Forrest Gump hit the jackpot when a friend invested his money in "some kind of fruit company" -- also known as Apple (AAPL). The stock went public at a split-adjusted price of $2.75 and is now worth nearly $600.

Wouldn't it be great to give a newborn the same stock market bonanza? If only.

In today's volatile markets, perhaps the most we can do is invest some cash in a reliable, well-priced stock and hope it goes somewhere.

The right choice might turn into a college tuition in a couple of decades. Or a down payment. We just have to figure out what to pick.

And that's what led us to create the Stocks for Newborns series that has been running all week on Top Stocks. Investors are so focused on short-term plays these days, jumping in and out of picks at a moment's notice. We asked our panel of experts to take a step back. Waaay back. If you were going to buy a stock for a newborn today, one with a 20-year or 30-year horizon, what would you choose?

We got eight thoughtful picks covering a number of industries, including technology, energy and retail. You can read about the choices here:

Monday

• Can baby say Tata?
• Under Armour the next Nike?

Tuesday

• SunPower a bargain
• IBM leads for generations

WednesdayOK, so once you're armed with that knowledge, what's next? You need to buy the stock and transfer it, which can be time-consuming. You have a number of options.

First, you can open an account with a discount broker or a full-service broker. Usually, this involves filling out a few forms and sending the broker a deposit before you even get started. The broker will want to see your account funded before turning you loose to pick stocks.

You can try asking your broker for an actual certificate of stock ownership, but that might come with a hefty fee -- up to $500 in some cases. The paper stock certificate is on its way out; some companies don't even offer a paper certificate to shareholders anymore. It's all going electronic. But the good news is that the electronic transfer of shares as a gift is relatively painless.

Another option is to find a plan that lets you buy stock directly from a company. These plans are known as dividend reinvestment plans, or DRIPS, and they are often done without hefty brokerage fees, though some might charge a nominal fee. Some companies offering their own DRIP plans are Caterpillar (CAT), McDonald's (MCD), Coca-Cola (KO) and General Electric (GE).

But there's one caveat to many DRIP plans: You have to be a shareholder of record first. So how do you become a shareholder of record? The answer is in a third option, which allows you to buy one share of a company and get a shiny stock certificate to boot.

Websites like GiveAShare.com specialize in giving one share of stock as a gift. Sometimes customers are looking to become a shareholder of record for those DRIP plans, says co-founder Rick Roman. GiveAShare even devotes a portion of its website specifically to DRIP plans.

Other customers want to buy one share for a child. The certificate itself is of value, Roman says. In fact, if you sell the stock, you have to return the certificate to the broker you're working with. So customers often choose to protect the certificate by having it framed.

GiveAShare can handle a credit card transaction -- unlike many brokerages -- but it's limited to selling one-share increments. It sells only the most mainstream stocks (you can see the list here), so many of the ones our experts recommend won't show up on its site.

Picking a stock as part of a long-term investment strategy is extremely difficult, Roman said. "I used to think that I could really beat the market, and I think I've been humbled a few times," he added. Haven't we all.

But keep in mind that when you're buying a stock for a newborn, you aren't looking for that Forrest Gump lightning bolt. You just need something slow and steady for the long haul. If you're lucky, you'll see some nice splits and share price growth. Check out this chart on Coca-Cola's website, which shows that one share in 1919 has since split so many times that it has turned into 4,608 shares today. At Thursday's closing price of $77.44, that equals $356,844. And Coca-Cola's board has just recommended another 2-for-1 stock split.

There's another benefit to buying stock for a newborn. It gives the child an early education about stock ownership and business operations. Roman said the most popular baby stock gift is Disney (DIS), mostly because it comes with such a nice stock certificate. But owning a stock like Disney also gives a firsthand peek into how the stock market and public ownership works.

So for the next newborn in your life, consider buying a chunk of stock as an investment in the future. It sure beats a diaper cake.

For more investing basics, check out MSN's New Investor Center.