Are you looking for some nice Christmas gifts for new moms, new dads and their cute babies? But you are unsure which gift to get? Of course you are tempted to buy super cute baby stuff as a Christmas gift, but will the parents really need it and like it? Or are there better Christmas gifts to get them?
When my first child was born we were flooded with gifts. We got dozen of baby outfits, play mats, blankets and toys. But we rarely got what we really wanted or needed. So here are my best (and worst) Christmas gifts for new moms, new dads or their babies for Christmas.
Not-so-good Christmas gift no. 1: parenting books
Very often you find this awesome parenting book that you think is the perfect gift for new moms and dads. But let’s face the ugly truth: as new parents we don’t have time to read parenting books. And if we had time, we would like to pick parenting books ourselves because they work with our values and views. So please do not give parenting books, even if you think they might be helpful. A recommendation is usually enough already.
What to give instead: Audio books for moms and books for kids
New parents usually don’t have time to read books. But this does not mean we don’t like books at all. A great solution is to give audio books instead. Audio books are great Christmas gifts for new parents as we can listen to them everywhere. When we go for a nice walk with the stroller for example. (And generally we do that a lot).
You can therefore give a nice audio book, or even better a gift voucher for an audio book service like Audible. So we can pick our favorite audio book ourselves.
Some of my favorite Christmas gifts for new moms and dads are books for kids. And this is simply for one reason: I think kids should be brought up with all kinds of books, as they are good for intellectual and linguistic development. Reading books together makes a gread bed time ritual, and it helps children and parents to calm down and spend some quality time together. Therefore in my opinion children can never have too many books.
My favorite ones are:
Not-so-good Christmas gift no. 2: cute toys
Yes, I get it. These toys are super cute. But the reality as a new parent is: absolutely EVERYONE will give your child a new toy. Not only family and friends, but also companies give away toys to children all the time (mainly as advertising). We had soooo many stuffed toys before our son was 6 months old that we started giving them away. Not only do they take up space, but having too many toys is also not great for a child’s creative development. Because when they have too many toys and are constantly entertained, they never learn how to be creative and come up with their own ways to play. So we tried to activily tell our family and friends not to give any more toys to our son. (which reduces the amount of toys, but does not completely eliminate them)
What to give instead: a personalized piggy bank for their college fund
However we found another great way how friends and family could give something more meaningful: we bought a nice piggy bank with our son’s name on it. This will now be his personal “college fund”. Everyone can put a little bit of money in it which we will then transfer to his kids savings account. If you want to give something meaningful to the new parents, why not give a nice personalized piggy bank with some money already in it? That way you will not only help them to start saving money for their child, it will also teach the child the importance of savings.
Not-so-good Christmas gift no. 3 cute baby clothes
As with baby toys, baby clothes are one of the top gifts for new moms and dads. But as new parents we realize very soon, that our precious little babies grow really fast, and that the super cute baby clothes are too small after a couple of weeks. For example our son was too big for his first set of clothes after just three weeks. In addition, some friends gave us really cute baby clothes that were absolutely not practical. Or that were just for the wrong season. (like summer clothes for a winter baby).
So even though these baby clothes are super cute as a Christmas gift for new moms and dads, they are probably a waste of money (in my opinion at least)
What to give instead : practical stuff they really need
However, there are a lot of things that new parents really need. So if you want to find a great Christmas gifts for new moms and dads just simply just ask them what they need right now. Another option is to ask them if they could make a baby wish list, for example on Amazon.com . With a wishlist like that you can easily order something they need and have it shipped to their house.
If they don’t have a special baby wish list, you can browse my list of favorite products to find something practical. I have bought and used most of the products myself, and can highly recommend them. My best buys so far were a portable nursing light and color changing baby spoons. Trust me, you can’t go wrong with these two items.
The best gift for new moms and dads: give them TIME.
My personal wishlist is really simple: time for myself (without the baby). For example to have a date night with my partner, to have a night out with the girls, to sleep in on weekends, to go for a run, or to get a pedicure or a massage. But I rarely have time to do all of these things because being a mom is a full time job.
So in my opinion the best gift for new parents is to give them your time as a babysitter. Even if it is just for a few hours. Therefore you can spend time with the little one and help your friends out. And the best thing: it is absolutely free!
Did you enjoy this blog posts on gifts for new moms and dads? You might also enjoy this blogpost on how to prevent stretch marks and breastfeeding because they also contain some great gifts you could give your mom-to-be friend.
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