Mom Needs Pampers Too

May 7, 2010 12:08 PM

What are some indulgent gifts to give a brand new mom?

My sister gave birth yesterday to a girl! I'm flying out next week to meet the little one and help out. My sister had a hard delivery, and I want to put together a selection of gifts for her. I'm looking for things that make recovery a little easier, or something that will make her feel pampered. They can be baby related or an indulgent something you really love.

posted by missmary6 to Shopping (20 answers total)

I'm thinking more of a service-related gift, like someone to come prepare meals for them for a week, or perhaps a cleaning/laundry service so she doesn't have to worry about chores while caring for her newborn.

Or, if she's into the idea of it, perhaps a cloth diaper service/start kit?
posted by rachaelfaith at 12:14 PM on May 7, 2010

Absolutely the most wonderful and indulgent gift I would have wanted after my son was born was someone to come in bi-weekly and clean the house. (With lots of non-toxic/green products.)

Having the opportunity to rest, and not feel pressure to do a single thing besides pay attention to the baby is the best possible gift.
posted by anastasiav at 12:22 PM on May 7, 2010 [2 favorites]

An in-house message.
posted by mosk at 12:23 PM on May 7, 2010

Post-partum doula.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 12:23 PM on May 7, 2010

Crap -- that should be "massage".
posted by mosk at 12:25 PM on May 7, 2010

Massage and pedicure
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:30 PM on May 7, 2010

Time off. Send her to a day spa while you sit the baby.
posted by trip and a half at 12:31 PM on May 7, 2010

Best answer: After I gave birth, a good friend went to Whole Foods and bought out what seemed to be the entire deli section. For about a week my fridge was full to bursting with great food that was ready to eat. At most, stuff just needed to be popped into the microwave. That was a great, great gift.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:33 PM on May 7, 2010

Best answer: Netflix would also be nice, if you think they'd use it. My husband and I watched tons of movies in the fews month or so of our baby's life. We weren't going out at night, but it was really nice to have a movie to watch. I watched in the middle of the night while I nursed, too.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:34 PM on May 7, 2010

Some parents want help with the baby, others want help with other things so that they can focus on the baby exclusively. Being able to get a sense of where you should help when you arrive is a pretty good gift, in and of itself.

On preview, I will nth the massage. My hospital provided one to all post-partum moms. I am not a massage person at all, but it was awesome.
posted by gnomeloaf at 12:38 PM on May 7, 2010

My little sister stayed overnight with us for a couple days after we got out of the hospital & dealt with Baby Oh Really (who cried a lot) & just brought her to me when she needed to be fed. It was wonderful to get some sleep WITH my husband instead of sleeping in shifts.
posted by oh really at 12:43 PM on May 7, 2010

Best answer: Be careful on the massage - post delivery not every new mom is comfortable with her body or wants to be touched. It's an awesome gift, but maybe a bit later depending on your sister and her delivery.

My suggestions:
- House cleaners - even 1 or 2 visits.
- Stocking the fridge with homemade frozen foods for after you leave.

Congrats on the new niece and welcome to the world little one!
posted by 26.2 at 12:55 PM on May 7, 2010

Best answer: When one of my co-workers became a new dad, his mother-in-law went to this place and got them 2 weeks worth of nice dinners to eat at home. The business has since shut down here, but it occurred to me that preparing several ready-to-cook meals wouldn't be too difficult. After my first daughter was born, we were broke, and I was lonely and hungry. I lived on peanut butter sandwiches. It sucked. New moms need food. Lots and lots of good food, especially if they're breastfeeding.
posted by SamanthaK at 2:50 PM on May 7, 2010

If your sister is the electronics type, she might like a Kindle or similar, especially if she is nursing. It is great for nursing sessions. Lightweight, can't lose your place, fits easily on your lap even with Boppy, etc.

Nthing house cleaner as another option.
posted by freezer cake at 3:11 PM on May 7, 2010

Smartphone or cleaning
posted by k8t at 9:17 PM on May 7, 2010

Response by poster: Living out of town it's hard to judge a house cleaner; I think my sister and her husband would be very particular about who they allow into their home. While I am there, however, I will continually clean the heck outta their place!
I love the Netflix idea; that's perfect! Done!
I'm going to cook up a storm while I'm there and leave them with many, many meals in their freezer and fridge.
I think I might surprise my sis with a gift certificate to a day spa a couple months from now.
Thanks, everyone, these are perfect ideas!!!
(by the way, saw photos today and she's ADORABLE!!!!)
posted by missmary6 at 9:43 PM on May 7, 2010

Food is always good, especially comfort food. I thought rice pudding was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted after giving birth. Some other things I would have appreciated:
-a cosy, washable robe
-several pairs of soft, stretchy pajamas
-cosy cute socks
-washable menstrual pads - I hated those chafing disposable pads, and was envious of my baby's soft cloth diapers
-several bpa-free water bottles. If she's breastfeeding, she'll be thirsty, and it's nice to have more than one because new-mom brain means you lose/forget things easily
-lipbalm
-lanolin for her nipples
-a bracelet that she can switch from wrist to wrist, to remember which side to feed the baby from next
-lots of tissues, the hormone rollercoaster can leave you pretty weepy
-the hospital may have given her these, but: a peri (squirt) bottle, and stool softeners.
-a little bag/box/basket to keep things like remotes, books, water bottles in and carry around to wherever she's feeding the baby
-lots of love and encouragement, that first month can be really rough.
posted by meringue at 10:02 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

For a purely indulgent, "you're a mom now, but remember to take care of yourself too" sort of gift, try Lush. Gorgeous, gorgeous, beautiful bath and body products that are cruelty-free, all-natural, organic, vegan, ethically sourced, etc. etc... and the Therapy massage bar helps with stretch marks (cocoa butter plus neroli, and it smells gently of lavender and lemon).
posted by mornie_alantie at 10:55 PM on May 7, 2010

In my limited experience as a proxy parent, finding entertainment choices that work for little ones and won't drive you up the wall is key. If you're not careful, you can end up watching the same Veggietales DVD for almost a decade.
My sister is pregnant right now, so among other things I'm getting her a collection of children media that don't suck. I picked some things she enjoyed when she was a kid, the whole Miyazaki oeuvre, some soothing artsy stuff... Nothing with songs, nothing shrill or repetitive, and nothing that would drive someone to madness when left in the DVD player for days on end.
posted by Freyja at 12:42 PM on May 8, 2010

Seconding meringue, above, about the box or basket to carry things around the house - a paperback book or e-reader, tv remotes, lip balm, water bottle, hand lotion, some small snacks. Invariably, I'd sit down and get settled with jvilter jr and find I needed *something*. My fantasy was something like this, (a Bucket Boss, for those of you who know what they are) but I never quite got around to doing anything about it.
I can think of tons of stuff that would be nice to have handy; pens and pencils, wipes for the baby, crossword puzzle book, my cell phone or the cordless home phone...

I think that one fits a five gallon bucket, but they make ones that fit on a three gallon, which would be an easier to handle size.
posted by jvilter at 12:55 PM on May 8, 2010