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Bringing a baby into the world is such a joyful moment for a new mom, but finding a gift to give a new mom can be quite a feat, especially if you aren’t a parent yourself. Walking the aisles of Target trying to find just the right gift to give can be so overwhelming.
It’s been over 2 years since I had my son, and I’m blessed to have had so many people in my life give many gifts to my son and I after his birth. Since then, I’ve made it a point to give some of those gifts to all the new moms in my life, because they impacted me and helped so much in those challenging early days of motherhood. Here I’ll include some of those, and some others suggested by other new appreciative moms.
The ultimate key to giving a gift to a new mom
Before going into the nitty gritty, let me give you some good general advice when it comes to giving a gift to a new mom. Ultimately, how much the gift costs doesn’t really matter, because some of the most valuable gifts you can give are free! So don’t get too hung up on how much you spend, because love, support, and a helping hand are most of the time completely free to give.
But if you’re just itching to open up the pocketbook to give a gift, remember the ultimate key to picking a gift for a new mom is it needs to make her life easier or more restful! Her life is, or is about to be totally turned upside down. If you could give her anything to make her life easier, or more restful, then that will make a huge different.
So what could you give to make a new mom’s life a little simpler or more restful? Let’s get to it!
1- Sleep, glorious sleep!
If there is one word that best describes the majority of new moms, it’s TIRED!
I vividly remember coming home from the hospital with my son, who I Iabored 3 entire days for, went into an emergency c section for, stayed up all night for about 3 more nights failing to breastfeed with. I was exhausted, and lacked sleep for at least 6 days.
Then my amazing mom came by and she asked me “what can I do for you?”
I just cried and said “I’m tired.” She took my son and simply said “I got this.” I went and took a very long nap while my mom enjoyed some cuddle time with my son.
I think about that day frequently and how much that meant to me. It was a free gesture, but it was exactly what I needed. I also see so many new moms who are struggling so much, and the most valuable thing they can find is rest.
Simply offering a couple hours to cuddle baby while mom rests can be exactly what she needs!
2- Food she doesn’t have to cook, or groceries she doesn’t have to pick up
After eating hospital food for at least 24 hours, no new mom wants to think about making dinner!
One of my other favorite things I was given when I came home with my son was food I didn’t have to cook. I had a friend who came over shortly after I had my son, and she was so upset because all she could bring me was a frozen Stouffer’s lasagna.
I was over the moon! It was a meal I didn’t have to cook!
Even a frozen meal from the grocery store can be everything for a new mom. The Family Freezer has tons of freezer meals that make for excellent gifts for any new mom. Even sending a Hello Fresh box can make a big difference for any mom! You could even consider sending gift cards to some delivery services such as:
- HelloFresh
- Home Chef
- DoorDash
- Grubhub
- Postmates
- Instacart
- Meal Train is a wonderful website that helps plan meal deliveries for your friends and family. Getting a bunch of people together and planning meals for a new mom is a wonderful way to support her.
3- A Hot Shower
Some moms handle lack of showers like pro’s. I, on the other hand, can’t STAND going without a shower. So when I came home with my son, and couldn’t find even 5 minutes to wash off.
Watching baby for a little bit while mom takes a shower can be EXACTLY what she needs to feel like a full human again. It’s a simple gesture, but it can be just what she needs to feel like herself again.
4- A Spa Day (even if it’s at home)
Showers, sleep, and food can certainly make a new mom feel a lot more like herself, but what if you helped her feel a little more…extra!
A gift card to a local nail salon or spa could be just what a new mom needs to feel amazing! If a new mom isn’t feeling comfortable leaving the house yet, then bring the spa to her! Get some sheet masks from the store, get some nail polish (Olive And June have some AMAZING mani-pedi boxes that provide everything you could need to make your nails look great), turn on some peaceful music on Spotify, and bring the spa to her! It’s self care, but without the planning!
5- A Clean-ish house
Messes can be very triggering for some people, and new moms are often subject to that trigger. Giving a mom a clean-ish home would lift such a huge weight off her shoulders!
You don’t have to clean her entire house or fold her underwear by any means! Something as simple as doing the dishes, or vacuuming her floors could be such a simple gesture of love and compassion for a new, overwhelmed mom.
If you aren’t able to do the work, then offer to pay for a cleaning service to visit their house. Some cleaning services offer gift certificates as well.
6- Car Seat Wisdom
Car seat safety is such a major point of frustration and fear for new parents. Choosing the right car seat, installing it correctly, putting baby in correctly, and when the appropriate time to transition is so much for any parent to understand! And heads up, many labor and delivery nurses won’t have the adequate knowledge to help when baby arrives!
Safe In The Seat is an INCREDIBLE resource for everything car seat safety, and they offer a full course on car seat safety for baby’s first year. Giving a new parent peace of mind about car seat safety can make a world of difference not just for baby’s safety, but for the parents peace of mind. And no, it’s not parent shaming to give car seat wisdom. The gift of knowledge can sometimes be the kindest thing you can do!
7- Echo Dot
I remember the days when I would go to the grocery store and somehow just remember what I needed. Now I’m a mom and I barely remember what I did 5 minutes ago!
I got an Echo Dot for myself when it was ridiculously on sale simply because I could tell it to make a grocery list for me! That alone made it worth every penny! If I needed to remember a specific date, I could tell my Echo Dot and BOOM, it’s remembered. Need to reorder the cat food? Tell Alexa and BAM, cats fed! My Echo Dot became my brain when my brain was mush after giving birth.
I could go on for DAYS about all of the perks of having an Echo Dot (like playing music or games during breastfeeding sessions, or setting timers and alarms for cooking or feeding schedules), but trust me when I say that Alexa making lists for you makes it WORTH EVERY PENNY!
8- Ember Mug
I’m a self professed coffee snob, and warm coffee in the morning is an absolute necessity. After having my son, getting coffee in the morning was always the first thing on my mind, but also the last thing I did. The Ember Mug keeps your coffee warm at the perfect temperature, so if you pour it and forget it it’s no big deal! Once you finally get around to enjoying your cup of joe, it’ll be warm for you! It’s exactly what any tired mom needs in the morning.
9- Hello Bello Diaper Subscription
I was blessed with a big surplus of diapers once my son was born, but when that surplus ran out it became a guessing game on how many diapers I would need for any period of time. Going to the store at the drop of a hat with a baby is also not always an option for many moms.
The Hello Bello diaper boxes are a great solution for moms to always have enough diapers and wipes sent directly to their door. The diaper designs are absolutely ADORABLE, they’re plant based and eco friendly, and you can get tons of add-ons for 15% off.
Knowing that diapers will always be available can be such a relief for any new mom, and it’s even more of a relief when you don’t have to brave the store with a baby to get them!
10- Handprint and Footprint Kit
Before you know it, those little feet will be big enough to stomp around the house pretending they’re an elephant! Keeping the memory of those tiny hands and feet is a precious gift to give any new parent. These handprint and footprint kits provide everything needed to create a nursery worthy keepsake. They’re also customizable and non-toxic.
11- A Slow Cooker
Remembering to cook was a major pain point for me when I had my son. After weeks of constantly ordering takeout, I dusted off my slow cooker in hopes to eat something at least semi-homemade. I now realize why every mom I’ve ever known always has their slow cooker as a permanent fixture on their countertops! I especially love the slow cookers that will automatically switch to “Keep Warm” when the cooking time is up. A slow cooker is such a simple tool any new mom could appreciate.
12- Haakaa Hand Pump
Hand pumping has been a proven method for increasing milk production, and any anxious new mom planning to breastfeed would like anything to assist with that. the Haakaa hand pump is small, simple, and effective, and it has tons of good reviews to back it up!
13- The Best Sound Machine Ever!
My son came out of the womb crying, and he honestly didn’t stop for about 13 hours. It wasn’t until I found a white noise app on my phone and played it in the hospital that he finally calmed. White noise has been shown to be effective in comforting babies because it mimics the sound of the womb. It’s also great in blocking out outside noise during sleep.
The Yogasleep Rohm sound machine is a tiny portable powerhouse of a sound machine! It has 3 settings, holds a charge for a long time, and comes with a loop for easy carrying. This sound machine has become a staple for sleeping in the car, stroller, grandparents house, you name it!
14- A swaddle…but for adults
I’m sure you already know swaddling during sleep can be great for newborns, but what about adults?
The Hug Sleep pod is basically a big swaddle for adults. It applies gentle compression while you sleep, which is shown to help you fall asleep faster. New moms can use ANYTHING to ensure that what sleep they do get is restful and peaceful. I struggled greatly with postpartum anxiety and insomnia, and the Hug Sleep pod has helped me calm quicker at night and feel more at peace.
15- Cozy, breastfeeding friendly pajamas
If I could go back in time, I would have gotten myself some much nicer clothes to get spit up and breastmilk all over after having my son. Not just for the vanity side of just looking a little nicer, but also feeling more comfortable! Button up tops make for easy breastfeeding access, and silk or satin can feel great on sore, uncomfortable bodies. Also breathable fabrics are wonderful for all of those weird hormone changes, which can result in hot flashes in some new moms.
16- Baby K’Tan Baby Wrap
The Baby K’Tan is hands down my FAVORITE baby carrier! I could never figure out the full blown wraps, but the Baby K’Tan is the flexibility of a wrap and the simplicity of throwing on a T-Shirt all in one. It’s very customizable, and can be used for kiddos up to 35 pounds. I basically wore my Baby K-Tan for 99% of the day!
17- Cozy Nursing Bras
I don’t recommend getting a ton of nursing bras before having baby, because breast sizes can change dramatically after birth. But there are some great options to stock up on before baby is born. Night time nursing bras are cozy and forgiving when it comes to fluctuating cup sizes. They can also be great to put in a hospital bag. My favorite nursing bras came from Kindred Bravely. My son has been weaned for quite some time, but sometimes I still wear my night time nursing bra around the house!
18- Motherlove Nipple Cream
New moms may not know that their nipples will HURT when first breastfeeding! Cracked, painful, and achy nipples can make breastfeeding so difficult for a new mom. The Motherlove Nipple Cream is a really well reviewed cream perfect for maintaining comfort while breastfeeding.
19- Cozy, Postpartum Friendly Sweats
After having an emergency c-section, I had to be very careful about the kind of pants I wore after birth. My usual wardrobe of black leggings were’t going to work for my changing postpartum body. Having a supply of comfortable postpartum friendly sweatpants made recovering from a c section so much better. Pants that are loose fitting are perfect for accommodating for incision sites, tears, bandages, oversized underwear and pads, and changing bodies.
20- Polaroid Camera
Of course, any mom probably has at least a thousand pictures of their child on their phones. But if your phone is like mine, those precious pics take up lots of space! a polaroid camera is a cute, retro way of keeping those precious memories, and immediately printing them. You could even get a cute picture album to keep all the pictures in.
21- Baby Memory Book
One of my favorite things to do when I visit my mom is look through my baby book from when I was a baby. My mom meticulously wrote down the dates of all my first, current events from my childhood, and pictures documenting big events of my life. Giving a new mom a chance to document it all could be a beautiful thing for her to pass down to her child. This is actually the memory book I have for my own son, and its just so precious!
22- A Hair Routine that takes 0.25 seconds
As a new mom, I simply accepted that my hair was going to look like a rats nest for quite a while. But it doesn’t have to be! Since many new moms may struggle with continuing their previous hair care routine, this Revlon One Step Hair Dryer can give moms a blowout without all the time and effort of one.
23- The Gift Of Postpartum Recovery
Many hospitals are great about providing postpartum recovery tools for new moms, but some simply don’t. FridaMom has a myriad of postpartum recovery goodies that make all of the uncomfortable parts of postpartum life so much simpler, like an upside down peri bottle, cold therapy maxi pads, sitz bath tablets, and disposable underwear. From experience, the disposable underwear is seriously the most comfortable underwear you’ll ever wear! Postpartum recovery is by no means a glamorous thing to talk about, but giving a new mom the gift of preparedness can be so kind and beneficial for those difficult postpartum days.
24- Cozy Slippers
For some silly reason, I was under the assumption I was going to sit a lot when I gave birth. That was WRONG! I don’t think I ever sat down when I came home with my son. Having a pair of cushy slippers saved my poor feet from being as sore as the rest of me. When a new moms whole body is hurting, having her feet feel good can be a kind, and thoughtful thing to consider for her.
25- Effortless Coffee
Like I said, I’m a self professed coffee snob. As much as I love french press coffee, no new mom has time to slave over a french press or a Chemex. Get her a Keurig, and that sweet elixir of life will be ready in no time for her!
26- Tea and treats that helps with milk production
Many moms don’t think of milk production until it becomes a problem. Giving moms what they need BEFORE it becomes a potential issue can be incredibly thoughtful. You can consider even making a milk basket for a new mom full of lactation treats, tea, and supplements.
27- Floors That Vacuum Themselves
My floors became severely neglected after having my son. Basically the cat hair became one with my carpet!
A Roomba can be an awesome gift to give a new mom, who may otherwise allow their pet hair to become one with the carpet like I did. I have several mom friends who say their Roomba’s were game changers after having their kids. It was one less thing to remember to do, which anyone, especially new moms, can appreciate!
28- Support!
This is hands down the greatest gift you could give any new mom! It costs nothing but your time, love, and commitment. Simply supporting a new mom can make a world of difference!
How do you support a new mom? Ask how they’re doing, check in on their mental health, offer your assistance with the baby or around the house, offer an open ear to hear, and many other things. Support doesn’t always have to come with physical gifts, in fact the most impactful support comes with simply showing up when parenting is tough.
Most importantly, show your support longer than just the first couple of weeks. Many people are ready to jump at the opportunity to help a new mom when the baby is tiny and sleepy, but not so much when they’re crawling, babbling, or regressing in sleep. Moms need support at ALL stages of parenting!
It’s the little things
Finding out what to give a new mom can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t have kids yourself. If looking at this list seems daunting to you, thats ok! Think about this one thing when giving a gift to a new mom:
“What’s something I can do to make this big change just a little bit easier for her?”
When you frame your decision like that, you’ll see that maybe the thing you give her is free! Maybe you simply give your time, your listening ears, your love and support, or your skills. Or you can branch out and think of the gifts that will benefit her and make her life simpler.
Some of those things might cost some money, but often times the best gifts you can give are free. I can guarantee you that new moms aren’t wondering who bought them the bougeeist present, they’re wanting to find the people who will be THEIR people in such an important time in their life. That is the little thing, but also the biggest thing you can be for a new mom. Be their person.
