This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own! Read my full disclaimer here !
Sure, all of the teeny socks, onesies and blankets are sweet. But every new mom eventually hits the limit of how many they need. Honestly, the “stuff” can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. The next baby shower you attend, grab the mom something nontraditional, but truly helpful! As someone who has had two babies in the last three years, I can attest that things that made life easier were sometimes the best gifts! A friend of mine hired a housekeeper to give me a deep clean right before I went into labor and that was invaluable to me!
I am dropping some of the best- and most helpful- ideas below! Click the pink links to check each out! If you need unique baby shower gifts, I have you covered.
1. Make Meal Time Easier with a Meal Kit!
Sometimes, cooking isn’t so bad but wrapping your mind around what to make and then getting to the store to buy the ingredients can be a struggle when you haven’t slept in a week. Send a kit from Blue Apron, PlateJoy, or HelloFresh to make things a bit more simple.
2. Give the Gift of Easy Meal Planning
Along those same lines, eMeals is the best meal service! Read my full review here, but I so wish I had had this as a brand new mom! Quick meal planning that can be sent directly for pickup. Yes, please!
3. Get that Woman a Roomba!
Seriously, as a new mom with a toddler and pets, this is a big deal! The dirty floor triggered my postpartum anxiety and depression very badly. I was embarrassed by how quickly it would get gross, and once the baby started crawling the pet hair drove me insane. My husband let me treat myself for my birthday (We got this model) and it has helped SO much! I run it every single day, and will eventually have one for each floor of our house. We moms are busy enough, and I am all for taking things off of our plates! Working smarter, not harder and automating the things we can.
The Roomba brand is amazing, but here are a few others that are great too, if you are on a budget:
- Shark Robot Vacuums
- The GOOVI!
- eufy by Anker (another model HERE)
- MOOSOO
- Kyvol Cybovac E20
- Shark ION
- Self-Emptying Shark IQ (yes, I said self-emptying. WIN!)
- The RoboRock (These are AWESOME!)
- yeedi k600
- Coredy R580
- Roborock S4 Max
They even make some that can mop as well- like this one by Roborock. What a time to be alive!
4. A Cordless Stick Vacuum
Okay, maybe a robot vacuum isn’t something you (or she) is interested in. Or maybe those are a bit out of your budget. Making the switch to a lightweight, cordless stick vacuum was one of the best decisions I have made! I always hated vacuuming because of the bulky upright and the tangled cord. We got THIS stick vacuum when my youngest was a couple of months old and it is one of my favorite Amazon purchases ever! (and I buy a lot of things on Amazon). It is lightweight enough that I can vacuum whatever I need to while holding the baby in my other arm. Plus it has stair attachments, is great for the couch, getting cobwebs, you can Clean baseboards with it, and I have even been known to use it to vacuum junk out of my gas stovetop. As a new mom, this would have made me so happy! And honestly made those end-of-pregnancy chores so much easier. Way better than another pack of onesies!
5. A Fire Tablet
Fire tablets have come a long way! They are no longer just for reading, but can stream shows, play music and more! This would be fantastic to have during labor to help pass the time, but even moreso for those long, sleepless nights and nursing sessions! When I had my first, I binge watched so many TV shows while trapped on the couch. This is a great gift, and there are model options for every budget. (Want to splurge? Do an iPad!)
6. Send a shipment from Thrive Market.
As a new nursing mom, I am always really cautious about the foods I am eating. Thrive Market is an organic grocery market and they offer tons of snacks that are great for lactation! Send the momma a box of snacks (breastfeeding makes me hangry), cleaning products and more!
7. Stock them up on cleaning supplies with a shipment (or auto ships!) from Grove Co.
We use Grove and have for years now. It is so nice to take one thing off of my “need to remember” grocery list. Grove brings the cleaning supplies right to their door, and like I said I am all for helping moms automate whatever we can! Plus, in our weird COVID-19 pandemic world, I have been able to find some of my favorite products on Grove even when I can’t in the store. Read my full review on Grove here! May not be as “cute” as those little booties you have in your cart (that baby can’t even walk…back away!), but it will tickle the new mom to open a box of necessities so that she doesn’t have to worry about having what she needs on hand!
8. Schedule them a Walmart Grocery pickup!
If you have not done a Walmart Grocery Pickup yet, you are missing out! Fill your cart online, and when you are done simply check out and send it to your store! Park, tell them you are there and they will load up for you. This is an easy way to love on a new family. Dragging a newborn into the store can be daunting, especially with the current pandemic. It is so much easier for mom (or daddy) to do a pickup. This is also a great way for family to bless the new parents from afar, as you can choose any Walmart that offers pickup! Stock them with diapers, wipes, food and more! (You could totally plan a few meals for them in eMeals, send it to their Walmart and share the recipes!). Prefer stores like Aldi or FoodLion? Do an Instacart pickup, instead!
A Walmart Gift Card is also a great blessing. There are so many expenses to having a new baby and having something to help cover those random little needs is so nice.
9. Gift Cards!
I know, so many people don’t like to give them. But seriously gift cards can be such an exciting blessing when you are expecting or have a new baby. Keep them practical with things like a Visa card or do something fun like a restaurant (or Door Dash) or movie theater for a much needed date night!
10. A Quick Cooker!
I personally love the Pampered Chef one for its quality (plus you can host a party or do a registry and get one for free). An InstantPot would work as well! Or go big and get the a Ninja Foodi so that she can air fry, slow cook, pressure cook and more all in one. I am obsessed with my Foodi and use it almost every day!
Bottom line, help make meals quick and easy! Tools for “set and forget” meals are the best and any new mama would be thrilled with one of these!
11. A Deep Freezer stocked with meals!
This is one of the most brilliant things I have ever heard of! Heck, you could even make this an entire shower idea, especially for non-first-time parents. Have everyone chip in a little toward the freezer and then contribute a meal to fill it. Drop it off to the family and they are ready to go! Bonus points for the fact that as they eat the meals, mama can store her breastmilk stash in it if she is pumping!
12. A Good Devotional
As a new mom, a lot of time is spent sitting and holding or feeding a baby. Most of the time, I passed scrolling social media or watching shows, but I made sure that I also filled my own cup and it was so good for my spiritual health. Embraced by Lysa TerKeurst is one of my all-time favorites and perfect for a mama heart. The Daily Grace Co. also has tons of great studies, journals, devotionals and more. Their company is amazing! Look at this beautiful Hymns for a Mother’s Heart devotional!
13. A Beautiful Canvas Photo Print
This one is so special! If the family had maternity or newborn photos done, gift them a beautiful print to hang on their wall! CanvasPeople does amazing quality work, and you can usually get a FREE 11×14! Just pay shipping, which is an amazing deal. Less than $20, shipped!
Services like EZ Print and Snapfish also offer great photo gift options!
14. A Change of Scenery
Cabin fever is a very real thing when you have a baby at home! Or maybe you want to gift the couple a “Babymoon” getaway! VRBO has great options for any style- be it a hotel, condo or full home. You can travel just about anywhere! This is fun and special, you could even have multiple family members or friends chip in. Trip.com is also great, especially if you are needing more than just sleeping accommodations!
Don’t overwhelm the new parents with 100 things they don’t truly “need.” Take a page from my book and grab them one of these 14 ideas that will knock their socks off!
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