One of my good friends has a pregnant friend. She isn’t in a relationship with the father, and he doesn’t seem interested in stepping up. My heart aches for her. As a new mama, I know how hard things can be, especially during the first few months, but I had HOS. We got through everything together. So I wanted to do something to help her out.
Baby showers were developed with the best of intentions. It’s an opportunity to provide mom with some gifts to take care of baby. I was blessed by three amazing showers. But like all moms, I received a lot of some things and not enough of others. To be fair, very few of my friends want – let alone have – kids.
When all was said and done, I had 21 bibs, 18 pacifiers (Charli hates them) and an infinite number of teething rings. I also received tons of great outfits, toys, diapers, wipes, etc. This is NOT a bash on showers. … More of a bringing to light of common issues.
After Charlotte arrived, I found a slew of things that I needed and didn’t know it. SO to help out this friend of a friend, I decided to put together a gift basket of items that I loved during the early months.
From New Mom to New Mom Basket
Shopping List (completely subjective
All of these items can be purchased at Target except the Halo Sleepsack, at least not that I’ve seen.
- Halo Sleepsack Swaddle
- Set of onesies
- Infant Tylenol or Acetaminophen
- Gas drops
- Gripe water
- Formula packets
- Biodegradable disposable bags for diapers
- Baby shampoo
- Laundry basket
- String or ribbon
- Note cards
Basket Building
- I wrote a little m
essage on one note card for each item. It was either a reason for that item or some advice regarding that item. For example, on the shampoo I wrote: “Bath time is a fun bonding time. Baby only needs a drop of shampoo. (Use little to no lotion. He doesn’t need.).” - Write a personal message to the new mom on note cards. Include a list of tips. One of my tips was “Make time for yourself each day, even if it’s just to shower.” Another tip was “Don’t Google! Too many scary results. Consult a friend or doctor.”
- Punch holes in the upper left-hand corner of each card.
- Using the string or ribbon, tie the card to the corresponding item.
- Place all of the items into the laundry basket. I realize that the laundry basket sounds like a silly gift, but HOS and I didn’t even think of it! Charli didn’t have her own basket for four months.
- Tie all of your advice cards to the outside of the basket.
Voila!
The image I had in my head was much cuter than the end product. I’m still happy with the end result, though. And I hope new mom loves the gift!
Ok moms, I assume you’ll agree with me on this post, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. What is the number one item you would give a new mom?
This Side of the Rainbow 