With just over a month to go until Christmas and the excitement mounting among old and young alike (or is that just our house?!) I thought a post about what new parents might like for a Christmas gift would be useful. I’ve tried to round up gift ideas that you might never have considered so that you’re sure to be the only one buying it!
Let us know in the comments below what your best gift idea was as a new parent or what you are going to purchase for friends or family who have a new baby.
Top gift ideas for new parents
A full night’s sleep
OK, so a full night’s sleep might be pushing it when the new parents have a tiny baby who needs feeding, cuddling and nappy changing at whatever time they fancy during the night, but with a well-choosen gift you can make night time more relaxing for them.
Something like the TOMY First Years Starlight Dream Show gets a lot of love from forum users in how good it is in relaxing babies to sleep while not being intrusive. It’s also pretty cheap which is always a bonus! There are loads of different projectors that play lullabies to choose from so have a browse and make your friends nighttime routine that little bit easier.
A relaxing car journey
One of the more daunting things for new parents is going out with their new baby in the car. Especially with the updated laws that mean all newborns have to be in a rear-facing car seat, ideally in the back of the car. If their baby starts to cry it will be hard (and dangerous) for a new parent to see why they are upset without turning around or pulling over.
Solve the problem for them by getting one of Kid Transit’s baby car mirrors. Once it’s attached to the back seat headrest in front of the baby seat and angled correctly, your friend will be able to see their new baby by glancing in the rear-view mirror. With this one present, you have made every car journey a lot more relaxing and a lot safer!
Easy dinner for a week (or two)
Those first few weeks back from the hospital can be really busy for new parents with visits to and from friends and family and getting to know their new baby’s wants and needs. How about making it that little bit easier by either preparing a few easy to reheat meals for them to go in the fridge or freezer? If you’re not the best at cooking then a gift voucher for a food order from a supermarket or a meal delivery service such as Hello Fresh that sends all the ingredients and a recipe to the new parents for a tasty and nutritious meal every night.
You could even order a few ready meals from a more luxury shop than they are used to and get them delivered to stock up the freezer and fridge that way. With this present always check with the new parents which they would prefer first- if they don’t want to spend any time cooking or already have a fully stocked freezer then your gift might not be as appreciated!
Time to relax
How about buying a present for just the new parents to use? Make up a little box of goodies for a long soak in the bath such as one of these pampering gift sets available from Not on the High Street. Make sure both parents get the chance to relax though- how about offering to babysit one night but say they can stay in and do what they want and you will take care of the baby.
Easy nappy changes
Ah, nappy changes. A beautiful time to bond with your new baby, or an opportunity to practice your wrangling technique as your little one wriggles constantly while weeing all over you…. Whichever it is, things can go a lot better with the gift of a Kid Transit portable baby changing mat for the new parents in your life.
The mat has a large area with padded headrest for them to change their baby on and enough space to take a days supply of nappies and wipes along with them. The surface is easily wiped clean so any leaks can be cleaning up straight away. It may not be a glamorous present but your new parent friends will love you for making nappy changes on the go so much easier!
A cuddly toy
Yes, new parents will probably have been given loads of new toys for their little one. But, there is always room for one more and if it’s a toy that also has another purpose then it might actually become a favourite. Something like this Skip Hop Activity Fox my little one would have absolutely loved (and would still love now!) The tags on the fox are so attractive to little ones who will touch, pull and chew at them all the time. The toy also has a harder teether on it for when their gums start to hurt (just a few months old for some babies).
A record of their memories
The first few months with a new baby are easily forgotten as a new parent tries to get to grips with the new routine and all the changes that happen. Make sure they don’t forget all the important and special occasions by gifting them a baby journal. There’s loads of lovely ones out there like this one from Not On the High Street that has lots of space for all their jottings and dedicated pages to record all their little ones details.
The journal then makes a lovely gift for their child later on in life so they can find out just how special they are (and just how frazzled their parents were!)
A bathtime helper
One of the things parents realise when they have a new baby is that a lot of things now happen at ground level. Playing with them on the floor, nappy changing (if you don’t have a changing table) and giving baths might all involve kneeling down a lot.
How about giving new parents something like this baby bath kneeler and tidy? It attaches to the bath with suckers and has handy pockets for bubble bath and toys. More importantly though, the padding that they kneel on saves their knees from aches and bruises every night (especially if their bathroom floor is hard tiles). The kneeler can even be taken along on travels as it folds up small.
If you have some great gift ideas that you loved as a new parent, we would love to know! Add them to the comments and we will update our list.
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