Being pregnant is an exciting time. You spend nine months growing a baby inside you only for your life to change when they arrive. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, but a journey that every mother would say is worth it. When it comes to friends or family that have given birth to a new member, often you want to do what you can give them a gift or help out in some way.
This is normally a sentimental gift or maybe something for the baby.
But what do you get for a new mum? Most people will choose clothes for the baby or perhaps some form of baby item that they need. But if you want to be a little different then often it is worth thinking outside of the box and going down a different route. With that in mind, here are some of the best gift ideas to consider.
Image source – Pixabay – CC0 License
The help a new mom would like
Sometimes the best present in the world is the gift of time and help. When you become a mom for the first time, it can hit you like a tonne of bricks. You feel overwhelmed with looking after a baby, you have no clue what you are doing, and you subsequently just feel out of your depth. You only have to cast your mind back to how you might have felt in those early newborn days.
Even if they have had a baby before, they now have other children to think about as well as their baby. So time can be a huge asset to them, a chance for them to catch up with themselves or generally get ahead. If you would prefer to give something that would be of value not in terms of something physical, then here are some suggestions to think about.
Making meals and batch cooking for them
Eating when you have a baby can become a challenge, so it may be worth to start thinking about batch cooking and making some extra meals for your friend or family member. It could be an extra lasagna you make when you create your own meal for your family. It might be a batch of chilli or some vegetable soup. It may even be you going to the shops and turning up cooking for them so all they have to do is put a dish in the oven to warm through.
These small acts of kindness when it comes to food can be a huge help. It could even be that you go and fill the fridge and freezer up with food so they don’t have to venture to the shops or worry about making an online order. Food is so important in those early weeks, and when you are preoccupied with a newborn and running on lack of sleep, it can be easily done not to take extra care of yourself. You could help with that.
Offering to clean the house
Another thing that may get neglected once a new baby is on the scene is the housework and cleaning. It can often be the small things such as that what will really overwhelmed a new mom, knowing that they need to take care of chores as well. If you are going around to visit, you could offer to do the dishes, put some washing in the machine, or even hoover the house. Perhaps encouraging your friend or family member to go out for a stroll with the baby while you take care of the house while they are gone.
It can be small acts of kindness like this that can make a real big difference to how a new mom feels. Knowing that they can just concentrate on the baby and how they are feeling rather than the jobs that pile up.
Taking care of admin like announcing the birth
There is a lot of administration that comes with having a new baby. Paperwork, social media announcements and even organizing birth announcement cards so that you can thank everyone for their well wishes and share the news. So a great suggestion would be to do it for them. Maybe you could help answer their social media comments so that your friend or family member doesn’t feel rude for the lack of reply. Maybe you could send out the cards or order them online.
You could even help out with paperwork and normal household bills if you are on that sort of trust level with your friend or family member. Again these small things can add up over time so taking that stress away can be a huge help in the early days.
Help with other children
They may have other children to think about, and that might mean a school run to do or after school clubs to keep up with. So you may want to think about offering help with other children. It may be that you take them to school or pick them up. Offer to give them their evening meal or allow them to stay over. It might even be just helping out with the errands. This especially might be the case if your friend or family member has given birth via cesarean section. It means that they cannot drive for a certain period of time.
Image source – Pixabay – CC0 License
Taking care of the baby while they rest
Last of all, why not take care of the baby while they rest. They will be up all night feeding the baby so a great idea would be to offer them a chance to rest and sleep while you take care of the baby. It may mean you go round and allow them to head back to bed for an hour, or allow them to have a shower while they know their little one is taken care of. It’s a small gesture but it can make a world of difference to how they feel physically and also mentally.
They may not get a chance to do those things as often as they would like, especially when their partner goes back to work after paternity.
The gifts a new mom would like
Another thing you will want to do is actually give them a gift of something that they may want. INstead of focusing on baby clothes or items for the baby, why not give them a gift they can use themselves? It would be nice for them to have something as well as the baby getting all of the gifts.
Something personalized
You can’t go wrong with a personalized gift, and the options are endless. You could consider something like a teddy bear or something that you can have engraved. Some unusual ideas could be engraved wine glass or new tea mug. You might want to consider framing the first ever photograph of the new mother and baby together. There are many different ideas you could consider but think about what is of interest and take that gift to the next level.
A new handbag or pair of shoes
If your friend or family member is into her handbags and shoes, then these could be a great gift to give. They may not have been able to wear their heels for some time, especially in the last few weeks of pregnancy. So a new pair of shoes could be a real treat. Everyone loves a handbag, although a diaper bag is going to be the preferred choice for the foreseeable future. It would be nice for them to have a handbag to use on those childfree moments. Or when the little one gets a bit bigger.
Jewelry
A lovely gift is a piece of jewelry. Something that they can wear each day and transport them right back to that very moment. A lovely necklace or bracelet would work well. You don’t need to spend a lot of money, and you can get some great options at places
Hair or Nails appointment
It might have been a while since your wife or partner has had their hair done. The same might be said for their nails. So it would be a lovely treat to give the gift of an appointment and the time in which to use it. During those first few weeks in the newborn days, they may not have had much chance for some pampering, so I’m sure this will be greatly appreciated.
A camera
Finally, the last gift idea would be a new camera. Perhaps something digital or even one that can help them learn a bit more about photography. Some cameras even have video capability. This would be great because a new baby is a perfect chance to take lots of photographs. It would be a wonderful idea especially if the old camera is a little older.
Let’s hope these gift ideas have inspired you if you need to offer the gift of time or something you want to get your friend or family member. Of course, these aren’t necessary, and it is just a little extra something. But sometimes it can be nice to feel appreciated.
Kori
Latest posts by Kori (see all)
- Cultivating A Happier Home Environment In 5 Steps - March 1, 2024
