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So you've been saving for months, and finally earned enough to fufill the dream of painting your neopet baby. But now that you've traveled to the Rainbow Fountain and actually become the owner of a baby neopet, you're clueless. "I can't put my adorable baby acara into that big Haunted Woods themed room they used to love, or feed them those gooey peanutbutter sandwiches they used to love, can I?" Don't worry, this guide is specifically designed to help make your transition easier for you and your baby--all on a reasonable budget, too!

Note: This guide was created as a way to have fun while owning a baby neopet. Absolutely nothing will happen to your baby if you do not follow these guidelines.

Ways to Get a Baby Neopet

Paint your neopet with a baby paint brush. You may find these paint brushes at the hidden tower for 600,000 neopoints and at the trading post for around 590,000.

Have your pet zapped by boochi. This is a random event that can happen anywhere on the site.

Use a flask of rainbow fountain water/get a fountain faerie quest (ffq)

Give your pet a morphing potion.

Note: These prices are based on the trading post. If they've changed drastically please let me know.

Trade/adopt a baby neopet. There are lots of Adoption and Trade Agencies around, although they usually require a brief application if you're interested in adopting a neopet of any color. This is a good alternative to painting your own neopet baby if the thought of saving long-term is daunting and you have additional space on your account.

Most people find the idea of saving for a baby paint brush daunting, but don't be afraid! Saving neopoints is easy as long as you're patient and dedicated to your goals. Jubbyjubjack is a great dailies guide for saving and earning neopoints that is sure to help you if you're serious about saving. Remember that the easiest ways to earn neopoints is by playing games, so choose a few to play daily and remember to always do the featured game for double neopoints, even if it's one you're not very good at. Also, remember that playing keyquest rewards you both neopoints for participating and prizes, which can always be sold. I am by no means rich, but I've successflly saved for a baby paint brush four times, and I'm sure you can do it!

Furnishing the Nursery

You'll need a place for your new guy,so why not make them a nursery? ayame_23 has a helpful guide that I've used to decorate a nursery before. Nurseries can be fairly cheap. A playpen and a cot(crib) could cost you no more than 6000 neopoints! Make sure to be creative, there are tons of fun furniture items out there that are good themes for a nursery, such as plushie and petpet. It is also important to keep dangerous plants such as Geraptiku Fly Traps (thanks ghostred99 for reminding me of this) out of your homes and when you are designing your yard, remember to steer clear of pointy and poisonous plants.
Examples:

Have any tips or guides to help? Neomail me!

Feeding your Baby

AAAHHHHHHH! Those gooey chocolate covered peanuts and hot dogs that your neopet loves aren't such a good idea anymore! To avoid a dull diet of baby food and milk try adding some cheaper alternatives such as plain omlettes, strawberry jellies, and cans of Musho Mushy Peas to the menu. Many well priced food items can be purchased at the Food Shop that are good for your baby; such as milk, carrots (once blended,of course),and eggs. All of these items are around the same price as a jar of baby food.

Providing fun, new foods for your baby will keep them entertained at mealtime, and it is likely that they'll be more inclined to a healthier diet if it is fun and tasty as well.

It is very important to remember to stay away from poisonous and rotten foods such as Poisonous lollipop and rotten omelette. Thank you so much gaslighter01 for reminding me of this! Also, as _oogieboogie informed me of, spicy foods such as "flaming faerie pizza" aren't such a good idea, since they tend to upset tender tummies.

One of the most dangerous foods for baby neopets is the hot dog. Regardless of the type of hot dog, they are all easy for your pet to choke on. Sorry Hubert, but your tasty hot dogs need to wait until they're a bit older!

Toys for Your Baby

Similair to buying food or decorating a nursery, buying toys for your new baby neopet will be easier than you think! There is no need to rush out and buy all sorts of fancy baby blocks and pull along toys; there are plenty of cheap alternatives! Plushies are one of the best and cheapest kinds of toys in Neopia. They can be sold for as little as 5 np (blue ixi plushie), and what could be better for your baby neopet to snuggle up with than a soft, cuddly plushie? Also, if you want to get other types of toys for your baby, neoblocks are around 400np (price changes often between around 300 and 400np). Always check the price of an item on the Shop Wizard before buying it to make sure you are getting a good deal, even if you already know the approximate value of that item.

Remember, stay away from toys that have small pieces, such as music boxes and puzzles, as well as pointy playthings such as toy swords.

Saftey

It is important to remember that babies put everythingand anything in their mouths. This means that you need to be sure to keep those pesky gross foods and dung items for your avatar out of your inventory! If you need to use one of those items, be sure to keep it in your SDB before and after use. This will avoid an unwanted trip to the neohospital.
Also, remember to baby-proof your neohome. Keep public living areas such as the sitting room, bathroom, and kitchen safe. Make sure to keep the doors of their siblings' bedrooms locked (if your baby is particularly clever) or at least closed. Even if your baby is extremely intelligent, remember that it is harder for baby neopets to perform certain tasks, such as carrying heavy objects. Make sure tha they are always properly supervised. Simple steps like these will keep your baby safer and
take a lot of stress out of your daily lives.

Buying a Petpet

Since babies love being around people and other pets as much as possible, you may want to consider getting them a petpet so that they may have a constant companion. However, you need to be sure that your baby neopet is mature enough to handle caring for their own petpet. You may want them to begin with a low maintenance petpet, such as a plushie or cardboard one.
When buying your baby a petpet remember:

Type: What type of petpet do you want to get them? Will it be safe for your baby? One practical rule of thumb for buying baby neopets is: If it has fangs, spikes, or claws; best stay away.
Price: It's a good idea to choose a price range before beginning to shop to keep from coming home with a petpet that ended up costing as much as your neohome does!
Maintenance: As mentioned above, maintenance is an important variable. Getting a petpet is a great way to teach your baby responsibilty, but getting a petpet that requires daily grooming and bathing it too much for most neopets, much less a baby! You don't want to end up with a sick or sad petpet that your baby can't even take care of.
Note: all of these petpets are unpainted

Customization
When customizing your baby neopet it is absolutely key to remember the previous sections and take them into consideration. Putting your neopet in a Dung Cave Background isn't a smart idea, since most babies enjoy tasting their surroundings. The Volcano Lair isn't a great idea either, since babies tend to wander curiously. Another very key point to remember is your neopet's phobias. It isn't a good idea to use a water background if just getting them to take a bath is like pulling teeth, or using a Altador cup background if they're afraid of large crowds.

Some fairly fool-proof options (unless your baby neopet has terrible pollen allergies) are outdoor scenes in gardens, meadows, etc. Indoor options like the Birthday celebration and the Neohome background can also be quite nice. However, often safe scenes like the Art Studio can seem danger free, but in all actuallity not be ideal for your baby neopet.

There are only a few items made for baby neopets to wear (available at the ncmall) apart from the paintbrush related bows and diapers. That just leaves trinkets to make sure are safe to customize your baby with. For the most part stick to the general rules for toys and neohome items. Stay away from pointy, sharp, poisonous, and potentially hazardous. Remember that baby neopets tend to make a mess when given the opportunity as well, so stay away from things like "bucket of sand" and "janitor's bucket" unless you're willing to clean up a mess. Also, remember to be especially careful with items you hang above your neopet in their customization if they are able to jump or fly.

For a great guide to customization where all of these items are located you can go here.