The best gifts for new Mamas

When you have a baby, visitors always turn up on the door, laden with gifts for the new arrival – but what about Mum? Whether it’s your first baby or your fourth, Mum needs some pampering and looking after too – and while she probably doesn’t want another yet another bunch of flowers, here are a few practical ideas that you can offer, which I’m sure every new Mum will truly appreciate.

Your Time
Can you offer an hour of your time for some babysitting? Even if the new Mum doesn’t want to leave her baby with you and leave the house, having someone else to hold the baby so she can have a soak in a bath, or an afternoon nap is always greatly appreciated.

A helping hand
Rather than being a guest who turns up, cuddles the baby, drinks the cup of tea the new mama makes and then leaves. Why don’t you make her the cup of tea, wash the dishes, hang the laundry out or ask if there are any other little jobs you can do, or errands you can run, while Mama puts her feet up and enjoys a hot cup of tea.

Food
Can you drop round a home-cooked meal, ready to be re-heated? Or pop in to make some lunch? Make something that is easy to eat with one hand and that can be frozen until she needs it. You could look at setting up a Meal Baby account, and organise a group of friends to all help out, offering home cooked meals to take the pressure off and ensure she has something hot to eat every day for those first couple of weeks. Or offer to go grab some groceries for her.

A nursing survival kit
In those first few weeks with a newborn, you spend a lot of time just sat nursing. Put together a little goodie bag filled a reusable drinks bottle, some trashy magazines, lots of easy to eat snacks and a lipbalm makes for a great gift for a nursing Mama.

A pampering voucher
I remember receiving a voucher for a massage, and it was one of the best gifts that I have ever received. A voucher puts no pressure on – she can book for when she is comfortable leaving the baby, and honestly, an hour of someone pampering me after a few months of caring for a newborn 24/7 was absolute heaven.

YOU!
Sometimes, the best gift you can give is just your company. After the first couple of weeks, when paternity leave is over, the seemingly endless stream of visitors has died down, and you’re on your own all. day. long with a newborn, some adult company can be a lifesaver. Nothing seems so bad when you have someone else around – when my second daughter had colic, the nights when I was home alone with her screaming at me were twenty times more stressful than when I had company to keep me sane! Offer to pop in in the daytime or at times you know she’ll be alone.