Whenever I hear a friend announce their pregnancy, I get so excited for them especially if it’s their first. Although these days most of my friends are on their second or third ones and even fourth ones (what are they thinking 😉 When you’ve had more than one kid, the chances are that you have more than enough clothes, toys and all the other baby paraphernalia you can possibly need. So when it comes to newborn gift ideas for these babies, I like to try and think outside the box. I recently came across Ma Premiere Box and thought it was such a sweet little idea especially for those babies who have everything.
Ma Premiere Box is a ready made gift box that comes in two sizes – small or large. The small box contains an adorable stuffed toy, a security blanket, a notebook, some badges and a funny postcard. The larger box has all this plus scented water and a tote bag. This is all beautifully packaged in a cute keepsake box. And there’s a boy version and a girl version. I love that the box is just as much for the parents as it is for the new baby and I also love that you can be sure that your gift will be unique and fun even for a baby who has everything. It’s also a great present to give from a group of colleagues or friends of the expectant mother. Next time a friend announces their 2nd, 3rd or 4th child, I know what newborn gift I’ll be giving.
If you had walked in to my home in the days after I gave birth to Anya, you would have been forgiven for asking if I had suddenly turned in to a florist. You could not move for the beautiful flowers I had. While I adore giving and receiving flowers, I think there are many more useful things that you can give new mums. I often get asked for ideas and so I thought why not share a few of my favourite new mum gifts on here.
Sometimes it’s hard to think beyond the obvious gifts like flowers, baby clothes, toys or anything for the baby. But chances are the baby will already have everything it could possibly need and much more so I think with a little thought you can give the new mum something that she really needs and something that may just help make those first few weeks and months a little bit easier. Here are some of my favourite ideas for some unusual and thoughtful gifts for new mums:
1. One of the biggest things new parents lack is time. Time to look after themselves and that includes not being able to eat well-balanced meals. So instead of a gift for the baby, you could give them a week’s worth of fresh meals cooked by you. But if that’s not possible, you can still give fresh meals from somewhere like the Food Stork who have ready made boxes of lots of different meals that you can have delivered.
2. Another lovely and personal gift for a new mum is a pamper treatment – a facial or a massage would both be a much appreciated gift especially at a time when you’re not feeling your best. This would have been top of my list of gifts to receive. Think of how you felt in those days and weeks after a birth and then imagine escaping for a couple of hours to be pampered in a quiet, tranquil environment. Pure bliss!
3. Thinking on from pampering gifts for the new mum, you could even gift the new mum a baby massage session. It’s a thoughtful gift that gives both the mother and baby some special bonding time that’s just for the two of them. And the new mum will also get to meet other new mums around her. There are many places that offer these but if you’re in London, The Portland Hospital has weekly sessions open to everybody.
4. If you really do want to give something for the baby, then think about clothes in bigger sizes like 6-9 months or even 9-12 months. The baby probably has more newborn clothes than she could ever wear so bigger sizes are much more likely to come in good use. An alternative to clothes is a baby journal which is more of a gift to the parents but it’s something that will be kept and eventually be given to the baby. I remember my mum giving me my baby journal and it was so great to look through and read.
5. New mums want advice, especially first time mums. So I love the idea of all her friends and family (who already have kids) each writing down their best piece of advice in a beautiful journal. It will be something fun and meaningful to read especially during those endless night feeds and it may just turn out to be the most useful parenting book ever. This is what a friend of mine received and even though her son is now 5, that journal is something she will keep forever.
6. If the new mum in question has an older child or children you can buy little gifts for them to keep them occupied. Things like reading books, colouring or puzzle books, board games and small toys will distract the siblings for a little while at least.
7. Another thoughtful gift for a new mum with older kids is to offer to look after them or take them out for an afternoon so that the new mum can spend some one on one time with her baby.
8. One of the things I regret not having done properly is taking enough photos in the newborn days. At the time I felt too camera conscious but I regret it now and I’m sure I’m not alone. Newborn photography is very popular and it’s a wonderful thing because those fleeting moments will never come back. So the gift of a photo session with a photographer who visits the new mums home is a wonderful thing to give as the memories will last forever.
9. This may sound a bit impersonal at first but a voucher for the mum to buy something for herself is a thoughtful gift. It could be a voucher for her favourite clothes store or an amazon voucher if she loves reading or a voucher for her favourite beauty brand. As a new mum it’s a treat to take a few minutes out and browse the internet looking for something you want that’s not baby related at all.
10. One of the best gifts I received as a new mum was a 1kg box of the most divine chocolates ever. That box of chocolates became my reason for being. Every night, I looked forward to the time when my baby was asleep in between feeds and I could open that box and get my daily fix. So the gift of a box chocolates or sweets or cookies, depending on what the new mama likes will be a sweet little gift and from experience I say the bigger the box the better!
11. Last but not least, becoming a mum, especially for the first time, is a huge mix of experiences – some good and others not so good. Loneliness is definitely one of the not so good things so instead of spending money on your friend, why not commit to visiting her once a week or more often if you can. Once the dad has gone back to work, any new mum will cherish a bit of adult company over coffee and some conversation to help pass those long days. This gesture will go far beyond any gift can.
Whats the most thoughtful gift you received as a new mum? I’d love to hear in the comments.
This post is brought to you in partnership with The Portland Hospital – UK’s leading private paediatric and maternity hospital. All content, words and ideas are my own. Thank you for supporting my work with partners that support this blog.
I’m a big fan of wooden toys not only because they look good but also because they last and last and last. This weekend I went on the hunt for a wooden rattle that I wanted to gift to a friend’s bambino. I was looking for something unusual and of course beautiful. I ended up finding 4 that I loved and now I have a new dilema… how can I choose between these 4, they’re all so lovely! Here are a few more details on the 4 chosen ones:
1 & 2. A fish shaped rattle and a sphere shaped rattle both of which are made in the German Alps using only local timbers. Both look beautifully crafted and are described ‘as an absolute joy to hold for both adults and children’. You can get these 2 at a store called Objects of Use where they sell many other covetable wooden goodies too. 3. This wooden rattle by Timbur is a perfect new baby gift. I’m loving the flowing curves, the smooth finish and the combination of light and dark wood. 4. Handcrafted in the USA, these Earnest Efforts wooden baby rattles are filled with beans or lentils and are great for teething too. They come in various woods so you can choose light or dark. Both the Timbur rattle and the Earnest Efforts one are available from Fawn & Forest.
My next Christmas 2011 gift list is here and today it’s all about gifts for newborns and little babies. While newborns don’t need much more than milk and their mama’s, it’s always so nice to spoil and indulge them and Christmas is the best excuse. There are some wonderful goodies out there for babies, so I searched the web and found you some of the absolutely best little toys, gifts and clothes for the newest arrivals in your life. Here’s the lovely list (almost making me want a newborn again!):
1. Beautiful liberty print bib and booties gift set by the gorgeous French label Eponime.
2. Soft and so cuddly is this floppy little sheep by Les Petites Emplettes. From Smallable.com
3. Cute little body with a simple bunny drawing by WoWo.
4. A quirky royal blue elephant musical toy by the colourful Clemence G boutique.
5. A book full of bold black and white images – perfect eye candy for little babies. Called Mesmerised it’s by Katey Love.
6. Soft and beautiful are these gorgeous cotton quilts by Ketiketa. From Smallable.com
7. Gorgeous ruby red booties by the stylish Album Di Famiglia. From Little Fashion Gallery
8. Soft and pretty cloth blocks for decoration or to play with by Mimilou. From Orfeo Design.
9. Gorgeous little hanging musical toy for the pram, car seat or cot. Made by one of my favourite stores – Esthex.
10. What an adorable little vest sweater with a mustache on it. Love it. This is one you’ll have to knit yourself but you’ll find the pattern here. Lucky for me, my mother in law is a fab knitter so I’m definitely getting one of these.*
If your house folk include an under 2 year old, you just got super lucky. During one of my daily surfs I stumbled across Eponime, a French store so hot my eyes nearly popped out. Ebabee no.1’s just missed out, or rather I have. I don’t see her crying out ‘me want Eponime, me want Eponime’ anytime soon (but I might… OK I already did). The clothes are just so stunningly elegant… very understated so not to everyones taste but for me they’re up there. I’m going crazy for the lana coat for the boys and the vert for the girls. Then there’s the maria dress and the antonin pantaloons. Utterly simple, utterly stylish. The Eponime range starts from around €14 and goes up to around €75 plus €5.10 for delivery. And there’s often bits on sale in the ‘specials’ section – checkout the ruben rose tee reduced to €14. It’s a beaut!
Much as I hate to admit it, autumn’s in the air. Where did the summer go? On a positive, I’ve found some super snuggly and stylish sleeping bags to look forward to.
Aden and Anais create soft and beautiful sleeping bags in muslin. There’s something very innocent and pure looking about them. Designed to be worn over pyjamas, they come in a single layer of muslin for warmer nights and 4 layers of muslin for the chilly, wintry nights. I had the pleasure of feeling these softies recently and they didn’t disappoint. The classic comes in 0.5 tog and costs £22 while the cozy 1.7 tog ones cost £29.50 with standard delivery from £2.50.
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Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
