I'm pretty old-fashioned where gifts are concerned.
The trend these days seems to be that the beneficiary of the party (be it a shower, wedding, whatever) simply makes a list on some web site that details the exact items they want, right down to make, model, color etc. Then the guests go through a process that's barely more involved than deciding what they want to spend, going onto the web site, figuring what fits within their budget and clicking through a few screens. The buyers get no input beyond how much to spend and much the time they never even see what they bought. It turns what could (should?) be a personal interaction into something about as impersonal as it's possible to be.
As far as what to get, it's really hard to say without knowing the recipients at all. I've never been to a baby shower - in my social circles they tend to be reserved for people of more female genetics than my own - but from what I gather anything from baby bibs to baby books (books to read to the baby, not books about babies!) to newborn clothing will be appreciated. When the baby is of an age that they do little more than turn milk into poop and vomit you can never have too many baby cloths and bibs. If you or the new parents want to avoid traditional gender-based colors you can always choose neutral colors for clothes.
