Buying a gift for a new baby can be hard. You want it to be special. But also practical. And during this strange and uncertain time, it is so necessary to find little pockets of joy to cheer ourselves and our friends up!
And even if it’s not for a baby shower, and if online shopping has become your go-to iso-habit, why not spread around some love by sending a gift to a friend welcoming the new life in this difficult time.
If you don’t know what to buy for the parents-to-be in your life, here’s a list of new-parent-approved suggestions your friends will love!
New baby gift ideas their parents will love
You might have guessed by now that newborn gifts are really about their parents. Here’s a list of suggestions of things you can buy that your friends will love!
Note: As adorable as tiny shoes may be, they’re not the most useful of gifts for newborns! It’s not recommended that babies wear shoes because they need the sensory stimulation of their feet touching the floor. The Better Health Channel explains that this assists in the development of the bones, ligaments and muscles in babies’ and toddlers’ feet. This means it’s best for them to go barefoot or wear soft-soled (flexible) shoes for the first couple of years as they learn how to walk.
So, what can you get parents instead?
A slow cooker
Not kidding. Cooking is one of the most time-consuming but necessary tasks. Parents often struggle with the balance of taking care of baby versus taking care of themselves. Stuffing some veggies, crushed tomato and a pork neck in there will give them a feast of nutritious pulled pork six hours later.
Onesies. Lots and lots of onesies
Babies eat, sleep, poop and repeat. All. Day. Long. They need a drawerful of onesies. It’s a good compromise – cute and practical! We love the ones from Bonds.
Nappies and wet wipes
You can never have enough of these. Ever. Newborns go through around 12 nappies a day, between one- and three-hourly wees and several poos daily, says BabyCentre UK. The number of nappies needed decreases as the child grows, but parents will need a decent pile of nappies for a long time. As you can imagine, this gets pretty expensive! Plus, no amount of 12-hour leakage guarantees will protect against a poonami. Be mindful that eco-warrior parents might prefer subscription to a cloth nappy service. And if adding wipes to the gift, think chemical-free and biodegradable like the ones made by Tooshies by TOMS.
The Wonder Weeks
The Wonder Weeks book helps parents understand the incomprehensibly sudden changes in the behaviour of their new baby. One moment, baby naps regularly. Next minute… The book explains cognitive leaps (changes in their brains that trigger new understanding and behaviours) and the timeframes within which parents can expect these changes. Understanding – especially during a particularly challenging phase – is one of the greatest gifts you can give.
A bassinet
As a parent yourself, you may remember that time when you couldn’t shower because you had to hold your baby 24/7; when you couldn’t make food because it’s not safe to hold a newborn next to a boiling pot on the stove. The crib is too far away and it’s a bit big to be practically portable. A bassinet on wheels is the perfect solution – small enough to wheel around and be next to the parent while they shower or binge on Netflix during those four-hour newborn naps instead of sleeping, because #metime. Yes, it will only last for the first few months of baby’s life, but then they can go in a playpen and your friends will have had several glorious months of managing to take daily showers.
A playpen
As soon as baby starts rolling and crawling, they are a danger to themselves and can’t be left in things like bassinets and bouncers, or lying on play mat gyms any longer. A playpen is fabulous for keeping baby safe while allowing the parents to maintain some semblance of normality (aka eating proper food and staying clean).
Still no clue what to get?
Just ask them! Seriously, parents-to-be lay out a tonne of money to buy all the things their new baby will need – especially first-time parents. If you don’t know what to get, they may have some ideas for you that will save you time (and them, cash)!
