Scouring the internet for a list of must-haves for a new mom is easy – from swanky, luxurious spa memberships to inexpensive, handmade gift baskets, online searches should glean a chockful of results that will give you an endless list of gift ideas for new moms that will leave your head spinning.
But we hope to end your search right here, right now because we’re sure that not many results online or anywhere else will show you anything that won’t require you to provide your credit card details.
Before we show you our list, we’d like to first tell you that although our gift ideas do not have a dollar amount, it will take time and effort.
But aren’t new moms worth it? Once a woman becomes a mother, it is a role that she will have for the rest of her life. And it’s not an easy road ahead for her.
To put this gift list into perspective, let’s first talk about hard parts – what new moms have in store for them as they make their way home from the hospital:
- Postpartum Depression – this is definitely one of the hardest experiences a mom goes through. When a mom gives birth, her mind and body goes through several changes. The elation she felt while anticipating the birth of her child is replaced with anxieties, worries, sleepless nights and added to that is the insane amount of pressure that first time moms feel as society expects them to simply “bounce back”. Moms need our full support to battle postpartum depression.
- No Time for Self-Care – many new moms struggle with self-care. In fact, this is one of the many sacrifices that moms often make. Even the simplest self-care routines before motherhood become rare, luxurious experiences to new moms – like shaving properly, going to the bathroom alone, having time in the morning to drink hot coffee, etc. Giving moms even a few hours in a day to do the do even the simplest self-care routines will mean a lot.
- Back-To-Work Anxiety – from the time moms give birth, their paid maternity leave from work starts ticking. Before she knows it, she will soon need to get ready for work again but this time around, she will be leaving her child in the care of either a babysitter or at daycare. This makes new moms extremely anxious at the thought of going back to work and leaving their child in the care of another person other than her.
- Endless Housework – when caring for newborns and young children, they say keeping the house spotless is a hopeless task. What with bottles to clean, laundry to wash and fold, food to prepare and, if mom has older kids, then there’s more to be dealt with. On top of that, if mom is working full time, manages a business or works multiple jobs, she needs to do a 40-hour (sometimes more) work-week as well, too!
- Making Time for Marriage and Friendships – although motherhood is a unique journey for each woman, most moms often find that making time for marriage or relationships and keeping up with friendships may not be as easy as it used to.
- Expensive Childcare – whether a new mom needs a babysitter for a day or a full-time nanny, childcare can be costly. Searching for the right babysitter can be challenge, too. It takes time and several important things to consider to find a good babysitter that will suit a family’s specific needs.
Now that we’ve got all of that out of the way, we also want to let new moms know that the hard parts are TOTALLY and FULLY eclipsed by the amazing moments that comes only with motherhood:
- The beautiful, unique and almost aching love that you feel deep within your very soul when you hold your baby for the first time.
- The love and contentment you feel when you look at your other half and know that together, you made this tiny, beautiful human together.
- The pure, innocent way a baby looks at you as if you’re the most beautiful person on earth – even if you haven’t washed your hair for an entire week and you look like a complete mess.
- The sound of your baby’s laugh will also make every difficult moment so worth it! You’ll have moments early in the morning where you’ll simply feel overwhelmed with all the work you need to get done and then your baby does something silly out of nowhere – it’s more than enough to get you going for the rest of the day.
- The lessons you learn from your own children are also one of the best things you’ll ever experience – if you want to learn about grace, learn from a toddler who forgives you immediately after you get upset, if you want to learn about strength – learn from a preemie who fights every day in the NICU to stay alive, if you want to learn how to appreciate the little things – observe you small baby become fascinated at butterflies and at the smallest, most insignificant things.
- The tiny, magical moments in between difficult days: quiet time while breastfeeding, reading a book before bedtime, cuddles in the morning, taking your curious 2-year-old to the zoo for the first time, the list is endless and it makes everything about your life as a new parent incredibly beautiful.
- Finally, you’ll simply love the new you you’ll soon become. That “new mom” feeling will soon go away as the months and years quickly pass and you expertly buckle your toddler into the seat or how you scoop up your toddler with one arm and continue preparing breakfast without missing a heartbeat.
The hard parts, the good parts, and everything in between make motherhood worth celebrating!
Time to get some inspiration so you can give something truly meaningful to the beloved new mom in your life:
1. Offer to babysit and make it “official” by creating a “Babysitting Coupon”
A great idea for just about anyone to give to a new mom – your presence in the life of the new baby. And best of all. moms and dads could definitely use an extra pair of hands if they need to run an important errand, go to a doctor’s appointment or for a quick date night.
How To Give This Idea As A Gift
Carefully think of how many times you can commit to looking after a child and put it on a “coupon”. If you can only commit to just 2 or 3 babysitting sessions, that’s totally fine as long as you can honor your commitment. Your babysitting coupon can be handwritten or simply printed out, it doesn’t matter, as long as you put it in writing to make it official.
If you have the talents and tools available for beautiful calligraphy, so much the better! You can then give your babysitting coupon to the new parents as a baby shower gift or simply hand it to them when you visit the hospital.
You can find several templates online. Here’s a sample we made for you:
2. Offer to help laundry or do housework and make it “official” by creating a “Housekeeping Coupon”
Similar to offering some time to help with babysitting, another great gift idea that’s absolutely FREE is to offer help with house chores. Moms could definitely use the help. And when all’s clean and tidied up and the baby’s down for her nap, maybe join her for some tea or let her have some time to nap. That kind of help would be GOLDEN for a new mom.
How To Give This Idea As A Gift:
Carefully think of how many times you can commit to helping do housework and put it on a “coupon”. If you can only commit to just 2 or 3 housekeeping sessions, that’s totally fine as long as you can honor your commitment. Your housekeeping coupon can be handwritten or simply printed out, it doesn’t matter, as long as you put it in writing to make it official.
If you have the talents and tools available for beautiful calligraphy, so much the better! You can then give your housekeeping coupon to the new parents as a baby shower gift or simply hand it to them when you visit the hospital.
You can find several templates online. Here’s a sample we made for you:
3. Offer to drop off older kids to school and make it official by creating a “School Drop Off Coupon”
In the spirit of offering our time and commitment to new moms and dads, another great idea that will be a REAL help is to offer school drop-offs. Of course, this can only apply to parents with older, school-aged kids and you also have to ensure that you live close enough so that this won’t be a huge hassle on your part.
School runs seem simple for practiced moms but for moms with a newborn AND a school-aged child, this can be an everyday challenge. Why not help at least once a week for at least a month or two? If you can manage to honor this commitment. New moms and dads will simply look forward to you knocking on their door during your designated day for school drop-off.
How To Give This Idea As A Gift:
Carefully think of how many times you can commit to driving the older child to school and put it on a “coupon”. If you can only commit to just once a week or even once every 2 weeks, that’s totally fine as long as you can honor your commitment. Your school drop-off coupon can be handwritten or simply printed out, it doesn’t matter, as long as you put it in writing to make it official.
If you have the talents and tools available for beautiful calligraphy, so much the better! You can then give your housekeeping coupon to the new parents as a baby shower gift or simply hand it to them when you visit the hospital.
You can find several templates online. Here’s a sample we made for you:
4. Offer to help with the nursery and make it “official” by creating a “Nursery Assistance Coupon”
Busy parents oftentimes find it hard for to complete their baby’s new nursery on time especially after the hustle and bustle of opening baby shower gifts. Perhaps you’ve dropped by one time and the nursery’s still half-painted with boxes upon boxes of unopened baby things stacked on the side? Even just a day’s help would mean so much to them.
How To Give This Idea As A Gift:
Carefully think of when you can have free time (well before the baby’s birth) and put it on a “coupon”. If you can only commit to maybe half a day today and another half a day another time, that’s totally fine as long as you can honor your commitment. Your nursery assistance can be handwritten or simply printed out, it doesn’t matter, as long as you put it in writing to make it official.
If you have the talents and tools available for beautiful calligraphy, so much the better! You can then give your nursery assistance coupon to the new parents as a baby shower gift or simply hand it to them when you visit the hospital.
You can find several templates online. Here’s a sample we made for you:
And now, we’ll show you some easy, $0.00 gifts!
5. Are you a natural green thumb?
Gifting a plant in a simple pot that you grew yourself is an amazing and memorable gift.
Choose a small, low-maintenance plant such as a snake plant or the Sansevieria. It requires medium light and doesn’t need much water. It’s also great for improving indoor air quality and is proven to remove dangerous toxins. A cute idea for a pot is a coffee mug! If you have an extra one at home that don’t use often, repot your chosen plant in a coffee mug, wrap a ribbon around it and voila! You have the perfect gift that symbolizes the growth of a child
6. Can you draw or paint?
Use your artistic talents to create a beautiful portrait that will remind new parents of the beauty of parenting.
With your own store of paint and paper, start creating your own masterpiece for the new mom. A great idea would be an artwork that can incorporate the new baby’s footprints! Don’t worry about having it framed. You can simply gift it as is and the new parents can have it framed later.
7. Are you good with a sewing machine?
Do you have reusable fabric leftover from sewing projects? New moms need several pieces for themselves or their baby that you can definitely sew on your own sewing machine at home.
Here’s a few of the many simple pieces that you can sew yourself. Patterns can be found online:
- Breastfeeding/Nursing Cover
- Baby Blanket
- Hats & Booties
- Pillow Cases
- Simple Diaper Bags
8. Are you crafty? Do you enjoy crafts?
New moms definitely love home-made, hand-made baby things!
Get ideas online or if you know the new parents quite well, why don’t you create something extra meaningful for them? A great idea would be a home-made baby mobile using reusable materials. You can also ask the mom if she has already bought plain baby bodysuits that you can paint and customize with some fabric paint and lots of creativity.
9. Are you a mom yourself?
If you’ve recently given birth, you may have some baby clothes and other items useful for mom and baby that can be passed on!
Parents love the baby clothes that we offer, because they’re so much more durable than the majority of brands out there. If the parents themselves don’t keep them for use with a second or third child, many are happy to give them to other parents as well!
But seriously, moms simply love hand-me-downs! It’s like getting a blessing from one mom to your baby. People say that it’s one of the nicest things you can do for a mom. It’s certainly very meaningful while also saving the environment. Carefully sort, wash and pack them. Drop them off whenever!
Last but not the least….
10. A DIY photo album is an amazing gift!
Our idea might take more time than usual but trust us, new selfie-loving mommies and daddies will absolutely love it!
Quick reminder that you’ll need a good printer and photo paper for this gift. We’re not encouraging you to spend anything so, if you don’t have a printer or photo paper, you can definitely create an online version using a free photo book app or even Google Slides as an alternative.
Moms or dads occasionally post candid photos of their pregnancies and up to birth on social media. They love to share these memories with their friends and loved ones. You can slowly save these in a folder in your computer or phone. Before the baby turns a month old, you can either print these photos, arrange them in a photo album or scrap book (any extra ones at home should do) or you can simply upload them as a slide show and surprise the new parents on their child’s first month.
Some Additional Ideas:
- Prepare and drop-off pre-cooked meals good for a week or 2.
- Offer to do groceries for the first week or 2 of the baby being at home.
- Offer to drive mom to her first doctor’s visit after-birth if dad isn’t available.
- Visit one weekend armed with DIY activities and games for older kids.
- Prepare a DIY at-home spa basket.
- Prepare a DIY mom & dad “survival” basket.
Conclusion:
Any new mom will love a piece of expensive jewelry, any new dad will love an expensive watch to remember the memorable day of their baby’s birth but we can assure you that moms and dads will especially love helping hands that will show up for them at the time that they need it the most and handmade gifts from the heart.
The best gift you can give new moms (and dads!) is the gift of time and effort!
Leave a Reply