please Note: Some of these plushies are not recommended for babies and/or young children due to buttons etc, but they were too cute not to share! Please make sure you check the details of these items before purchasing!