• A gift is the customary thing to celebrate the birth of a new baby. If you are trying to stay away from the usual gifts of clothes or toys, you might be considering a financial gift instead to help with both immediate and future expenses. Gift choices range from simple cash to savings accounts intended to help pay for a college education.
  
  

Shares

• A few shares of a solid, well-known company can be an appropriate gift while remaining affordable. Choose a company whose products children usually appreciate, such as Disney, DreamWorks, Mattel or Nintendo. Present the share certificate in an elegant frame. Some services, such as OneShare.com or ShareInAFrame.com, will take care of the entire process for you for an additional fee.
  
  

Education Savings Accounts

• If you want to help provide for the baby's future education, a savings plan could be the right gift. 529 plans, named for the section of the Internal Revenue Code that established them, are state-administered savings plans. The beneficiary of the plan can withdraw money from it tax-free in order to pay for any college-level educational expense, from textbooks to tuition fees. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts are similar to 529 plans but allow the beneficiary to withdraw money to pay for primary and secondary school as well as college.
  
  

Cash

• Parents will usually appreciate a gift of simple cash, as it means that they can choose what to spend the money on, and they will still be able to put it in a savings plan if they so desire. Choose new, clean bills, obtaining them from a bank if you have none on hand, and insert them in a simple envelope together with a thoughtful card.