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Instagram and an avalanche of internet advertisements would have you believe that the most coveted shower gift of all is a keepsake baby handprint kit, but the real key to bringing the best gift to the party is buying something for the future parents — not for the baby.
Click the arrows above or the link below to see eight gifts that will keep the morning brew hot, the new mama fed and the parents sane.
A mug for traveling around the house
Between dodging flailing infant fists and acting as an on-demand milk machine, mom makes coffee or tea, sets it down, then rediscovers it hours later, cold. This fancy Zojirushi mug will keep that coffee or tea hot throughout the day, and the locking lid makes it doubly useful when grabby toddler paws come reaching for the scalding brew.’
A functional and cozy nursing hoodie
Nursing tank tops get all the fanfare, but for moms with fall or winter newborns, that top might be underneath two or three layers of other clothes, making access awkward. Enter the nursing hoodie, with a simple flap opening that’s lined with fleece for coziness.
Food on a stick
Yes, those corny edible arrangements turn out to be the perfect new parent gift. While loving friends and family often keep the parents’ fridge stocked with dinners, nursing makes moms want to snack, and both parents often crave fresh fruit — but they lack the free hands and time to slice and serve it. Fruit on sticks makes for an easy solution.
Dinner that requires minimal effort
Sometimes the parent who normally does the cooking is the one trapped under the sleeping baby or (blessedly!) is sleeping themselves. Meal kits make it easy for novice cooks by eliminating all the prepping and unnecessary trips to the grocery store. Straightforward instructions prevent fatigue-addled brains from making silly mistakes. Of the many options, HelloFresh tends toward simpler, easier-to-make meals that don’t spiral into overly long cooking sessions.
Someone to clean up the mess
Babies are a messy business. They produce piles of trash and pull their parents away from regular tasks, such as doing the dishes and wiping the counters. Soothing wailing infants takes priority over scrubbing toilets, which is the last thing an exhausted parent wants to face when the baby finally does go to sleep. So, the gift of having the house professionally cleaned earns the undying gratitude of any frazzled parent.
More cleaning-up stuff!
A car seat is designed to hold a tiny human treasure safely in place, but that device makes no such claim about the snack cup of Cheerios the baby is holding. A handy car vacuum might seem like an unsentimental gift for parents, but when the brake pedal crunches with teething-cracker crumbs, it will be appreciated.
Giant sippy for the mom
Ever crossed an endless desert on foot at high noon? That’s the kind of thirst nursing an infant kindles. Trapped under the new baby, mom will be shouting for water like a firefighter battling an inferno. The solution: Go big! The Stainless Steel Cold Tumbler from Thermos will be mom’s faithful companion throughout those early days, and the built-in straw means her hands are free for other tasks.
Pads to prevent pain
The market for products to ease nipple pain caused by nursing is vast and mostly full of useless junk, but Lansinoh Soothies gel pads are a standout exception. The stick-on pads provide instant cooling and soothing relief, and also hide the “bullet-smuggling” look when mom appears in public. Each pair of pads is good only for a short period and they’re not cheap, so they make a great shower gift for a mom who might otherwise consider them an extravagance. To quote one happy Amazon customer’s experience: “Instant relief. Tears of joy fell from my eyes. I could hear Lionel Richie singing ‘Hello,’ with a thousand angels singing background vocals.”
This article was originally published several years ago and updated most recently in 2023. This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase products through links on our site, ParentMap may earn an affiliate commission.
