Granted, practical gifts usually are pretty boring. They’re not the kinds of stuff that makes grandmas and grandpas (or doting friends, for that matter) giddy with excitement. They’re not the gifts that make office-mates coo.

As the parent of a nine-month-old, however, I can attest to needing fewer of the cutesy items and more of the practical ones, every single day.

With this in mind, here (in no particular order) is my top 10 list of efficient and sensible gifts for parents of kiddies one year or younger.

10. Teething rings. These aren’t only good for the little ones to chomp on, but they’re great (makeshift) chains for hanging toys from the crib.
9. Disposable garbage bags for dirty diapers. Because there’s never a shortage of dirty diapers, and it’s gross to just toss them into the trash (where they can smell and spread germs).
8. Educational toys. No offense to the whale puppets, but the best toys are those babies can use to engage her brain. Stuff that twists and beeps and moves. Interactive stuff.
7. Those strappy things to latch toys to the stroller or high chair. Man, these things are genius; they eliminate the need to wipe off toys every time the baby drops them.
6. Baby thermometers. No parent probably needs more than two of these, but it’s always nice to have a backup in case the primary one fails.
5. Formula. This stuff is EXPENSIVE! You wanna save your new-parent friends money? Buy ‘em a jar or two of formula and they’ll be praising you for months.
4. Batteries. Most baby toys take C, AA or AAA batteries, and we new parents tear through these suckers at a NASCAR-fast clip. Another benefit to this gift: they won’t go bad for years.
3. Bottles. Once babies have been weaned off breastmilk, they burn through at least three or four bottles per day. For this reason, new parents can never have too many bottles (of varying sizes, mind you).
2. Baby food storage. Regardless of whether Mom and Dad make baby’s food or buy it, they’ll need places to store the stuff. Gladware is fine; smaller, specially-made vessels are even better.
1. Diapers. The average baby goes through 8-10 diapers per day. Diapers cost on average of 20 cents apiece. That means that every 100 diapers cost new parents $20. Saving that kind of money is a gift that never goes out of style.

This list could go on and on. If you think I’ve forgotten something, or you’d like to add a suggestion of your own, please feel free to do so in the comments.