As soon as you become a family of three, everything in your life suddenly changes. You can read all of the advice and books on parenting, but nothing can truly prepare you for the change that is motherhood. One minute you’re a newlywed figuring out life with your husband and then the next you add this sweet little person that you can’t imagine life without. However, leaving that safety net in the hospital can be a nerve-wracking feeling.
There was no greater gift to me during my first few days as a new mom than having MY amazing mom stay with me. She taught me how to care for my tiny newborn, helped organize and clean my home, and helped cook meals for us. We are so blessed to have her live close, however, whenever she left to go home, I would cry. It may have been the baby blues hitting me, but I felt so at peace and blessed when she was with me that I didn’t want her to go.
In addition to the blessing of having my mom around, I am so grateful for our village that put together a meal train so that we didn’t have to worry about making dinner for about a month. Having a visitor come by to see the baby and talk with me was SO refreshing, especially when those postpartum emotions hit you. They brought food, gifts, and snuggles and it was exactly with this overwhelmed new mom needed.
We reached out to our Real Moms and asked them for their opinions on what is the best thing to bring to a new mom. You want to go see and snuggle that new baby, but you don’t want to go empty-handed or with a duplicate gift. The responses included the idea of bringing meals in disposable containers, gift cards, diapers, and even sweet outfits. In addition to those practical and necessary items like meals and diapers, we have a few more creative ideas for the moms in your life.
For Mamas
1. Prepared Meals
Truly one of the greatest gifts I received was my Meal Train. Having multiple home-cooked meals brought to us each week was such a blessing. Trying to juggle no sleep, household chores, hourly feedings, and then think of something to make for dinner was such an overwhelming thought. One of the most meaningful things one of my closest friends did was bring over a meal and then instead of asking to hold the baby she told me to sit, relax, and enjoy our snuggles while she did all of my dishes. It made me cry and feel so loved. In addition to dinner and lunch ideas, having a friend bring breakfast is also such a blessing. Real Mom Jana R. says: “Receiving breakfast–even if it’s a breakfast sandwich or bagel or a muffin–was big for me because sometimes that was the hardest time to eat.”
2. Practical and Comfortable Pajamas
Real Mom Grayson suggested cute pajamas (she loves Target’s Auden brand!) and slippers as a sweet gift for moms. The first few weeks, moms barely leave the house, so a cute pair of pajamas can make you feel somewhat put together. Pajama sets with an elastic waist and the convenience of nursing in are even better!
Real mom Pamela says that she loves gifting new moms beautiful matching robes and swaddles for cute pictures at the hospital. The robes and swaddles from Milkmaid Goods are so lovely and they are made of a buttery soft bamboo material that makes swaddling a breeze. In addition to them being super cute for hospital photos, these robes are so practical for your first few weeks postpartum.
3. Postpartum Essentials
Real mom Quinn was sharing how she felt so unprepared for the “fourth trimester.” She said that she was in more pain and discomfort than she anticipated. One of her friends made her a postpartum mom care basket with some favorite essentials. The basket included items like a Perinatal spray, Ice packs, breast therapy packs, and various snacks to munch on while the breastfeeding hunger kicked in. If you need a great shower gift, FridaMom makes a Postpartum Recovery kit with everything you’ll need to jumpstart the healing process.
Real Mom Alyssa said, “One of my friends made me a Mama’s essential basket and one of my favorite items in the basket was a Stanley cup. I used it in the hospital and then kept it filled and next to me every time I nursed.
It’s been amazing.” If you want to make it even cuter, Etsy has a ton of personalized cups that will make the cutest shower gifts.
4. Pretty Flowers
As simple as it may sound, I loved receiving flowers when I first had my daughter. It made the house feel cheerful and bright. Real Mom Christina P. says “ Some people think they’re frivolous, but I absolutely loved receiving fresh flowers.” Whether it be from Dad or a friend, receiving a bouquet of flowers picked for mom shows you thought of them.
5. New Mom’s Survival Kit
In continuation with a postpartum basket, you can make the mom in your life a New Mom Survival Kit. Ask for her favorite snacks, drinks, maybe lotions or books, and put it all together in a cute basket. My sweet friend Kristen brought me a goody bag full of snacks just for me and it was so thoughtful. Real Mom Sami said, “It was a good day when a friend would bring a Nothing Bundt Cake over to enjoy while snuggling the baby.” Snacks, desserts, and treats are simple yet thoughtful and intentional ways that you can cheer up a new mom.
For Baby
1. Diapers, Wipes, and Clothes
There is truly no greater gift to new parents than receiving the gift of diapers and wipes. They’re always needed and dreaded to run out of. In addition to that, Real Mom Emilee said that for her second baby, they didn’t find out the gender prior, so when they found out their sweet baby was a girl, it was all the more exciting to receive bows, ruffles, and pink to put her in right away.
2. Handmade, Personalized Items
I think we can all agree that personalized items add an extra cuteness factor to anything. Some of my favorite gifts were the ones that my friends personalized or made by hand.
One of the sweetest ladies at my church hand-crocheted a blanket with bible stories on it for our baby. Another friend made a personalized stuffed animal for us with my daughter’s name, day of birth, time of birth, and weight on it. These are all thoughtful gifts that both mom and baby will enjoy for years to come.
3. Books that will encourage
Real Mom Madi said she loved it when other moms would bring her new Bible devotionals or parenting books to read in between feeds. Being mindful that it can come across as a new mom needing help, make sure that if you choose to give a book or devotional you gently give it as something that has inspired you and you wanted to share. Remember that moms love words of encouragement so a handwritten card can go a long way.
For the Home
1. Housekeeping Service
I can’t think of any mom who wouldn’t be thrilled if you gave her a cleaning service as a gift. New mom’s life is busy and leaves you with endless amounts of laundry, dishes, and other chores. Real Mom Natalie. told us that receiving a cleaning service would be the best gift for a new mom. If you know a cleaning service that you could send to a new mom’s home or even offer to go over and help do some chores to lighten her load.
2. Photography
If you love taking photos or even own a nice camera, bring it when you visit a new mom and offer to take some pictures. Capturing any moment in the newborn stage is something they’ll keep forever. One of the things I treasure the most is my newborn family photos. They are hung all over my house and I feel flooded with emotions every time I see how small my growing babies have gotten. Real mom Rachel made Photo Books with all of her newborn photos and she said they look through them all the time as a family.
3. Extra Help
Moms can always appreciate a second set of hands. Real mom Kristen said she loved it when friends or family came over with arms ready to hug her baby. It allowed her a chance to get up, maybe take a shower, and breathe for a few minutes.
A Few Things to Consider:
Whether it be a physical gift, a gesture, or the gift of quality time, a new mom will be so grateful that you thought of them in this new vulnerable stage of life. Consider a few things before you go over to visit a new mom:
- Be sure to text, call, or confirm a time to go over. Stopping by unannounced can be difficult with nursing and sleep schedules.
- Try not to overstay your welcome. Look for cues when you should be going and know when to leave.
- Try not to give unwanted advice. Moms are so emotional at this stage and baby blues are very real. I remember blaming myself for everything. So if it’s not asked for, don’t give advice and always be gentle.
- Always offer to help. The first choice is obviously to hold the baby, but if the sink is full of dishes or you see a pile of laundry in a basket, do that first.
It’s cutest to pick an outfit or something you like for the new mom, but before you do, double-check that all her essentials were purchased on her registry at RegistryFinder.com. She’ll appreciate that so much more! If you’re looking for more gift ideas or tips and tricks from our Real Moms, check out our GiveIt Blog.
Featured Photo by Jaclyn Lorraine Photography