While celebs make pregnancy look glamorous, it’s tough to look that fab on a budget.

As a working mom-to-be, I struggled to find affordable, professional clothing during my first pregnancy. I assembled a wardrobe of inexpensive staples from Old Navy, Target, and Motherhood Maternity and combined it with a handful of pricier items from A Pea in the Pod, Mimi Maternity, and the Gap.

I wish I’d known about Maggie Maternity. Maggie Maternity makes dressing while expecting elegant, effortless and (most-important of all) inexpensive…

A great baby shower favor should reflect the mama-to-be’s personality and be a treat guests will enjoy. Mama Luxe and Fairy Godmother, who hosted my baby shower, knew that LUSH bath products are one of my favorite things and that my taste in baby clothing is fairly traditional. Mama Luxe has sophisticated and hip taste in baby clothing, but I gravitate towards bunnies, bears and anything sweet-looking or old-fashioned.
Knowing my love of cutesy animals, Mama Luxe and Fairy Godmother chose a bunny-theme for my shower. To match the …

 Guests at my baby shower were oowing ahhing over the diaper cake centerpiece from Diaper Cakewalk. I received the Blue Caramel Diaper Cake (pictured), which perfectly coordinated with the blue and chocolate invitations and decorations selected by the shower hosts.
I’ve purchased diaper cakes as presents for other baby showers in the past, so I could recognize the superior quality and attention to detail in the Diaper Cakewalk cake. First, this diaper cake was made entirely of Pampers Swaddlers. Many of the other diaper cakes I’d seen were made of lower quality diapers. Second, this cake was …

Baby loves that her personalized baby spoon from Beaded Things is made especially for her. Even Daddy, who rarely notices or comments upon baby items, thought the spoon was sweet.
Toddlers are so proud when they master utensils and they really enjoy having personalized items.  My baby already knows this is her special spoon and likes to carry it around during the day.
Practical and cute, these spoons make a unique, fun, and useful baby gift. The beading is charming and the stainless steel spoons are food-safe. These funky spoons are even …

Make bedtime fun with plush animal nightlights by Cloud B. The Twilight Turtle and Twilight Ladybug both project a starry night sky on the nursery ceiling in your choice of colors. Both adorable and educational, these nightlights make an ideal baby gift.

Twilight Turtle users can select from amber, blue or green lights, and Twilight Ladybug has a choice of red, blue or green light. I found it difficult to see the stars on the amber setting, but the other colors showed clearly.

Since both nightlights are battery-powered due to safety …

As a Mama-to-Be, I’ve received some great gifts. One of my favorites has to be the BabyBlooms bouquet!

BabyBlooms bouquets are made of baby clothes that have been individually hand-rolled into the likeness of flower buds.

I received the Blue Classic Bouquet ($85). It includes: 1 reversible hat, 1 long sleeved sleepsuit, 2 bodysuits, 2 colored bibs, 1 winding cloth, 3 pairs of socks and 1 pair of striped mittens. If that’s too expensive for your budget, they also have a $55 version.

The bouquet came beautifully packaged. …

I wish I’d known about The Corner Stork when I planned Mama Luxe’s baby shower. The Corner Stork has a great selection of baby shower favors, and it would have saved me a lot of time making personalized tags and tying ribbons. When Mama Luxe has baby #2, I’ll be prepared.
Even better…The Corner Stork has generously given Mamanista readers an exclusive coupon code. Use code “MAMA” to get 10% off of orders over $50.
Here are some of my favorite shower favors:

About To Hatch Egg Timer $3.85 (pictured below). …