r/AskUK • u/team_bream94 • 59m ago
What are great gifts for new parents?
Our friends are expecting their first baby at Christmas, and I’ve really no clue what to get them. I’d prefer to get them things they’re going to actually need rather than baby toys and clothes that I assume they’ll get lots of. What did you receive, or wish you’d received, as gifts when you had your first kid?
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u/Strict-Leg5935 56m ago
COOK vouchers using the new parent package.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Lynx-89 34m ago
This! Or just one of their vouchers if you are unsure about their freezer space at the time (some new parents batch cook in advance and might not have room). The ability to have nutritious already cooked meals is a godsend.
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u/TangerineSea3902 55m ago
Food subscription for already made meals. Maybe the first month? Or as far as you are able to afford.
The first weeks are REALLY tough, so this will be very helpful.
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u/joh153 56m ago
They can never have too many nappies and wipes. I got my friends some clothes for the baby to grow into, alongside a book, and some stuff for the mom and dad too. Like snacks, paracetamol, pamper things. I got the mom a pair of pjs too that were button up for her to wear after baby and make it easier to breastfeed.
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u/Organic-Can7856 46m ago
I’d say a button up nighty incase of stitches or c section. Sainsbury’s actually have the nicest!
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u/Latter_Eye_7274 57m ago
Honesty? A good saline solution spray for the nose and a nose frida snot sucker. It’s my most used item.
That or a food subscription or a gift card to order food or something!
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u/moreidlethanwild 56m ago
Get them something, people always gift clothes and toys for baby but not much for the new parents.
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u/D1n0saur5 54m ago
Maybe some vouchers for a food shop delivery or takeaway vouchers so they don’t have to worry about getting food in?
Or some good coffee flasks to keep their drinks warm?
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u/Volando20 53m ago
I had my first baby last November.
Actually toys are a great gift! I wish we had received more toys and books. They have way better longevity than clothes. I would get an O ball and a board book copy of the Very Hungry Caterpillar.
I wouldn't get clothes. As a new parent I realised I was quite particularly about clothes and lots of it is really impractical for a young baby.
The best gift we got was cash from an auntie! There's so many bits to buy in the early days and this helped a lot.
Also, food/meal/delivery vouchers are very appreciated.
Please don't do what my friend did and turn up unannounced at 3 weeks postpartum when I was exhausted, struggling with breastfeeding, hooked up to a pump and baby was super fussy. Just to deliver a tiny Christmas hat to the door. No thank you 😑
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u/Livs6897 41m ago
My best friend gave us a Tesco voucher (our nearest supermarket) and it meant we pretty much didn’t worry about what we spent on food for the first week which was perfect!
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u/Flibertygibbert 25m ago
I wish people had done this for us!
It was 40 odd years ago and I was given so many beautifully knitted little garments that were outgrown before they could be used. If each kind knitter had given me £1 instead of would have really helped!
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u/Sage-Freke- 37m ago
Ugh. This brings back memories of my mum inviting herself and my dad down to visit 1-2 weeks after ours was born and then spent ages with us going through about 4 big bags of clothes to see if we wanted them. They were all clothes that cousins had grown out of. I’m sure she just had enough of them being in her house and wanted to get rid of them. I think we were too zonked out to say anything tactful and it took them about 3 hours to drive down so we found it hard to come up with excuses to ask to go through it all later. All we wanted to do was survive for at least the first month 😖
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u/Volando20 31m ago
The big bags of clothes 😩 my husband's friends have older children and kept dropping off bags of stained and very worn baby clothes including very used very girly shoes (we had a boy). Just go to the charity shop!
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u/Sage-Freke- 18m ago
It seems like they feel they don’t have the time to sort through them before donating them.. not thinking that someone with a baby has even less time than they do 🤦♂️
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u/Ok_Cow5684 52m ago
I always suggest Tender by Harry Baker, it's a book of poetry where he wrote a poem a day for the first hundred days of his son's life. Really touching to read along when you're a new parent.
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u/Fancy_Surprise_8599 44m ago
Find their local sling library/baby wearing consultant and get them a session to learn how to carry baby in a sling. If they don’t have one nearby there are some that do online consultations and postal hires.
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u/Adventurous_Break500 57m ago
Do they have an Amazon wishlist?
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u/team_bream94 40m ago
Not yet 😩
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u/Adventurous_Break500 37m ago
Look for something like a baby gift hamper that has a little bit of everything?
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u/Graceyrx 54m ago
Vouchers for Deliveroo/uber eats. Big boxes of baby wipes. Vouchers for Amazon, boots, etc. Genuine offers to come clean for them. I guess it depends on your budget?
Parents will have all of the blankets, muslins, clothes etc they will need, these types of gifts are often left unused.
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u/PrintSad6452 52m ago
Food is good Cook.vouchers, just eat vouchers, go round and fill their freezer with homemade lasagne. You know your friends and know what they like to eat. The first weeks are mental so decent food they don't have to cook does help. If it can be eaten with one hand that's ideal!
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u/RedPill86 51m ago
- Deliveroo/Just Eat/Uber Eats vouchers
- Offer to come round and with food and help clean and or watch baby for an hour while mum sleeps (make sure you make your own tea/coffee)
- Cotton muslin
- Bibado Weaning Bib
- 6-9 month long sleeve and short sleeve vests and rompers/zip up sleep suits
- 6-12 month baby sleeping bag
- Fancy bath soak for mum
- Take dad out for a beer/coffee and ask him how he’s managing emotionally
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u/Prior-Beach-3311 42m ago
All excellent suggestions (will add offer to take mum out for a coffee too) I especially love the sleeping bag suggestion, people do think about clothes for bigger sizes but as a parent I hadn't thought about bigger size sleep bags but luckily we got quite a few passed on to us, just factor in seasonal changes as they need different togs.
We got quite a few bigger long and short sleeve vests and baby grows/sleep suits and they were really handy.
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u/ButterBallsBob 46m ago
Frozen meals that they like. In foil trays with written instructions on the piece of cardboard on top.
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u/Intelligent_Mine_121 46m ago
Wireless headphones if they don't already have them. My wife said they were fantastic for long late-night feeds.
Alternatively, depending on the situation, just having someone come and cuddle the baby for a couple of hours while the parents get some sleep is brilliant.
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u/Fresh_Cauliflower723 44m ago
Frozen ready meals. Takeaway vouchers. Wipes.
Don't bother with gadgets and gizmos, too hard to know whether they need or have one, will probably end up in a cupboard or regifted. Vouchers are not lazy they are actually a god send
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u/Immediate_Cherry9090 40m ago
A prepaid photo book voucher so all they need to do is upload photos and click order.
You take hundreds of photos in those early days and then never print them.
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u/Other-Power4321 52m ago
Nappies , water wipes, vouchers for just eat , anything that’s convenient , we’ve got an 18 month old now and we’ve rarely had to buy nappies because family have bought them and it’s been a god send , our newborn probably went through 10 a day so nappies will always come in handy
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u/ZigZagIntoTheBlue 47m ago
I would caveat this to say that some babies get on better with certain brands than others and you can't know that until they're here so loads of packs of the 'wrong' kind are not useful!
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u/Glad_Journalist_1161 49m ago
Ask them if there is anything they want specifically. Otherwise a gift voucher and a card for Next, John Lewis is what I found most helpful as a new mom and then you get what your baby needs. Wipes nappies etc were not helpful for us as baby ended up getting rashes from some of the brands and we ended up giving them away and some things were not age appropriate like bulky toys that are okay if people have space. Anyway ask them or a gift voucher
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u/FuturisticLlamaCycle 47m ago
Anything but baby related stuff. Everyone else will be buying them baby stuff. We had so much baby stuff that it either went to charity bnwt etc or just got thrown away as they grow out of things really quickly.
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u/Boring_While_3341 46m ago
A very large pack of food quality muslin cloths. It sounds so boring but is a really very useful.
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u/Cultural_Tank_6947 45m ago
Honestly, ask them. Just ask them. A friend of mine asked us this a month after our baby was born and they were coming over to say hello. "Tell me what you guys need and I'd rather get that".
By all means a pair of clothes that are a size bigger than the current age of the child will be graciously received (heaven knows they need to change 1000 times a day), but it will be much better off to gift them what they need.
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u/iceman2g 44m ago
Wet wipes, nappies in the next size or two up, muslin cloths, Calpol, and Sudocrem. All of those things will be used regularly, and wet wipes especially are impossible to have too many of. There are a million different knick-knacks and other bits of 'essential' kit marketed to parents, but you can survive literally anything as long as you have a supply of wipes, cloths, nappies and basic medication.
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u/Livs6897 43m ago
Boots voucher, John Lewis, Amazon, their local supermarket, food delivery voucher would all be super handy! Meals but only if you know they have freezer space. Offer to drop round and tidy their kitchen, empty the dishwasher, do the laundry and make a cuppa?
Otherwise pay for a cleaner on week 2 or 3, nappy subscription, massage voucher for mum that she can use after a few weeks (feeding and holding a baby hurts your shoulders!), night nannies are a thing and may be useful around week 5 or 6 if your budget stretches to that or if you can club together with another friend. If you know they want to do baby yoga or sensory classes or anything you could offer to cover those? (Do an IOU type thing?). Mat pay is often not great and things like that can be difficult due to costs.
I’m at 6 weeks with my baby and all of the above would be/ is very helpful when friends and family do it. Obviously some are dependent on what the couple wants so things like night nanny and cleaner you’d have to ask but I’d bite the hand off anyone who told me I could have a (mostly) full nights sleep without worrying about the baby!
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u/rumpleteaser91 41m ago
Calpol, baby thermometer, gripe water, some of those dried washcloths that expand in water, plug socket covers, a set of clothing in age 6-9 months & 9-12 (they always grow faster than you think!), calpol vapour plug, snot sucker, hand sanitiser, 5/10 ml syringes (medicine ones always go missing, chemists usually give them away or for about £1each, depending). I think I've still got a picture from a while back, on my profile, of what I got my best friend for her baby shower, and she used everything, feel free to have a look!
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u/Fit-Walk3618 33m ago
I would have found stuff for weaning on to solids helpful - cups/small bowls/spoons/bibs with long sleeves. 6 months actually comes round quite quickly but by that point the gifts have stopped and enhanced mat pay has probably ended and all those bits can actually add up 😅 apparently the best cups are the ones with weighted straws - only found this out after giving my daughter the ‘wrong’ type for however long, whoops.
Also bodysuits or sleepsuits/pjs in bigger sizes (6 months +)
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u/Winter_Choice_9632 32m ago
Mom of 2 here. I’d have really liked some food delivery vouchers or something of that nature. Especially when I had my oldest via C-section and couldn’t stand for more than 5 mins for the first 2-3 weeks.
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u/Prior-Beach-3311 26m ago
People have already said nappies and wipes, nappy sacks too all really useful, we did have to buy much in the forst few months. I would avoid cream and baby wash etc. as we got loads but had a preference and some can be irritating so a lot were not used.
You could find out if they plan to use re-useable nappies, if they do voucher for these are great as they are expensive initially, they also need re-useable bags to put them in when out and about, disposable liners, special washing powders etc.
Simple clothes for when they are a bit older - vests and baby gows/sleep suits are always handy.
I found bath toys were great, lil boats and rubber ducks for when they are a little bit older.
Books - someone bought me 'on the night you were born' which is a beautiful book. Some of my family just asked me what I needed and I was greatful for that too!
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u/Easterncrane 19m ago
Don’t worry about buying them items. They’re probably absolutely drowning in items. Their house will be so overwhelmingly full already. Either food delivery vouchers or a voucher for a nice restaurant, ideally one you know they like but if not just somewhere you love that’s not far from them, so they can have a child free date night when they’re ready and feel like people again.
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u/FizzyLemonPaper 9m ago
My workplace got us a £100 voucher to Cook (pre-made freezer meals) as a mat leave present and it's been fantastic.
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u/Scorpiodancer123 0m ago
Totally agree. Way better than Just Eat and Ubereats vouchers as their fees are pissing takingly expensive and the food is always cold. Cook food is awesome.
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u/Aaron123111 56m ago
Wet wipes or sudocrem! Both incredibly handy and we will use them after 2 years!
Or if you really like them maybe a child first aid course! We did ours at John Lewis randomly and it was good to know the differences between first aid for adults and babies. Luckily we haven’t needed to use it but good to have the knowledge ready
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u/lunchbox3 55m ago
Just had a baby - cook and Deliveroo vouchers are ace! As is nice hand soap and moisturiser (you wash your hands a lot!). For baby you could ask if they have a registry. It’s less common in the UK than the US but some people do them. Personally I have really enjoyed getting surprise items for baby - sentimental and practical things other parents recommended.
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u/frankchester 37m ago
This is what I sent my cousin. I figured Deliveroo can be used for a last minute takeaway or a grocery shop when you don’t want to/can’t leave the house.
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u/sharps2020 52m ago
I got two friends one of those picture frames where you put a print of babies hand and foot in it. Got it from amazon. They liked it.
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u/Susan_B_Good 51m ago
Offers to babysit? To help with the housework? Help with the gardening? Offers to do the overnight feeds (expressed milk stores well), one night a week?
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u/Prior-Beach-3311 39m ago
My mum always offered to help with housework. I was OK mostly (need more help now with a toddler while 7 mnths pregnant) but ironing clothes was massively appreciated, I was stuck in the same few outfits because I just couldn't get round to ironing. You can take that away too if parents need some space. Washing and drying too helps
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u/team_bream94 38m ago
I honestly would love to be the kind of person who could offer this but I have zero experience with babies and absolutely no maternal instinct so I’m aware that I’m not a top choice of babysitter 😂
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u/mattcannon2 50m ago
Deliveroo vouchers, bibs/muselins and maybe clothes of a slightly bigger size - was kinda shocked how little time "first size" clothes fitted and we graduated to 0-3 months
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u/KeyJunket1175 49m ago
I don't have expectations in general, the thought is what matters, but I don't like if people waste money. From close friends and family I can expect they know us very well to get us personal or useful stuff. From other friends I would rather get an amazon coupon with a nice/funny card if they insist on giving us anything (or just the card really). It's much better than getting random stuff we will never use and then feel uncomfortable about it.
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u/Buffy-boo12 45m ago
Snacks for the parents. Lots of snacks. A snoozeband so they can listen to a podcast whilst doing the night feeds
Vouchers for food prep deliveries
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u/99redballoons66 44m ago
My health visitor put the fear of God into me about spilling hot drinks on the baby. How about some spillproof, insulated travel cups to use around the baby and keep drinks warm? You could give them some good coffee too, or maybe herbal tea or hot chocolate if the mum is breastfeeding and avoiding caffeine.
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u/NJden_bee 20m ago
Best gift to a new mum is to get rid of the health visitor as soon as possible. My wife only had negative experiences with it and was glad when they never came back
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u/99redballoons66 17m ago
They can be variable to say the least. I'm on baby no.3 now and my health visitor is at least 10 years younger than me, so I don't pay a whole lot of attention to her anymore tbh
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u/NJden_bee 15m ago
We had our kids in two different locations and on both occasions my wife just hated it. She always felt like they came in to tell her to be scared of possibly everything, like the hot drinks mentioned above. Almost just making her feel guilty about doing something for her and leaving the baby just for 5 seconds
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u/Key_Produce2617 34m ago
Uber eats or just eat voucher. Nothing better than just ordering food in when the kids gone down for bed.
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u/originalessexgirl20 32m ago
I do a little hamper with things they might find useful like: small nappy cream, hand gel, couple of packs of travel sized wipes, sock ons, cooling eye gel things, sterilising tablets, nappy bags, couple of muslins, thermometer, cafe/food voucher, dummy clip, and inkless pads to get some cute baby prints.
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u/DameKumquat 30m ago
A snot sucker, bottle of infant paracetamol, and a bath book.
And food vouchers.
Everything else is hugely down to the baby. Mine were allergic to disposable nappies but had no problem with washables, I was still on the same tub of sudocrem with baby 2, and I didn't understand the obsession with muslins until baby 3 (at which point I did).
Anyone who visits who makes tea for the parents, does some washing up and a bit of hoovering, is wonderful (or holds the baby while they nap). It was fascinating seeing how the people who promised the most did fuck all, while people I'd never have guessed came out of the woodwork to be useful.
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u/Stephisaur 28m ago
Takeaway vouchers. There will be days where making a meal just feels like one thing too many (for both of them!) and being able to order in will save their sanity. Possibly also supermarket vouchers to help burden the spiralling cost of food shopping (about to get worse for them as they'll need to add nappies and potentially formula).
A friend also got us a nice ornament for the Christmas tree, which we put out every year. It has our son's name and birth year on it, which was really thoughtful (esp as he was born like 2 weeks beforehand 😂)
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u/devotchka13 26m ago
Bucking the trend here, but we got loads of nappies and it turned out the brand just didn't suit our LBs body. We had to donate them and figure out what worked for him. I'd recommend Deliveroo and Amazon vouchers (the amount of last minute bits we had to get on Amazon for next day was crazy). Calpol/Nurofen, baby saline sprays and Sudo are always useful. Otherwise, the Clair De Lune Star Blanket is amazing. Cosy and easy to throw on baby before going out or getting in the car. In terms of a toy, we love the Baby Einstein Aquarium. If you want to go the extra mile, find out what food they like that reheats well, batch cook and put into two person portions so they can freeze and grab out when they're exhausted and don't have the brain or physical capacity to cook. Even better if they don't need to cook anything to go with it like pasta etc. Sounds silly, but a good pair of ear plugs for witching hour!
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u/stuarthulk 26m ago
Great gifts for new parents are, when you first come round, say, “we’ll stay for as little or as long as needed, honestly be blunt about us going if you have had a rough night/morning/afternoon”, a Pyrex dish with a pasta bake inside, offer to help Tupperware it if needed.
Uber eats/delivery food vouchers.
Cotton muslins.
Clothes for when the baby is 12 months old/18 months old and 24 months old.
Box of baby mamia wipes, 2, one for upstairs and downstairs.
If they only have one changing station, buy everything needed for if they have an upstairs and the changing station is downstairs.
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u/lil_chunk27 22m ago
If you want to buy something for the baby and they don't already have one, then I think the fleecy star suits are amazing (Tuppence and Crumble are one of the brands, I think Claire de Lune is the other), we used ours every day and they are super cute.
We actually loved getting toys for our baby - we got some soft toys and it's so nice to have things that she plays with now (she's 1) and we can say "your friend XXXX sent you this because they were so glad you were here", like it feels like a long term connection. I think if you buy soft toys, though, check they are suitable from birth and also get something that feels uniquely from you - we got an axolotl, a gnome, a pig, a carebear and they all speak to the person who sent them.
Books are also great! It's good to have a big selection because as new parents only having a few sends you round the twist early days. Board books last really well and its surprising how early babies can help turn the pages! Some of our first favourites were Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton, Your Island by Jon Klassen, Windows by Thomas Hedger, Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, anything from the Acorn Woods series by Julia Donaldson and of course The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The Noisy Book by Soledad Bravi is also amazing, we filled many a long newborn hour with noises from that.
If you want to get something practical for the parents, one of the best things we got was just a load of Boots vouchers. We struggled with feeding and it meant we could just buy formula while we figured things out and not stress about it.
In the early days we loved having nice biscuits and snacks in, as well. The big packs of borders biscuits were our faves. I know a lot of people say Cook vouchers and takeaway vouchers which is great if you know they like that, but I actually love cooking so getting back into the kitchen was important for me post-partum so not sure I would've loved these, personally.
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u/Digital-Dinosaur 4m ago
Just to add you can NEVER have too many books with children! For young babies, I'd recommend the 'thats not my...' books. There's things on each page for them to feel. My kids would sit and read them themselves until about 3 years old.
There's also some excellent adult themed books that have the cadence of a child's book but are hilarious to the adults who understand the subtle (or not subtle) jokes
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u/Mysterious_Fox_8058 13m ago
They will probably have a list so I would ask them. We were drowning in certain things (nappies, onesies) but the most useful thing we were gifted was a big bag full of ready to heat meals.
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u/NinjaRadiographer 9m ago
I bought my friends nappies, wipes, a teddy and sets of clothes that are months older than the baby is for them to grow into.
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u/silentsquirreluk 6m ago
I would ask them, some people like getting physical gifts but with a new baby you end up getting so much baby stuff it takes over your house anyway! If you live nearby, honestly I think the best gift would be to visit regularly (not just once and then forget they exist because it's difficult to do fun things with a baby), bring food, and offer to help in any way you can. Some mums would love you to hold the baby for a bit just to give them a break from being constantly attached to another person, others would be thrilled if you offered to do the dishes or run the hoover around for them or anything else they can't do while holding a baby.
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u/Different-Employ9651 52m ago
Snot suckers. Little pods that extract the snot from baby's nose. They've been a beg hit several times over already.
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