What to Buy a New Mom for a Baby Shower

They might not have registered for it, but they'll be happy you gave it to them.

1) Gift certificate to Motherhood Maternity or Destination Maternity
2) Gift card for grocery delivery available at Safeway
3) Gift certificate for Dream Dinners
4) Pharmaceutical needs (Infant tylenol, Sudafed, and Motrin)
5) Gift certificate to receive a back massage or go to the chiropractor (Nathan Cowell for the locals)
6) The book What to Expect The First Year
7) Earplugs, fan, or white noise machine
8) Baby sitting coupons
9) If the baby has older siblings, put together an age appropriate busy box for the sibling/s. In it put new toys, activities, and games that can be used when mom is nursing. I put together one of these for my two year old boy. I put in it: trucks, cars, beaded necklaces, kazoo, whistle, tambourine, nesting bowls, measuring tape, flashlight, magnetic doodle pad, slinky, puzzles, balloons, and a bag full of plastic animals and insects.
10) A certificate for a cleaning lady
11) Baby items not found at target. Something unique. Try Local Fixture
12) Pay to have someone clean the windows of mommy's house or apartment
13) Over the Hills and Far Away: a Book of Nursery Rhymes by Alan Marks. This is a beautifully illustrated book that parents will appreciate. It includes both common and uncommon nursery rhymes.
13) A note on baby clothes: babies drool and spit up quite a bit. Thus light-colored tops without a pattern are quickly stained. Mothers don't particularly want to spend a lot of time on laundry. Thus patterned or dark colored onsies are the best. This also applies to pants. Most babies are crawling between 6 and 16 months. White or light-colored pants are a bad idea. If Mama is using cloth diapers, select pants that stretch. Slim pants, although the style, are hard to fit over puffy cloth diapers.

Comments

Great ideas! You should link this to facebook. so others will read it. :)
Bethany said…
Ice packs for engorged breasts! It's not the kind of thing you plan ahead for when you are busy having a baby. I don't even know if they made them when I needed them, and I think they would work a whole lot better than cabbage! I try to sneak them in to every gift I give to a new mom. http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Warm-Cool-Relief-Pack/dp/B002UXQRFM
Gretchen said…
Love these ideas!!