Best New Mum Gifts - What to Buy a New Mum For Herself or New Baby

February 20, 2023

Tracking down some great gifts for new mums can be tricky.

The main reason for this is that gifts given to new mums can be a little more for the baby than they are for the mum themselves. While this is lovely, the mum deserves a nice gift or two as well!

In this article, we're going to run through fifteen great gift ideas for new mums.

We've made sure to include a good mix of things that are simply a great idea and will get used a lot, as well as things that are a little less utilitarian - things that a new mum might just enjoy on their own.

New mums

New mums are in one hell of a headspace. For the first few weeks of a newborn's life, there is always so much to do!

From within the baby bubble that we're all so familiar with, a new mum might have or arrange for family visits and vaccinations for the newborn, as well as more mundane things like doing the food shop or arranging for a family birthday.

With that in mind, the perfect gift for a new mum is quite often a thing that will give her a little time.

The gift could be something as simple as offering to babysit, or something a little more convoluted - offering a gift card that gives back the time she would have spent making dinner.

Some Mums may have their babies early in the year, qualifying them for Mothers Day hampers and gifts!

Baby shower gift

Most of the time, the gifts that are given at a baby shower are gifts for the newborn baby. The reason for this is quite obvious - it's a shower for the baby, not the mother, perhaps.

However, with that point made, you could always change things up and offer a gift or two for the mother among a sea of gifts for the baby.

The best gifts, in that case, might be something that helps the mum to engage in self-care - a face mask, a box of hot cocoa, or even just their favourite snack.

Alternatively, you could gift with a simple objective in mind: what will this mother now be able to do, which they haven't done for nine months?

This opens the doors to gifts that are a little more bizarre, from spirits to soft cheese.

While these items are certainly unconventional, they could be a great way to give new mums an exciting look into the next step in their motherhood journey.

Mum gift box

A mum gift set or gift box is typically made up of a little range of things. Typically, these are things that would help new parents to be totally set up and ready to go.

Often, these include baby essentials such as nappies and formula powder, with the concept being, quite simply, that you can't have too much of those things.

While this is true, it can also be a wonderful idea to opt for all the stuff you might wish you had when you had a baby.

Hindsight is a powerful thing, and you can use your hindsight to help a new mum that you might be buying for.

Some simple ideas:

Here, we've laid out some simple go-to gift ideas for new mums.

There are some wonderful ideas on this list, and we hope that you can find something that suits the person you're buying for.

Clothes for a six-month-old

We're starting off the list with something painfully specific but stay with us for a moment or two.

The reason that we recommend clothes for a six-month-old baby is very simple: mums-to-be are often gifted clothes for newborns.

Babies grow at an exceptionally fast rate, so they will rapidly grow out of these clothes and need new things.

That can be a hard moment for new parents because they find themselves suddenly short on clothes.

To help in that future situation, some clothes sized for a larger baby can help massively. You could, for instance, buy a few different items for a range of sizes, though (knowing how messy babies are) a gift of several different items in the same size might be ideal.

The gift of time

Time is something that's typically in short supply when a new baby is on the scene.

This means that a new parent can often struggle to get everything done that needs doing, even the more mundane tasks that we breeze through without thought.

Offering the gift of your time to help out with something in their home can be deeply beneficial. This could be something very simple, like running to the supermarket and grabbing some groceries for them.

It could also be something a little more complex - you might offer to do a little cleaning in their house for them, or offer to come over and make dinner one night per week.

A gift card

Gift cards sound like a very silly idea when you first say it out loud, but when you take a step back it can be a wonderful way to give a first-time mum a brief reprieve from the endless list of tasks.

Every new parent has a day or two when things are too much. The baby might not be able to sleep, the weather might be infuriating, and perhaps something small has gone wrong at home too.

To make that situation a little easier, a gift card for food delivery can be exceptionally helpful. It doesn't even have to be very much money - just the cost of dinner one evening.

This gift card could be for coffee, too - new mums often need a little more caffeine than the rest of us. It could also be redeemed for a local dry cleaning service or anything else a new mum might need.

Spa-style products

Spa products can be ideal for bringing a new mum a slice of heaven in a world that's quite often loud, tricky, and packed with little moments that are a little on the messy side.

In that phase of things, spa-style products can be a new mum's best friend. Pampers hampers and other luxury bath time gifts such a bath time pamper hamper as always make for a wonderful gift.

Taking a few extra moments in the shower in the mornings can be a great way to bring a little luxury into a new mum's life - consider a face scrub or a pleasantly scented shower gel to bring just a little decadence to the day.

A scented candle

A scented candle gift can also be a great source of decadence for a new mum, especially when she might need a little slice of luxury to push her into sleep.

The truly excellent thing about candles, though, is that they're silent.

There's no need for a loud noise that might wake the baby - a lighter is a quiet click, and the candle is silent from then on.

A large, easy-clean bag

This is a simple message, but an important one - you can never have too many bags!

Especially in those early days when you might be running around the city with a million different pieces of baby paraphernalia, a bag is one of the best gifts for new mums that you could get.

Make sure, whoever you can, that the gift is as easy to clean as possible. This is an integral thing that takes any of the gifts for new mums from acceptable to a must-have!

Typically, it will mean that the inside of the bag is wipe-clean and that the outside of the bag is at least machine-washable.

Robes

Sometimes, new mums might find themselves wearing little more than a robe when they're heating milk in the dead of night or otherwise helping out with the little one.

Some of the best gifts for new mums that we've seen are robes with a little something extra - some deep pockets, for instance, or a thermal lining.

Fancy dry shampoo

There are certainly times at which a sleep-deprived new mum cannot face having a shower. There's no shame in that - they're doing a lot all by themselves!

Some dry shampoo can make a world of difference in those moments, but to make it more in keeping with other gifts for new mums, we might suggest buying something a little fancier.

Maybe it has a cute picture on the bottle, or maybe it has beneficial properties - that's down to the product you track down.

Pyjamas

On the topic of not having too much time to keep oneself washed and action-ready, some good pyjamas can be ideal for ensuring that a new mum is feeling her best self.

Sometimes, simply changing your clothes (even if you're changing into pyjamas) can make a world of difference.

Socks

Finding the time for laundry can be a nightmare for new mums, so having a wide variety of fresh socks ready to go is a game changer!

Mums can then take a little longer between increments of laundry, making the whole process of those early days easier.

Beneficial shampoo

With the realities of postpartum hair loss being what they are, one of the best gifts for new mums is some beneficial shampoo.

You can easily find a number of shampoo brands that are sure to help new mothers with any hair loss they might be experiencing, and such a gift would surely help.

A sleeping bag

It's no secret that there are some babies who need a parent in the room to sleep alongside them.

Well, to save a new mum from curling up under a too-small blanket in their child's room, offer them a sleeping bag.

While they might have to contend with a night light and a lack of space thanks to a small play gym, a sleeping bag will make sleeping alongside their child much easier.

A five-year journal

A five-year journal can be an utterly tremendous way to document the length of time that a young one has been with you.

It makes a great gift to allow new mothers to look back over those special dates in the future.

A crochet or knitting kit

While new mothers are eternally short on time, they might be looking for something relaxing they can do that might help their little ones.

A crochet or knitting kit is often easy to track down and will allow the new mum to chill out while making a gift for their little one.

That can easily allow the new mum to care for their little one, even in their downtime. That can be a great guilt reduction in those early days, which is terribly helpful.

Ready-prepared food and drink

While ready-prepared food and drink aren't at the top of anyone's list for mother's day, it makes a great gift for a new mum.

It allows them to cook for themselves and any other family members virtually hands-free, which is ideal for saving time.

You could even offer a snack or two, ideal for throwing in a hospital bag while on a trip to and from the neo-natal ward.

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