When you become a parent, whether for the first time or not, it can be one of the most intense times of your life. Everything can seem overwhelming at first with a newborn at home–especially when you’re balancing work, family, multiple kids, or you know, your sanity.
We asked our Facebook community what gifts they suggest for someone who just had a baby, and this is what they said (lightly edited):
1. “Check to see if one of their friends made a meal train and if not, make one for them. Offer to take older siblings or pets out and about. Sit with mom and listen to the birth story over and over while nodding and making listening noises. Make a bunch of snack baggies with protein, fruit and some crackers and leave them in the fridge for them to grab. Offer to run an errand on the way to the house. Or ask if they would like a few hours from a postpartum doula (who does all these things) and help hire one.”
-NA
2. “Cheap Gerber cloth diapers to use as burp cloths. Bring them coffee. Get them a Starbucks or Peet’s gift card. Casseroles, lasagna, bourekas, other dishes that are easy to freeze and heat up. Offer to help do dishes, make dinner, and fold laundry while they bond with their baby. Plain white onesies in various sizes (babies outgrow things so fast, if you get them 6mo-size onesies they’ll probably be wearing them in a couple months and grown out of them by June). A nursing pillow if they are breastfeeding and don’t already have one, and if they do get them some extra covers for it. Disposable diapers and baby wipes if they are using them. A baby k’tan or other sling/wrap style carrier because it’s always nice to have an extra, even if you already have one—in case it gets spat up/peed/pooped on, which happens a lot. Offer to get groceries for them.”
-KR
3. “Costco has those meals, pasta meals, stuffed peppers, enchiladas, that you just put in the oven and bake. Such a good gift! Homemade quality fresh food with hardly any work involved!”
-DJ
4. “If their child has a non-conventional name and they won’t be able to buy anything with the name: personalized stuff. I make and sell personalized bibs and name banners and have done some extremely odd names over the last 35 years. Also do Hebrew. Wooden step stool with name puzzle on it. Puzzles of the child’s name.”
-ME
5. “If they are breastfeeding, a booby basket! Put snacks, a water bottle, lanolin, breast pads, Chapstick, a hair clip, and some flannel burp cloths in the basket.”
-AK
6. “Cleaning house, doing laundry and homemade dinners that can be put in freezer. The less stress on Mum and baby, the happier both will stay.”
-DK
7. “A cleaning service to come a few times, come yourself and take care of baby and let new parents nap, or a gift certificate to a restaurant that delivers.”
-SK
8. “Give her a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure and offer to babysit while she has it. Send in a housekeeper or offer to do the shopping.”
-LW
9. “The best new baby gift I received was a 1-year-diaper service. I was given it for all my kids. Absolutely wonderful.”
-YF
10. “I had someone give me six weeks of a maid service. It has been my favorite gift ever.”
-ID
Tell us your gift ideas in the comments below.
