Postpartum Gift Ideas

Disclaimer: HSB does not give medical advice, some items are mentioned here to help moms postpartum. However, if you, or the person you hope to support, has concerns with their recovery after having a baby, please seek out the advice of a medical provider. 

in this post:

• round up of what new parents need most

  • food

  • services

  • postpartum recovery items

  • baby items

  • sentimental items

Baby showers place so much emphasis on material things for baby, which is wonderful and needed, but we all know new moms need some love as well. Did your friends or loved ones get anything just for you? 

O’s teacher recently had a baby and I wanted to get something thoughtful for her, which got me thinking about some of my favorite gifts for new moms. We’ve also got a couple of family babies coming soon so I decided I needed even more ideas! I decided to poll the Hey Sleepy Baby community to see what other great gift ideas are out there. As always, you all showed up in full force with some great ideas for new mamas. I loved the suggestions! I especially loved how they centered not only on specific items, but ways partners, friends, and family can support moms in the postpartum time.

Here’s a round up of must-have items new parents need most:

Food

This was the #1 recommendation from responders and it makes sense! Who has time to make food in those early postpartum days? Some food-related ideas included: 

• Meals that can easily be reheated or frozen (think a sheet of lasagna, enchiladas, or soups/ stews)

• Gift cards to food delivery services (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Caviar, etc.)

• Gift cards to favorite local restaurants 

• Grocery gift cards

• Hand deliver take-out, coffee & bagels, etc.

One nice thing you can do is order for the person you’re getting the food for! Ordering takes the pressure off of the new parents. Pick a night, and let them know something delicious is coming their way. We had a friend who ordered food for us a month after our babe was born, which was very appreciated as we were still figuring things out weeks later. 

services

Several of you mentioned sending new mamas support in the form of specific services! I love this idea of giving mom hands-on care. Suggestions included:

• Cleaning service

• Massage/chiropractor gift card

• Facial or spa treatment

• Consultation with a local IBCLC 

• Postpartum doula hours to help mama shower, get the house in order, provide emotional support, care for older siblings or pets, etc.

• Breastfeeding class, or parenting class that was helpful for you. I definitely recommend the Hey, Sleepy Baby Newborn Bundle 😉

• Gift card for visits to a pelvic floor PT (how nice would this be?)

• Dog walker

If you know your mama well, it might be fun to make a curated list of people to follow on social media to help her create a digital community. Many people, including myself, like to create free, and helpful content to support families. A digital collective of women who support mamas would be so helpful in those early days. That time can be especially isolating and the support of a digital collective could help a mama feel less lonely. Who would be on your list? 

I personally loved all of these ideas, and would have appreciated any of these services after my baby came. Self-care support for a mom sets her up for success as she learns to care for her new child.

Postpartum recovery items

Having a baby is a huge physical undertaking and gifts to support new moms in their physical recovery are welcomed and needed. Many of you thoughtful people had this in mind. I was also on a similar wavelength and got some of these items in my care package for O’s teacher. 

Vaginal birth recovery gifts:

• These Frida perineal cooling pad liners or these Tucks pads are so soothing.

• My friend brought me a huge bag of these that I would just pull out of the freezer. The best!

• Some providers recommend a traditional sitz tea like this that can be brewed. Moms then put the tea in a peri bottle and rinse the perineal area with the tea. The herbs are supposed to promote healing. I did this postpartum and it was very soothing. 

cesarian birth recovery gifts:

• This cream for mamas to help with healing their scars and these silicone scar sheets are also popular

• Many mamas swear by high-waisted undergarments with a waistband that is above their incision. 

General self-care recovery gifts:

• Many of you recommended comfy, flowy clothes, which really are essential to mamas as their bodies heal. Ideally the clothes can provide quick access for breastfeeding or skin to skin time with their babies (which isn’t just for those first few hours of baby’s life)!

• Moms love a comfy robe or some lounge clothes. This dress shirt gown also from Kindred Bravely looks extra comfy.

• I know we already talked about food, but this bone broth recipe could really help mamas with essential recovery nutrients. Here’s another great read for those who want to take a deeper dive into this topic.

• Make up removing wipes

• Something such as a face sheet mask to help mama feel pampered.

• Huge water bottle with straw!– because you can never have enough of these, especially if your mom friend is breastfeeding. I think something with a straw is ideal- that way you don’t spill on yourself, especially during those late night feeds.

Baby items…Here me out!

Ok. Ok, so I know this post started with gifts for moms, but it’s almost impossible to not get something cute for the baby! However it is possible to be strategic about giving baby items that also make life easier for caregivers. 

• Slings or baby carriers. Several of you suggested these and they can make life so much easier in those early days. There is actually lots of research on how baby wearing helps babies and their caregivers to regulate! I love soft wrap-style carriers the best like this one.

• Somewhere cozy like a Snuggle Me Organic lounger, where you can lay your babe and give yourself a break. Note these aren’t safe for unsupervised sleep!

• Have you seen magnetic jammies? Such cute prints, and they are a lot easier to fasten than snaps during those late night diaper changes.

• Diapers of various sizes- babies grow out of sizes fast in those first few months. We love using the diapers through Thrive Market!

• These knotted infant gowns are so nice, because they’re less restrictive than swaddles, and can be adjusted to your growing wee one. They also make diaper changes SO easy!

sentimental items

There are so many emotional and physical changes happening for both mom and baby in those early days. Gifts that facilitate reflection could be helpful when processing this change. 

• A journal: some of you mentioned one line a day. I thought of adding a Polaroid camera and some film! We took polaroids with every guest that visited us, and then put those photos in each baby’s baby book. So special! The baby journals I love are from Promptly.

• Day One app. Day One is a journal app that has a paid option where you can make voice recordings. This could be a nice way to reflect when your hands are full with your baby.

• Mother Truths, a beautiful book of poems on early motherhood

Wow! What a round-up! Lots of inspiration here for the expecting people in your life. As you can see, there’s a huge variety of gifts that can be given to support moms. Some of these items, especially the services, would be very welcome, but are more expensive. Perhaps you could pool resources with some friends and go big! Maybe you are a mama too and don’t have the bandwidth to make a homemade care kit, so sending some take out might be more your speed. Or maybe you are the creative type and assembling a cute care package or some “padsicles” is right up your alley. I hope this list supports you in finding helpful, practical gifts for the mamas-to-be in your life. Thanks for checking out the compilation of ideas from the Hey Sleepy Baby community.