Happy Birthday, Baby Mama! The 8 Best Gifts for New Mothers That Aren’t All About the Baby

It might be standard to wish a child happy birthday, but what about the mom who gave birth? That’s a pretty happy birthday for her as well. Brand new baby, not being pregnant anymore, painful labor over, etc.

You already know that the new baby is spoiled: between baby shower gifts and being the new focus of everyone’s attention, they’re sure to have blankets, stuffed animals, and onesies galore.

But what about poor mom? She’s got a crying newborn that needs to be fed every hour and no gifts to call her own!

You can change that. Make your friend’s life as a new mom a little bit easier and make her feel taken care of by getting her something. Need some ideas? Check out 8 of the best gifts for new mothers in this article.

1. Easily Prepareable Food

Feeding the baby, chasing after older kids, cleaning the house, and changing what feels like 100 diapers eat up so much of a new mom’s time that they don’t have time to do just that: eat!

Not only do many new parents find themselves skipping meals to take care of the newborn, but if they do have a chance to eat, it’s fast food or other unhealthy grab-n-go options (if you don’t have time to eat, you surely don’t have time to cook a healthy, nutritious meal!).

Make your friend’s life easier (and healthier) by bringing over some food. Bring things that are easily preparable (the microwave is a new mom’s friend!) and packed with healthy nutrients. A casserole is a classic go to, but you could also make a large batch of soup, lasagna, or sandwiches.

If making meals isn’t your forte, you can still bring over a basket of healthy snacks. Think trail mix, protein bars, bottled smoothies, fruit, veggie platters, etc.

2. Practical Parenting Gifts

We know that we said this list would be things for the new mom and not necessarily the baby, but bringing practical supplies for mom to use is going to help her out. Extra diapers, nursing pads, Hubble Connected, wet wipe warmer & baby wipes, etc.

You can see options online for various baby supplies and parenting gifts that new moms would be so appreciative of.

3. Cleaning Supplies

Many moms don’t have time to do errands or leave the house once their little one arrives. Do you think that your friend needs help with the laundry or cleaning the bathroom? What about dirty dishes or wiping the counters?

Go to her house prepared with some cleaning supplies like sponges, dishwashing detergent, laundry detergent, trash bags etc. And don’t just drop it off: put those supplies to good use and help her out with some chores.

4. A Helping Hand

Most moms are prepared with supplies, food, and baby clothes galore. Instead of offloading yet another trinket or container of baby powder on her, you can give her the gift of your help (as we briefly touched upon above).

Offer to do whatever chores she needs. You could take out the trash, do the laundry, tidy the living room, do the dishes, or vacuum the carpets.

Or you could offer to watch the baby while she takes an hour to herself to take a shower, relax, read a book, or whatever else she hasn’t gotten to do for herself since the new baby arrived.

5. Do Her Errands

On the topic of helping out, you have the luxury of leaving the house without a screaming newborn on your hip.

Offer your services: does she need you to pick up some groceries? Do her other kids need a ride to a playdate? What about dropping recycling off at the recycling center?

She will be so much more grateful for that compared to yet another set of toy plastic keys.

6. Become a Babysitter

Has your “new mom” friend done this before? Does she have other older children who she has to take care of alongside a needy newborn?

If so, give her the gift of babysitting. Take her other kids out of the house on an outing so she can spend time with the new baby without the chaos of other kids.

Or, you could let her leave the house and take care of all the kids yourself. Whatever you can do to take some stress of her hands will help her relax and focus on taking care of the new baby.

7. Self Care Items

While you’re doing errands and taking care of the kids, chances are your friend will want to take some “me time” away from it all. Give her some gifts she can use during these precious moments she has to herself.

Whether it’s a bath bomb, a nice shower gel, a book to read, a comfortable pillow for those quick naps, or a new video game for when the kids are asleep, these types of gifts will remind your friend she needs time to take care of herself.

8. A Quick Visit

Give a new mom the gift of knowing when to leave. It’s thoughtful and amazing for friends to come over with supplies, food, and support, but it can quickly become overwhelming and tiring for new moms to have to worry about hosting friends who can’t take the hint that it’s time to go.

Go over, chat with your friend, offer some help, and then hit the road. There will be plenty of more time to socialize in the future when your friend isn’t worried about her newborn baby projectile vomiting or about her milk leaking during a visit that went too long.

The Best Gifts for New Mothers Make Her Life Easier

You might think that fancy diaper dispensers or baby onesies or automated baby monitors are the best gifts for new mothers. However, we think that gifts to take away stress and give moms as much time to spend with their new baby as possible are the best gifts.

So be thoughtful and consider the 8 ideas we just went over. Still need more research or info on buying a gift? You can read our gift guide to get some more concrete ideas.