Buying a gift for a baby shower is either totally fun, or a nightmare. For those of you who fall into the second category, step away from the political slogan onsies and expensive stuffed animals, we have the perfect solution for you: The Rookie Mom's Handbook.

The authors of the book, Heather Gibbs Flett and Whitney Moss, two sassy moms who live in Berkeley, California, know first hand how hard it can be to get out of the house with a new baby. They share 250 ideas, plus encouragement and motivation, for fun, baby-friendly activities, like:

• Activity #17: Pretend you're in Paris
  Take baby to a cafe, sit outside and enjoy the people-watching
• Activity #68: Host an ugly baby (clothes) contest
  All those gifts of mini-outfits that were so totally not cute? Make a game of putting them on baby and inviting friends to do the same.
• Activity #195 Host a board game night
  An easy way to entertain a group of friends once baby is in bed for the night

The book makes a great shower gift because it's something for the mom that she can actually use. And if you want to really dress it up, add the ingredients for one or two of the activities, like a board game for Activity #195.

For overachievers who complete all 250 activities, or just people who like to ideas,Heather and Whitney also have a website, Rookie Moms, with over 500 more suggestions, all categorized by age. Some even sound fun without a kid!