So, someone you love is about to have a baby and you want to buy her a gift. Sure, you can get a onesie, a bib or even a cute “Mommy Makes Me Smile” shirt for the little bundle of joy, but what about something that Mom can actually use? Consider this list of out-of-the-box gifts. Throughout it all, you might recognize a common theme: relaxation.

Weighted blankets have been proven to reduce stress

A Weighted Blanket

Give a mom-to-be a weighted blanket and it just might become her favorite tool. These blankets use Deep Touch Therapy (DPT)—which is essentially “baby swaddling,” but for adults—to calm anxiety, reduce stress, fight against insomnia and ultimately give both a pregnant mom and her baby a deeper sleep. The weighted feature of these blankets works as both mental and physical therapy, relaxing users mind, body and soul.

Bathtub trays can hold candles, an iPad, books, cups of tea and more.

A Bathtub Tray

When you’re carrying all that pregnancy weight around, there are few things more relaxing than feeling buoyant. That’s where a good bath comes in! For added relaxation, give a new mom a bathtub tray with space to add aromatherapy candles, a book stand and a cup holder for warm tea. After a half hour of soaking and reading a good book, she’ll feel like you brought the spa to her.

Make a DIY gift basket with everything a nursing mom needs.

A Nursing Basket

Nursing isn’t always an easy adjustment for moms, and a really good friend will help her get through it. A new baby eats 10+ times a day, so that means a new mom is feeding 10+ times a day. To make sure she has all the essentials she needs (and some things she doesn’t need, for fun), bring out your inner DIY queen and fill a cute basket with snacks, a water bottle, gum, nipple cream, a baby log and pen to record feeding times, chick flicks, a good magazine, pacifiers and of course, burp cloths.

Fill a jar with things you know a new mom will need and love—including candy.

A “Mommy Survival” Kit

Get creative with this easy DIY gift! Fill a jar or decorated box with all of the essentials a new mom might need. Think of things that are both fun and necessary: like chocolate, nail polish, a Tide Pen, wet wipes, lip balm, mints, a gift card to her favorite coffee shop, under-eye concealer, dry shampoo, deodorant wipes, a hairbrush and hair ties. Pro tip: Mini bottles of wine might fit in there, too.

Offer to babysit so your mom friend can have a break.

Babysitting Gift Cards

You better believe a new mom will LOVE this gift! Find a trusted babysitter and buy a few hours of her time for a future date, or make makeshift gift cards and offer to babysit yourself. Time is really precious for a new mom, and this gift will give her some much-needed rest… or at least a few hours to read a good book and catch up on This Is Us. We’ll file that under “self care.”

Find the Perfect Gift

Finding a gift for a new mom can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be! Check out what our baby experts have to say about shopping for moms on our GiveIt Blog, and find your mommy-to-be’s baby registry on registryfinder.com.

-By Jennifer Agress, a food and travel writer who has lots of mommy friends.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. The ideas are all ours, but RegistryFinder may be compensated if you make a purchase by clicking on one of the links. Thanks for your support.