Beyond the Baby Shower: Gifts Parents Actually Crave After Baby's Arrival

Bringing over a premade meal for your new parent friend is lovely, but in the early days I always found it stressful to field questions about what I wanted / needed, and ended up throwing a lot of food away due to not being able to consume it in time. 

Because of that, UberEats meal delivery gift cards are a great way to support new parents.

UberEats is the most flexible meal delivery service because they work with both rides and eats AND incorporate convenience, grocery, and allow you to use them to schedule prescription pickups or delivery returns…ALL valuable services to help support new parents. In those early days (and years), you can’t always run out to grab food or do simple life tasks that seemed so easy before kids. Gifting your friend an UberEats gift card is a great, practical way to support them.

Most of the time when friends are coming to visit a new baby, they bring things for the baby, and forget that mom needs nurturing as well. The journey through labor and delivery can be taxing and when everyone is finally home, mom will want to be as comfortable as possible as she nurses, does skin-to-skin, and cares for her little one around the clock. Little Shadows R & R Postpartum Gown is my go-to gift for new moms. It’s handmade in Los Angeles using sustainable fabric, features easy-closure snap buttons, and is the ideal lounge option for C-section and post-birth recovery. It’s also oh so soft and chic & beautiful too.

White noise is a parent's best friend for their baby’s sleep, and this portable white noise machine by Dreamegg is the perfect gift for the new parent in your life. Newborns sleep a lot during the first year, so gifting something that will support better baby sleep is a no brainer.

White noise masks background noises, soothes babies, and promotes better sleep. Not only is this gift practical, it’s also adorable and comes in 3 different colors.

And look at it this way, you are going to want to hang out with your friends outside of the home at some point during their baby's first year. This gift will help entice the new parents to leave the house with their little one, knowing they can still keep their baby’s sleep routine on-the-go…a win-win-win. You get to see your people, they get to get out of the house, and the baby gets to sleep more easily on-the-go!!

If you are looking for a gift parents can use from birth until 2 years old, the BabyBjorn Bouncer is it. As a mom of three, it was my go-to item for at-home and on-the-go days, as it’s a super versatile, all-in-one item. The bouncer doubles as a cozy baby “holder” in the early months and once baby is old enough, a comfy seat.

If your gift receivers don’t want to clutter their house with too many baby things and love to travel + be on the go, this is the perfect gift they will get a lot of use out of and keep their house looking sharp, too.

There are also options for adorable wooden toys to go with the bouncer if you really want to spoil the new parents!

My all around favorite gift for parents and kids are printable Amazon Gift Cards. This is a great option for a new mom, a new baby, or even an older sibling who is transitioning to having a new addition at home.

Not only can you purchase this and print it at home (or send it electronically), but EVERYONE can find something they need on Amazon, even if it’s not for the baby. Giving a new parent an amazon gift card lets them get items they actually need for their baby, their home, or their other children, which can be a huge help in the early days at home.