It’s hard to get an original gift for new parents! We know gifting from a baby registry is often preferred, but sometimes you can’t deny the urge to find an original gift for new parents. Plus, it’s always nice to receive a thoughtful, unexpected gift for baby.
Some of my favorite items for my baby were unexpected gifts I got from colleagues, friends and family that had nothing to do with what I needed for my baby, but helped give more color and whimsy and Jewishness to my baby’s early life — and to my early days of motherhood.
With that in mind, I’ve assembled some fun Jewish baby gift ideas, and also a few nice gifts for new Jewish parents:
1. Jewish onesies
A novelty onesie is the kind of thing parents don’t always buy themselves — which makes it, despite its not so long shelf-life (I would always size up) — a great baby gift.
a. NJB — Nice Jewish Baby — NJB usually stands for nice Jewish boy, but here at Kveller we’re reclaiming it as the gender-neutral nice Jewish baby.
b. Kvell-worthy — have you ever met a baby who was not kvell-worthy? Adorn a baby with some Yiddish with this adorable onesie from your favorite Jewish parenting website (we hope?)
c. R is for rugelach — for the tiny rugelach in your life, a shirt featuring one of the best Jewish pastries there is.
d. You are the lox to my schmear — Is there a better way to express your love for a tiny bundle of joy than with these magical words — especially coming from a person who may have abstained from lox for nine months.
e. Schmutz happens — Shmutz is the Yiddish word for dirt or an unidentifiable messy substance that may make it onto your face, body, or house — and that’s an inevitable part of raising a baby.
f. Litte matzah ball — This tiny matzah ball is oh-so-cute!
g. Bubuleh’s baby line — These beautifully embroidered baby clothes are just so stylish.
2. Nursery mezuzah
The nursery mezuzah is a special gift from a friend or relative, indeed.
a. Emily Rosenfeld Noah’s ark mezuzah — This is the one I have for my kid’s room. Is there a more iconic Biblical story for kids than Noah’s ark? Also, this one is just simply adorable. Rosenfeld has some pretty great mezuzahs for kids’ rooms, including this one of a family and this one of a bunch of animals from the ark.
b. Baby blessing mezuzah — add that little bit of extra good luck with double the blessings for the babe.
c. Gila baby mezuzah — This triangular (ish?) mezuzah, with Hebrew letters on it, is just so stunning. A true statement piece.
3. Hebrew nursery gifts:
a. Customizable lamb with Hebrew name — this is one of those gifts that keeps on giving, a unique teddy bear that will go from the nursery shelf and toy box to a toddler’s bed, and hopefully, kept as a memento for the rest of their lives.
b. Hebrew name puzzle — Wooden puzzles are so lovely, and a one-of-a-kind wooden puzzle is even more so!
c. Jewish matriarch names ornament — This beautiful glittery ornament includes the names of the four biblical matriarchs in Hebrew.
d. Embossed Jewish name coat peg — make sure the baby always can find their coat and is never cold — it’s the Jewish thing to do!
4. Jewish baby books
Can a baby ever have enough books? Um, yeah, sure, but that won’t stop us from gifting them!
a. “B Is For Bagel” — We’ve written about how much we love this adorable kids’ book, which teaches your kids letters through different types of bagels. It’s truly never too early to start the bagel indoctrination — even if it will be quite a few months before they can actually sample one.
b. “My First Book of Famous Jews” — This book contains essential information for any Jewish kid — preparing them for a life of saying “but did you know [INSERT NAME HERE] was Jewish?”
c. “My First Book of Yiddish Words” — It’s never too early to start exposing a baby to Yiddish!
d. “Buen Shabat, Shabbat Shalom” — This book is great for both infusing some Ladino knowledge and a love for Shabbat.
e. “It’s a Mitzvah” — It’s also never too early to start teaching your kids about mitzvahs (good deeds) and the Jewish value of tikkun olam.
5. Jewish blessings and good luck ornaments for nursery
a. Simple blessing for the children — This simple blessing in Hebrew and English is a lovely addition to any nursery and kids’ room.
b. Customizable blessing for the children — Get a little extra with a personalized blessing.
c. Colorful blessing for the children — This whimsical, colorful blessing will add a bit of color to any nursery.
d. Hamsa from the Israeli museum — Every nursery needs a hamsa, and this one is stylish and a dash colorful too, and will work with any decor.
For new Jewish parents:
6. Jewish mugs
Parenting takes lots, and lots of caffeine.
a. Kvell definition mug — For the mom who spends the day kvelling, a mug with the definition of the word.
b. Kvell/kvetch mug — Parenting has its up and down — or if we want to talk Yiddish terms, its kvell days and its kvetch days. This mug will help you signal where you’re at in the kvell kvetch cycle.
c. Abba sababa mug — This Hebrew mug says cool dad, because, he will need all the caffeine he can get to actually be an “Abba sababa.”
d. Don’t Tell Me To Keep Calm I Am a Jewish Mother mug — This mug might be playing into Jewish mother stereotypes — but this is a gift for a close friend who you know would enjoy this particular sentiment.
e. Morning chutzpah mug — We all need it.
7. Jewish water bottles
It’s easy to forget to hydrate as new parents, and these make for a healthy reminder.
a. Kveller water bottle — A water bottle that will signal to all a mom’s propensity for kvelling (and for hydration)!
b. Thirsty Jew water bottle — Because you don’t stop being thirsty (wink wink) when you’re a parent!
8. Jewish totes
Parents have so much they need to carry around, and an extra tote certainly never hurt anyone!
a. Kveller tote — Kvell and schlep at the same time.
b. Ima tote — This sweet tote has the word ima, Hebrew for mom, and is surrounded by English, Hebrew and Yiddish expressions related to motherhood.
c. Schlep tote — A very meta tote, indeed.
All of our recommendations are independently selected by Kveller’s editorial team. We may earn a commission if you buy something through one of our affiliate links.
