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Becoming a parent is tough. It will change every aspect of your life, and even the most prepared parent-to-be can feel totally ill-prepared once the baby is born. Reading about what a baby needs and how to take care of a new baby is great. But actually doing it with your own child can be a totally different story.
Friends and family want to help, especially those who have been there themselves, but they are not always sure what gifts are going to be really useful to new parents.
Well-meaning friends and family need to talk to the new mom and dad and ask them their preferences, first and foremost.
Moms who plan to exclusively breastfeed do not usually need a 10-pack of bottles. Those who want to use cloth diapers will not appreciate the dump truck of Pampers a friend sends them, as well-intentioned as they are.
And remember, sometimes the plan a parent has when they are just expecting does not work for them once the baby arrives. The plan might have been to serve only homemade baby food but when the time for food rolls around, the baby might only like jars of green beans.
So be sure to check in with the new parents before buying anything after the baby comes to see if their needs have changed.
All new parents are unique, but there are certain things that everyone needs almost universally. Here's a list of the top five baby gifts to give new parents:
1) Time
Everyone only gets 24 hours in each day and for new parents -- moms especially -- it can seem like every minute of that time is occupied with the baby. Offer to babysit, even for 30 minutes while the new mom showers. Just giving someone else baby duty for a small bit of time can make all the difference to a new parent.
2) Money
It is thought uncouth in some circles to give money as a gift, but new parents are especially grateful to have discretionary funds to pay for the unexpected doctor's visit, the tons of diapers, or perhaps just a pizza for dinner. A gift card to a mass market store like Target or Walmart or their local grocery store is good too, and can be sent from afar.
3) Food
Everyone's got to eat, especially nursing moms. But cooking a full, healthy meal takes time, energy, and ingredients ... some things that many new parents are short of.
Take them a meal. Send them a pizza. Stop by a sandwich shop and bring them lunch. Even sending a gift certificate from a local catering company or food delivery service works well. Remember, it's not just the first days home that they will appreciate this but anytime in the first two months is totally appropriate.
4) Cleaning
New parents, even one who weren't "clean freaks" before having a child, tend to turn into ones after the baby comes home. But washing, dusting, vacuuming, and general cleaning of the house is hard to get done when a new baby enters the picture.
Take some of the cleaning off their plates. If you can't or don't want to clean yourself, hire a cleaning service!
5) You
Your conversation, your advice, but most importantly your presence, can be a huge gift to a new parent in need. Sometimes just having someone to sit with, especially when the "baby blues" kick in, can be the greatest gift of all.
When a friend or family member has a new baby, don't expect them to reach out if they need something. They are most likely sleep-deprived, anxious, and perhaps a little guilty about needing help.
Just make them an offer and let them refuse it if they want. Chances are nothing will be refused.
Sources:
Babycenter.com. Web. 4 September 2013. "Gifts for new parents".
http://www.babycenter.com/0_gifts-for-new-parents_2238.bc
Jannagoddard.blogspot.com. Published on 19 September 2011. "8 unique gifts for new parents".
http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2011/09/8-gifts-ideas-for-new-parents.html
Reviewed September 5, 2013
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith
Add a Comment2 Comments
As long as babies are made we have the responsibility to ensure that they get the safest and best products though there are other diapers in the market but i never buy without looking at http://goo.gl/69Xz5K
September 15, 2013 - 10:20pmThis Comment
Parenting is one of the of the of the most difficult aspects of our life. We need to be very careful regarding the baby about the primary aspects of parenthood. So it becomes highly essential that we should take care of this primary aspects and the above information is extremely helpful for us and especially for the new parents. We should be very careful while providing the baby products to the child as we need to check the exact details.
September 14, 2013 - 10:49pmThis Comment