Spending all week with pregnant women and new mums I’ve heard many stories relating to pregnancy and the new born baby period. This means I have a lengthy list of great tips and ideas for surviving this period as well as great present ideas. Next time you are invited to a baby shower, why not try one of these different gift ideas instead of giving them more presents that focus on the baby, such as nappies, clothes, books, blankets or toys.
A new baby isn't the only present an expectant mother needs...
For pregnant women, gifts often include items that are useful and needed or beautiful items that the parents may not buy themselves, which can become keepsakes and memories. However if you would like to do something other than the norm, gifts that focus on the mother and help to reduce their workload and stress during this time of need are a wonderful idea and much appreciated!
House keeping!
One great idea that may not be glamorous but is certainly a great luxury is either an IOU voucher for house cleaning, or paying for a house cleaning service once or even a few times in the first few weeks or months after the baby is born. The last thing Mum feels like doing when there are a few quiet minutes is to clean the house, and many find even this level of exertion post baby draining. Though she may not otherwise find the time or the energy to clean the house, being restricted to the house for the majority of the time post baby means it is nice to be living in a nice, clean environment. Sleep deprivation and high emotions make housekeeping a small but practical gift that can help Mum as well as help ease a relationship that is making a major adjustment.
Groceries
Services that deliver to your door such as online grocery shopping are a huge plus. If you prefer to do the shopping yourself you could make up an IOU groceries voucher. It’s the basic things that can be a big adjustment with a baby, and doing grocery shopping in the first few weeks when Mums are getting used to feeding and sleep cycles can be a big help to the growing family.
Dinners
Any gift that lets Mum put her feet up is bound to be appreciated.
There is the age old classic pregnancy gift of bringing over a casserole (or some other frozen or fresh meal). Meals can be made, frozen and given to the mother before they even go into hospital so they know they are there ready and waiting. This one is a classic for a reason: mothers need to eat well. It’s a stressful time on the body and they need as much rest and good nutritious food as possible to help recover and heal from pregnancy and labor.
Reading
A great idea for little luxuries is a Kindle. It’s great as it’s small, portable and can be held with one hand (including turning the pages) which is a bonus whilst breastfeeding. Kindles are now coming down in price and are quite reasonable. It could be given with an Amazon voucher so they can load it up with books and magazines. Of course the old fashioned paper book is also great. A lot of our clients say they couldn’t believe how much time they spend just waiting – waiting for their baby to finish feeding, waiting for them to wake up or go to sleep – and they could find it a bit boring sitting at home all day. A great book can help to pass the time.
My baby’s first year calendar
This is a lovely alternative to the classic baby book. It comes with stickers such as “first smile” that are much easier for you to keep track of if it’s up on the wall and a matter of moments to fill in.
Music and TV
One to be shared with Mum and the baby is iPod speakers. They are very portable, and music can help Mum through the long hours as well as help lull the baby to sleep. This could also be given with an iTunes voucher. They can either pick music for themselves, the baby or even download movies, tv shows or apps. A client once told me that she would pick tv shows that ran for about the same length of time it took her to breastfeed. This meant that she had something to look forward to and it helped pass the time.
Pregnancy friendly body care
This is a time where there is a lot of focus on the baby, so it is nice to give Mum some little luxuries, such as body care products. Just be aware that a lot more Mums these days are choosing to use organic, chemical free products during pregnancy. Also be aware of the essential oils in products as some aren’t to be used during pregnancy. We recommended and use coconut oil for our massages. It is great for your skin as is it made up of fatty acids that are similar to those in your skin. Make sure to buy cold pressed or virgin coconut oil. Lanolin is also a popular one with breastfeeding Mums. Breastfeeding can be very painful, especially in the first couple of weeks, and a high quality lanolin cream can help to alleviate some of the discomfort without harming the baby.
Hairdresser
Simple things like an offer for a hair appointment with babysitting are a great gift idea for pregnant women. To know that they will be able to leave the house and continue their normal activities post baby can be a great comfort.
Last but not least, Massage
We can tell you from experience that specific tailored pregnancy or post-natal massages are a great pregnancy gift. They are becoming increasingly popular, and are loved by the recipients. There are great benefits in having a massage during this time when pregnant women and mums can be stressed and anxious about the coming labor and the new baby, as well as experiencing physical discomfort and pain. Massage during this time is very practical and highly needed – but it is also a nice way to spoil Mum with what feels like a bit of luxury. At Mumma Massage we offer gift vouchers for mobile remedial massage therapy – just call us on 0425 785 488 or book online to arrange it.
Overall, the main theme of list is that anything that reduces stress, reduces time and reduces work is just perfect for an expectant mother. Anything that can be directly brought to the mother or prepared for her is a major plus – which is how Mumma Massage came about in the first place and why we do mobile massage for Mums! If you have any gift suggestions we haven’t mentioned here, submit them using the comments box below.
