The Most Meaningful New Mom Gifts

dress (non-maternity)| boots (similar)- mine are by Hinge and no longer sold

Let me preface this post by saying that I am in no way, shape or form expecting any of the below from my friends or family after I give birth to Parker 😉 I just thought this topic was timely seeing as I am three weeks out from delivering my third baby and after doing this a couple times before, I feel like I have a handle on what new moms need/want/enjoy (for them, not baby!) once they’re home from the hospital. These are things I’ve learned myself and from other moms who are close friends of mine.

As moms, we prepare for our new bundle of joy by decorating a nursery, researching which stroller and carseat to buy, washing newborn clothes, organizing their closet and assembling furniture. But once you’re home from the hospital, reality sets in and all that preparing for baby can leave mom feeling a bit deprived. Your world has just turned upside down (in the best way, of course) and postpartum baby blues can easily creep in. So below, I have outlined a few things that I truly needed, and have heard from other moms alike, once I got settled into my new normal.

Give her the gift of TIME

This is an important one. Bringing a new baby into the world is SO exciting for everyone who has been part of the journey but give mama a minute and don’t show up without notice. Friends and family want to visit the first chance they get and trust me, we want the help, but remember she just met this baby, too. She wants to hold him, too. She wants to bond with him, too. She wants to learn to breastfeed in private. She wants to walk around her house in milk stained clothes and not worry about having to shower for guests. And she just wants to recover in peace. So, wait. Wait until you get the green light to stop by and meet the newest member. And when you do show up… don’t forget a few things…

Keep her hydrated

This could mean so many things 😉 First and foremost, mom is THIRSTY. She just lost a ton of water by giving birth and if she’s breastfeeding, the second that baby latches, she NEEDS WATER. So! Why not show up with a cute new water bottle like the Hydro Flask?! This mama bear one from Pier 1 is so cute too!

Another option is the obvious.. COFFEE cuz mama is tired. Bring her a Starbucks gift card for $25.. enough to last her a week and get her out of the house once a day for an outing.

Lastly, BOOZE (if she drinks) 😉 She just spent 10 months sober and is ready for a cocktail. Bring a bottle of bubbles, wine, tequila.. whatever to get the job done cuz she’s gonna want to chug it.

Keep her fed

When I got home from the hospital with Jackson, I could barely eat. It’s not because I wasn’t hungry because I was.. I was actually starving, but I was so wrapped up in my newborn and taking care of his every need that I completely neglected myself. I had NO clue what I was doing and the second I put him down, he would scream, so I would have to go back and pick him up and forgot to feed myself. Luckily, I had a few close friends and family to recognize this and jump in.

One of my very best friends sent me a fruit and chocolate Edible Arrangement and I have never, ever, ever forgotten about it. I wouldn’t say that sending an Edible Arrangement would be my first choice for a gift for someone but LET ME TELL YOU.. for a new mom, this was GOLD! I was so wrapped up in Jackson so when I walked to the fridge, I needed it to be quick. I couldn’t prep a sandwich or put something in the microwave or blah blah blah.. I just needed something to eat NOW! And the fruit + chocolate was game changing. So easy to grab. However, eating just fruit isn’t enough.. I know.. so..

Set up a Meal Train or drop food on her doorstep

I’ve never done a meal train for a new mom but in hindsight, I should have. Like I stated above, I wasn’t getting enough nourishment after my first born and when I was eating, it wasn’t the healthiest. It was grab n go. Survival. Coffee and pastries. Not sustainable. Setting up a meal train with your other friends to ensure mama is getting enough nutrients is such a good idea. And it doesn’t have to be anything over the top.. maybe 2 or 3 meals a week or something she can freeze (like soup!) for quick dinners that even her husband could make 😉

Or do something solo and just have Postmates or any food delivery service drop food on her doorstep and let her know it’s there. There were a few times when the doorbell rang and I had Italian food or a cup of coffee just sitting on my doormat and every time, it would literally bring me to tears. The gift of food will always be a good idea.

Lactation granola or cookies

I got this one from Alix because she has done this for a few friends in our neighborhood and it always goes over well. A lot of specialty maternity and baby shops sell local pre-made lactation granola and cookies and this is a great gift if you don’t have the time to whip up your own batch but it would mean so much to a new mom to bake and bring her a batch of cookies. She can even freeze the leftovers for easy grab n go!

Alix’s recipe is here and I’ve told her she needs to start selling to our local boutiques because her granola is bomb. And scratch what I said at the beginning of this post because I DO expect a batch from her after I get home with Parker ha 😉

Pamper her

Mom is feeling a touuuuuuch beat up after getting home from the hospital. She’s either recovering from a vaginal delivery (no walk in the park) or serious surgery after a c-section. She’s carrying extra weight, most definitely bleeding, puffy and exhausted. Why not bring the spa to her with a gift basket of bath salts (maybe something all natural/soothing since she’s in recovery mode), a new candle (favorite here) and hydrating face mask (idea here)? Hell, throw a gift card for a massage or mani/pedi in there for good measure.

The very first outing I ever took without my newborn was to the nail salon. It’s a safe outing for a new mom.. it’s an hour away from the baby, she can breastfeed right before, it’s local and she’s home before anyone even knew she stepped away. How sad, right? She gets an HOUR.. but let me tell you something.. that hour is heavenly. Yeah, she’s thinking about her baby the whole time she’s gone but she’s also taking care of herself for a hot minute thanks to your gift.

There are other obvious gifts.. offering to watch the baby while she takes a nap or goes to get her nails done that you so graciously gifted her, unloading her dishwasher, folding her laundry while she nurses the baby on a bed nearby, etc, etc, etc. For me, I so very much appreciated when my friends would offer these things up but I rarely took the help. Yes, I should have taken the help. I probably wouldn’t have suffered from post baby blues as hard as I did the first time around (much more on this topic later). But it got easier after I had Cam. I let the laundry go. I let the dishes go. Eventually, my husband or I got around to it. But some women aren’t wired that way and don’t have that luxury or that help. So offer it up.

I hope this advice resonates with some of our followers! If you’ve gone through this journey or are a new mom, what did you appreciate from your friends after you gave birth? Comment below!

And for all of my new mama friends, I’m right here with you.. going through it..

xo, H