Introduction
Are You a Parent? Share Your Most Special Post-Baby Gift or Gesture!a
When I became a mother, I received a thoughtful gift from a group of friends. They knew I was exhausted after giving birth to my second son during the pandemic. The gift made me feel appreciated and loved.
I remember my first son’s arrival at the hospital. The experience was new and filled with emotions. For my second son, the postpartum period was different due to the pandemic times.
If you have a pregnant friend, sister, workmate, daughter, niece, cousin, partner, wife, or girlfriend, consider giving a thoughtful gift. It doesn’t have to cost much; even free gestures count. Remember, it’s the thought that counts.
Some great gift ideas include helping with chores, offering meals, or simply being physically present. These gestures help new parents adjust to their new role. Don’t forget about new dads; they are also exhausted and need support.
After the first baby or even the fifth baby, every woman experiences a phenomenal change. Being there for them makes a difference.
House Cleaning Service
After I arrived home with my second son, I noticed the mess that had accumulated in just a few days. My husband had been busy shuttling our older son to the hospital, and the house was in disarray. The dirty kitchen, trash, and shower needed scrubbing.
A lovely gift for new parents who appreciate a clean space is to organise a paid cleaning service for a period of time. It could be just once, perhaps while mum and baby are still at the hospital. If budget-permitting, you could pay for someone to come back once a week during the first month or months, so the tired parents don’t have to use their energy on baby-duties like scrubbing the toilet.
If you don’t have the funds for this but like the idea, you could offer to do it yourself. This might require some convincing, as the parents may say it’s okay and not to worry, but if you find a way to help, they will be eternally grateful.
Meals
New parents often find it hard to cook meals after the birth of their baby. Even if they have freezer meals prepared, it’s good to save those for times like the four month sleep regression. Providing lunches and dinners during the first few weeks can be a big help.
You can give a restaurant or takeaway gift card. If you have the skills, you can cook meals yourself. Make sure the food is easy to eat, especially if the mother is nursing. Pack the food and leave the packages at their door. In these pandemic times, it’s best to ring the bell and drop off the food without entering the house.
Setting up a meal train is another option. This involves coordinating meal sharing with a group of people who know the parents. You can create a list of meals and decide who will bring what and when.
Another thoughtful gift is a cookbook with quick and easy meal ideas. Books like Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals, Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals, or Gordon Ramsay’s Quick and Delicious can help streamline meal prep when time is limited pre-baby.
Snacks
New parents, especially new mothers, often find it hard to have a sit down meal. They are usually on the go, grabbing a quick bite while nursing or taking a sip of water with the baby on your hip. Sometimes, it’s just biscuits at 3 am during burping the baby.
Providing nutritious food is essential for recovery and milk production after birth. If gifting meals isn’t possible, consider giving a basket filled with non-perishable snacks. Choose the healthiest versions to ensure they get the necessary nutrients and calories for healing and milk production. Be mindful of their tastes and any allergic reactions.
Some good options include nuts, dried fruit, muesli bars, protein bars made with their favourite ingredients, muesli, cereal for a quick meal, nut butters, crackers, cans of tuna or other fish paired with chopped raw veggies, applesauce, olives, and jarred vegetables like tomatoes, artichokes, and peppers. Other choices are popcorn, lactation cookies, and muffins.
For something more substantial, prepare smoothie packs with chopped fruit, frozen berries, and spinach. Place them in plastic bags or re-usable containers for an environmentally-friendly version. Store them in the freezer. To make a smoothie, add milk or another liquid and blend. Include a dry ingredient mix in a jar with protein powder, seeds, and spices. They can add a spoon of this before blending. A smoothie can serve as a full meal and can be easily consumed while nursing.
Drinking Vessels
Nursing mothers need to drink a tonne of water for recovery after birth and to manage postpartum night sweats. Water requirements increase for new mothers, and new parents often feel exhausted. They rely on coffee to meet their beverage requirements.
Gifts like a drink bottle with a straw type mechanism help prevent spillages on a sleeping baby at 1 am. Straw ones from Camelbak are popular. An insulated bottle ensures water stays cool. A large size drink bottle allows multiple placements for access to water on the nightstand, nursing station, couch, kitchen, car, and stroller.
A travel coffee mug or tea mug is useful. New parents are exhausted and may need caffeine. While nursing or holding a baby, a hot coffee in a travel mug is safer. It keeps the hot drink hot for a lot longer than a cup.
Adding their favourite tea, coffee, hot chocolate mix, or juice can make the gift more special.
Instant Polaroid Camera
New parents often want to capture every moment of their baby’s life. They take many photos, sometimes thousands, using their phone. However, creating a memory book can be challenging due to exhaustion from caring for a newborn after birth.
An Instant Polaroid Camera allows for quick snaps that are printed immediately. These can be displayed on the fridge or kept in albums. Although it’s a pricier gift, it is often appreciated by a parent who values preserving memories but lacks the time or energy for traditional memory-keeping.
A “One Line a Day” 5-Year Journal
New parents often seek simple ways to preserve memories during the early years of their child’s life. A “One Line a Day” 5-Year Journal offers a straightforward method for memory-keeping.
This journal provides five spaces for each day, allowing entries over the next five years. It’s ideal for jotting down funny moments, significant milestones, or daily reflections. For instance, noting when the baby smiled, laughed, or rolled over, or capturing amusing remarks from a 3 year old, 4 year old, or 5 year old.
Brands like Mål Paper offer such journals, emphasizing the concept of concise daily entries. This practice encourages new parents to quickly jot down their thoughts and feelings, creating a lasting keepsake. Starting during pregnancy allows the mother to record her journey, making it a beautiful gift for those expecting.
Beauty, healing, and self-care
After having my baby, I felt less than great. The postpartum period brought pain, healing, and a lot of mess. Even simple acts like shaving my legs or brushing my teeth made me feel wonderful. To help a new mum feel her best, consider gifting her favorite beauty and self-care supplies. If you’re unsure of her preferences, a massage or spa voucher can offer her a relaxing break from the baby and some much-needed time to herself. If you know her likes, create a basket filled with items such as face masks, body moisturizers, hair masks, fancy shampoo, conditioner, eye serum, hand cream, body wash, dry brush, and hand wash. These thoughtful gifts can make a significant difference in her recovery and well-being.
A Fresh Set of Cozy Attire
After bringing home a newborn, I found myself spending most of my time at home. Wearing fresh, cosy clothes helped me feel more put together. Items like pyjamas, a robe, slippers, and loungewear became my daily essentials. A cosy blanket was perfect to snuggle up and stay warm during those late nights up with the baby.
Adding a pillow with a fun pillow cover brought a touch of joy to my resting spots. A shawl or big scarf proved versatile; I used it as a scarf, a blanket for herself, a nursing cover, a blanket for her baby, a changing mat, a pram cover when the baby is sleeping, a picnic blanket, and even a tummy time blanket.
These simple additions made my postpartum days more comfortable and enjoyable.
At home healing and massage
After having my second son, I experienced intense post-birth contractions. A microwavable heat bag became a life saver, helping me relax and ease the post-pregnancy aches and pains. For new dads, the physical work of rocking, nappy-changing, and holding the baby can also be taxing. Gifting items like a neck massager, foot bath with massage function, or an oil diffuser with relaxing scents can provide much-needed relief. These tools not only help in relaxing but also mask the underlying odors of baby vomit and poop, making the home environment more pleasant.
Postnatal Fitness Gifts
After giving birth, many new parents feel excited to start working out again. Engaging in exercise can help them feel more like themselves. If they enjoy a certain type of exercise, consider helping them fund a post-natal course. They can begin once they’re six weeks postpartum and have been cleared by her doctor. This gift will be appreciated, offering them time out of the house or the option to be alone during a Zoom class, especially if physical fitness centres haven’t re-opened yet.
Providing guidance on how to exercise safely during the postpartum period is important. The body may feel different, and it’s crucial not to undo the healing process.
Nighttime Nursery Lighting
During the first few months, I often had to wake up at night for changing, feeding, rocking, and burping my baby. Using soft, low lighting helped avoid disturbing the baby’s sleep. Instead of bright overhead lights or lamps, I used lights that could be clipped onto the changing table or shelf. These lights had options for different lighting settings, allowing me to adjust between softer and brighter levels depending on the task.
Entertainment and Streaming Gifts for New Parents
During the first few months after our sons’ lives, my husband and I spent a lot of time nursing and staying at home. We found comfort in watching the latest and greatest entertainment together. Services like Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, YouTube Premium, and Disney Plus became our go-to sources of relaxation. Gift cards for these platforms can be a thoughtful present for new parents. Even if they already have an account, they can add the value to their balance. The choice of provider may depend on what’s available in their area. Additionally, a cinema gift card can be a delightful surprise for when cinemas re-open, offering them a much-needed night out that they might be craving in a few months.
Kindle: A Thoughtful Gift for New Mothers
After the birth of my first son, I discovered that reading books became challenging during nursing sessions, especially in the dark. Holding a physical book while balancing a nursing pillow was cumbersome. That’s when I realized the convenience of a Kindle. This pricier gift allowed me to read eBooks effortlessly, even in low light, without disturbing my baby. It became the perfect time to indulge in reading, making those moments more enjoyable.
Motherhood Memoirs: Thoughtful Reads for New Moms
After the birth of my second son, my friends gifted me My Wild and Sleepless Nights: A Mother’s Story by Clover Stroud. As a big reader, I found this personal story about her fifth child to be the perfect, funny, and emotional read I needed. It was empowering to read another’s tale of motherhood, capturing the ups and downs of being a new mother.
For those who appreciate a literary type of gift, a mother’s memoir can be a great gift. The Motherhood by Jamila Rizvi is a collection of essays by Australian writers, offering a sense of village to the new mother reader, especially during times when we are socially distanced.
Another recommendation is Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year by Anne Lamott. This motherhood story is both funny and touching, though it also delves into her friend’s illness, which might be heavy for some. Nonetheless, it’s a heartfelt gift.
A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother by Rachel Cusk is an honest memoir that dives deep into the trenches of early motherhood, sharing raw and unfiltered experiences.
For the creative type, Black Milk: On the Conflicting Demands of Writing, Creativity, and Motherhood by Elif Shafak explores the challenges of balancing being a mother with maintaining a creative life.
These books offer diverse perspectives on motherhood, making them thoughtful gifts for new moms seeking connection and understanding through shared experiences.
Don’t Forget About the New Parents After the First Few Weeks
The first couple of months after a baby is born, the gifts come often. But then they stop arriving, the help stops being offered, the pre-made meals are long gone, and the novelty of new parenthood is worn off. The honeymoon phase is over, and the cumulative sleep deprivation is reaching an all-time high. Now, more than ever, it’s time to demonstrate the true awesomeness of a friend, family member, partner, or anyone who cares about the parents.Sweeping in with another gift, no matter how small, shows you see them.
Make a call to the mother or father, ask, “What can I do for you?” If they don’t have an answer in mind, or feel too embarrassed to give ideas, just come over with something from the list above.Maybe they need food, or an inspiring book, or maybe they need someone to give their bathroom a good, deep clean.
Around the six week point, just after the mother is cleared for normal life by her doctor, you could set up a bath pack.Before that, during postpartum, baths are generally not recommended.But after that point, she is free to enjoy a finally nice, long soak.
You can compile bath supplies like epsom, salts, bubbles, a bath tray, a bottle of champagne, and a new book. Then just head over, tell her you’ll look after the baby while she takes an hour for herself in the bathroom.
I think no new mother would say no to that. These are the ideas, the ways to make new parents, and mothers especially, feel loved, appreciated, and supported in a time of dramatic change. Those early weeks, even months, following birth, can be hard. But with care, they get easier. Hopefully, you’ve taken a couple of new ideas to use.
