9 Items to Gift to a New Mom AFTER the Baby is Born
When you go to visit a new mom and her baby (and new dad), you certainly don’t have to take a gift. But there are a lot of things a new baby could use and a new mom could use some pampering. Check out the 9 Gifts to Give a New Mom After the Baby is Born for some great ideas to take care of the new family.
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Listen, baby showers are fantastic and wonderful and I appreciate everyone who came to mine and gave me things to help with my son.
BUT.
But, a new mom doesn’t really know what she needs, and she doesn’t know what her baby needs. I asked everyone I could wrangle into a conversation about what they thought were the important things I needed for a new baby. Then I googled the heck out of the topic. I read all the blogs. And I downloaded all the registry guides.
I still didn’t know what I needed or what I was doing.
And then Camden was born. 8 lbs, 4 oz of complete perfection – and complete confusion. I had a whole lot of stuff I didn’t seem to need when he was a newborn, but there seemed to be a whole lot of stuff that I needed but didn’t have.
So if you’re going to visit a mama and her new baby, take her one (or more!) of these top 9 gifts to give a new mom after the baby is born.
Gift Ideas For New Mom / For the Baby:
A Cute, Simple Outfit for the Baby
No matter what else I’m bringing, I can’t resist bring a new outfit for the little one! And I know I appreciated all the new clothes for my son when he was born.
This Posh Peanut kimono set is my favorite new baby outfit. I wish I’d known about it when my son was born (and you can bet I’ll have one for my next one!). The kimono style keeps the snaps away from the umbilical cord stub, and the pants have feet so you don’t have to worry about socks. The dinosaur print is adorable (and they have 3 beautiful floral prints as well!), and the material is the softest ever – it’s not cotton, it’s bamboo! I didn’t think to buy any kimono style clothes, so I had to be really careful of the cord stub for a while. This is a perfect nice-to-meet-you gift for a new family!
Want to see more adorable baby clothes that make a great gift for a new mom and baby? Check out my Amazon store to see my favorite baby clothes deals!
Diapers and/or Wipes
If she had a diaper shower or if she or her husband had a diaper party or diaper poker party, they may be pretty stocked on diapers or wipes. But if not, diapers and wipes are always appreciated. A newborn goes through 10+ diapers a day; one box of diapers does not last very long. Find out what size the baby is, because bigger babies are often out of newborn diapers very quickly!
Bring a gift receipt with the diapers, so if they are not the right size or if the baby can only use one kind (our son could only use Pampers because his skin was too sensitive for the rest), the new mom can exchange them for different ones.
Diaper Rash Ointment
Most moms probably got some diaper rash cream as a gift or picked some up on their own. Probably. But maybe it didn’t occur to them. And even if it did, they probably bought some fancy brand, because #newmom. Buy them some Triple Paste (or other extra -strength, pediatrician-recommended brand). Get the good stuff. It’s pricier than most, but when Camden got diaper rash so badly that he had sores, the regular paste wasn’t working fast enough. The Triple Paste worked in mere hours. Any new mom will be grateful.
Pacifiers
I don’t know about you, but I thought – as a naive new mom – that having 3 pacifiers was plenty. And then I learned I was stupid. Because you’re going to lose those suckers everywhere – under the crib, under the changing table, in the car, under the couch, etc. And nothing is worse that your baby screaming and you know a pacifier would soothe him and you can’t find. a. single. one.
So take that mama some extras. She may think they’re overkill and put them in the drawer when you leave, but when it’s two a.m. and she can’t find a GD pacifier while her 7 week old is crying, she’ll pull them out of the drawer and be thankful. Love, an experienced mama.
Gripe Water
Gripe water is something we had no idea we needed. But then our son had terrible hiccups that kept him awake, and we couldn’t get them to stop. I googled it, found out about gripe water, but then got concerned because most gripe water seemed to be made with sugar, which my newborn definitely did not need. And then I found Mommy’s Bliss Gripe Water, which is all natural, made with no sugar, and my newborn sucked it down like it was as good as mama’s milk.
But did it work? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Gripe water literally stops hiccups in a matter of seconds. This stuff is liquid silver (because we all know milk is liquid gold), and I’m making it my goal to make sure every new mama I know has some on hand. Take a new mom some gripe water; she’ll be thankful for it later.
Gift Ideas for New Mom:
Coffee/Tea Basket
Newborns are exhausting. And if a mom has other kids too, it’s even more exhausting because they still need attention too. Mamas (and daddies) need all the caffeine there is. So pack a basket with coffee, tea, chocolate, chocolate covered coffee beans, and every other form of caffeine you can find.
My current favorites are: Boca Java ground coffee (Bananas Foster or Maple Bacon coffee, anyone?), Tazo chai tea concentrate, Good Earth Sweet and Spicy Tea, and these Hoosier Hill Milk and Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans.
A Gift Card for Amazon
An Amazon gift card is perfect, because it lets a new mom buy whatever it is that she needs. More diapers? Amazon’s got it. Snacks for a hungry breastfeeding mama? Check. An e-book to read during all those hours spent feeding and cuddling a new baby? Yep.
Amazon gift cards are basically the perfect way to say “Welcome to being a parent. Amazon’s got you covered.”
Freezer Meals or a Local Restaurant Gift Card for New Mom:
Don’t take a fresh meal that needs to be eaten soon if you’re visiting in the first couple of weeks. Lots of people are probably bringing over meals, the new parents may have stocked up on freezer meals, and both parents may be off work and home together for a couple of weeks, which makes getting a quick meal a little bit manageable.
But when the first couple of weeks have passed, the help drops off. One parent probably goes back to work. Freezer meals run out. Now is the time that they need an extra boost. Make a freezer meal or two (try Taco Chicken or Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili) and drop them off.
Or stop in at a local restaurant and grab a gift card (bonus points if you pick one that delivers!). A gift card lets the new parents use it whenever they decide that they need some extra support in the meal area, and if delivery is an option, they don’t even have to pick it up.
Fresh Toiletries for Mom to Feel More Like Herself
A new mom doesn’t have much time for herself. But I still wanted to feel a little put together and fresh every day. Help a new mama out by giving her a little basket filled with a few things that will help her pamper herself in a quick way: dry shampoo for the days she might not get to wash her hair, a nice face mask, baby-safe nail polish (in case baby might suck on mom’s finger), hydrating face spray, all natural hand sanitzer, and anything else you can think of!
Tips:
Give New Parents an Option – Don’t Just Show Up
We recently had some family friends have a beautiful baby boy, and we wanted to take them that Posh Peanut outfit I showed earlier and a box of newborn diapers. I wanted to drop them off soon, because the outfit is a 0-3 month, and the diapers are size newborn. So we texted them and told them we were going to stop by on our way to somewhere else, and we would just leave them on their doorstep. That way, that left it up to them whether or not they wanted anyone’s company. If they wanted to show off their little man, they could say that. But if they didn’t feel like company (because who does when you’re still healing from giving birth??), they didn’t feel pressured.
Wait; Just Wait
If you want to bring food, wait 4 or 5 weeks. Guess what? Things don’t really get a whole lot easier once you’re a month in, especially because there’s a good chance the husband has gone back to work. When my husband went back to work, I was still feeding Camden 10-12 times a day and pumping 6-8, he was screaming all day long because he had a caffeine intolerance we didn’t know about and a tongue tie that made feeding miserable, and he wouldn’t nap unless he was on me. Dinner was impossible.
If you wait a month to bring food, most of the other well-wishers have already brought food in the early days. But this is such a critical time, too.
It’s Not a One Time Thing
Want to be a real help? Don’t just drop by once to meet the baby and hold the baby. Come prepared to work; offer to vacuum, wash dishes, bring a meal, make a meal, let mama take a nap, etc. And then offer to come back another time and help again.
GreenMamalife
I love the coffee/ tea basket idea! Great recommendations! Although I’m one of the few who don’t like to be gifted clothes because I like to pick them haha.
christyk3
This is a very comprehensive list! My sister swears by gripe water, so I’ll make sure she is stocked up with our newest niece.
Lorena | www.lorenaylennox.com
Great list of ideas to give mama after she had her baby. The best gift anyone brought me after I had my baby was a food platter. It was much needed in those first few rough newborn days.