The best gifts to give a new family
It’s lovely to buy a gift for when a new baby arrives but how do you know what’s going to be most appreciated, most useful, most loved, and most original?!
Below are some traditional gifts and why they aren’t always a great idea, and some other ideas that might be better-received.
Firstly, let me remind you (or enlighten you) about the situation your gift is entering if it arrives after the baby has... the new parents will be extremely tired, more tired than they ever knew was possible. They won’t know what day it is, or even whether it is day or night – it’s all the same at first. They are in demand, and their time is very much NOT their own... could you ease that in any way with your gift?
In my opinion (and from experience), the best thing you can do is to send the new parents a gift, rather than the baby, or if you do want to send something for the baby, make it practical.
Traditional gifts
Sending flowers is lovely, but it’s better if they come in their own container so they don’t need to find a vase, or another vase, or a jar because all the vases are being used. Don’t buy a plant though, because that’s another thing to look after and they don’t need that.
Sending the baby a beautiful item of completely impractical clothing is a waste of your money. They’ll never wear it. Babies want to be comfortable and covered from their neck to their toes and if they do wear it, it’ll only be on for about 15 minutes before it’s got milk, vomit, poo (or all three!) on it and it’ll be taken off again. Go for baby grows. You can get some really beautiful ones! Get size 3-6 months because the parents will most likely have lots of newborn clothes already and they grow out of them so quickly!
Soft toys are cute but newborns have no need or desire for them, so they’re just for the parents to coo over, or for the photos. So go ahead if you’re OK with that.
Muslin cloths: they are useful for years and will get used to death! Parents can’t have too many.
Some alternative ideas:
(By the way, I’m not paid by any of the companies I mention here)
Baby milestone cards. (Check online and buy from a small business if you can!) These are cute cards, or tokens that you can place in photos of your baby that state when the photo was taken. For example, “Today I am one week old”, or “today I tried food for the first time”. They are a sweet, easy way for busy parents to keep a record of their baby’s first year and they’ll enjoy looking back at them.
‘Sock-ons’ (https://sockons.co.uk/) Babies always kick their socks off, but also don’t like having cold feet and these little elastic things really do keep them on!
A hamper full of treats for the new parents. This is great if you know them both well and know what they like. They’ll be busy thinking about their new baby, and because they won’t be prioritising their own needs, it’s lovely if you are able to do it for them.
A subscription to a recipe delivery service, like Hello Fresh or Gousto (or any others that you find!). They won’t want to think about cooking so if you aren’t nearby to deliver them home-cooked food, or if you think they would like something a bit different, consider this.
A family photoshoot.
A voucher for the new mum to be pampered in some way, ie a pedicure, haircut, massage. If someone can come to their home, that’s even better as she might not want to leave their baby yet, but bear in mind lots of women like to stick to the same hairdresser so perhaps you’ll need to do a bit of research with her partner first.
A voucher to learn infant first aid. Lots of parents can feel anxious about the health of their baby so offering this can give them the confidence to know what to do to keep their baby safe.
Your time to help; to cook, clean, deliver shopping etc.
If you’re unable to offer your own time, consider buying some sessions with a maternity mentor to offer support postnatally to the mum, or both parents. This can be emotional support, breastfeeding support or other practical, at-home support.