A good newborn gift is something the parents really use in the first weeks, or something that lightens their load. Think of a meal for the freezer, clothes a size up, soft muslin cloths, a onesie that makes night-time changes easier or a diaper bag that lasts for years. Below you will find 12 newborn gift ideas and help with choosing.
In short
- Choose something the parents will use, not something that just sits on a shelf.
- Help is a newborn gift too: a meal, groceries or an afternoon of babysitting.
- Giving clothes? Go a size up, they will already get plenty of the smallest sizes.
- Don't forget the mother. She has just been through childbirth.
- If you give together, you can choose one bigger gift that lasts a long time.
What makes a newborn gift really good?
The first weeks with a baby are lovely and hard at the same time. Visitors come and gifts arrive, often bodysuits in size 50 or 56, cuddly toys and bibs. Well meant, but after a few weeks half of it no longer fits and the rest sits in a drawer.
A nice newborn gift is therefore above all a useful newborn gift. It solves something in the parents' daily life. Less fuss at night, easier to get out of the door, an evening without having to cook. The best newborn gift is the one the parents are still saying, a month later: we use that every day.
How do you choose a newborn gift? Ask yourself four questions
- Is it for the baby or for the parents? Something that makes the parents' day easier almost always goes down well.
- Practical or lasting? Practical gifts get used straight away. Lasting gifts, such as a letter for later or a bag that lasts for years, get a story. Best of all is something that is both.
- Are you giving alone or together? With colleagues, friends or family you can give one bigger gift together instead of ten small ones.
- Is it the first baby? With a second or third child, parents often already have a lot of things. Then help or something for the oldest child is often more welcome than yet another bodysuit.
Always take a look at the baby registry too, or ask the partner. That way you avoid giving something they already have three times over.
12 newborn gift ideas that really get used
From homemade to bought, from small gesture to big gift.
- Meals for the freezer. Cook a few portions of soup, stew or pasta sauce and put them in containers with a label on. In the first weeks this is worth its weight in gold.
- A chore or groceries. Offer something concrete, such as doing the groceries, folding the laundry or walking the dog.
- Babysitting the oldest. Take the big brother or sister to the playground for an afternoon. The parents get rest, the oldest child gets attention.
- Something for the mother herself. A nice hand cream, a good book or comfy pyjamas for the first week. You can read more ideas in our blog about a maternity gift for mom.
- Clothes a size up. Parents get plenty of the smallest sizes. Size 62 or 68 comes in handy later, when the first gifts are already too small.
- Muslin cloths. Parents can hardly have enough of them, as a burp cloth, drying cloth or changing cloth. The MIMMTI 3-pack of muslin cloths are made of 100% organic cotton and 70 x 70 cm, two with a calm marble print and one white.
- A onesie with footed sleeping bag. The SleepyBeebi is a onesie with a footed sleeping bag that you open at the bottom to change, with fold-over flaps over the hands and feet. There are two sizes: 0 to 2 months and 3 to 6 months.
- A relax cover for the nursing pillow. The MIMMTI Sleepynest goes around a U-shaped nursing pillow and turns it into a surrounding nest. Only for relaxing moments and naps during the day under supervision, never for night-time sleep. The pillow itself is not included, so check whether the parents have one.
- A nursing cover. Only if you know the mother is breastfeeding and wants to do so outside the home too. The MIMMTI nursing cover made of organic cotton has a boning that keeps the cover open, so she can see her baby.
- A diaper bag. A bigger gift that goes out of the door every day, and lovely to give together with a few people. Read more about a diaper bag as a newborn gift.
- A Wash & Go Bag. A soft drawstring bag for a dirty bodysuit or a dirty diaper. Nice as a small addition to another gift.
- A letter for later. Write a letter to the baby, to be read when the child is older. It costs nothing and is often kept for years.
Which newborn gift suits which situation?
| Situation | Good idea | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First baby, everything is still new | Muslin cloths or a onesie with footed sleeping bag | Get used from the first weeks |
| Second or third baby | Babysitting, a meal or something for the oldest child | They already have things, but not rest and time |
| You only visit after a few weeks | Clothes a size up | Fits just as the rest gets too small |
| You give together with colleagues or friends | A diaper bag or a complete set | One well-thought-out gift instead of small odds and ends |
| You don't know the parents very well yet | Something practical in a neutral colour | Little chance of a miss |
| You mainly want to pamper the mother | Something for herself, or a nursing cover if she breastfeeds | She is often at the bottom of the list in the first week |
Putting together a newborn gift set
A newborn gift set feels complete without having to be big. Combine something for the baby, something for the parents and a personal note. For example:
- A onesie with footed sleeping bag, a set of muslin cloths and a card.
- A meal for the freezer, a bar of chocolate for the mother and an offer to babysit for an afternoon.
- A diaper bag with muslin cloths. The MIMMTI 2.0 bundle is exactly that: the 2.0 diaper bag backpack in vegan leather with a 3-pack of muslin cloths, plus the bottle warmer, stroller clips and changing mat that always come free with the 2.0.
Keep the set calm in colour. Neutral shades such as ivory, beige, grey, black or espresso suit almost every interior and every taste.
What makes a newborn gift original or unique?
An original newborn gift doesn't have to be complicated. Above all it has to fit these parents. A few newborn gift tips that help with that:
- Listen to what they said earlier. What was she dreading? What did he still want to sort out before the baby arrived?
- Think about timing. If you come two or three weeks after the birth, when the first rush is over, your gift stands out more.
- Write something personal with it. A card with a few real words makes any gift personal.
- Give time. A voucher for an evening of babysitting is unique, because nobody else gives exactly that.
Newborn gift for a boy or a girl
Do you know whether it is a boy or a girl and want to do something with that? You can, but you don't have to. Neutral colours work for every baby, and the parents' taste counts for more than pink or blue. Read on in our ideas for a newborn gift for a boy and a newborn gift for a girl.
When do you give a newborn gift?
Usually you take it along on a visit to the new parents. First ask when it suits them, or send it. Running late? If you order from MIMMTI before 6 p.m. (in the Netherlands), you will have it the next day. To Belgium and Germany delivery takes 1 to 3 working days. There is a 14-day cooling-off period, so if something turns out to be a duplicate, it can still be exchanged.
Is the baby not here yet and are you going to a baby shower? Then a gift for during pregnancy sometimes fits better, such as the digital pregnancy planner from MIMMTI.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good newborn gift?
Something the parents really use in the first weeks or that lightens their load. Think of muslin cloths, clothes a size up, a meal or an afternoon of babysitting.
What is an original newborn gift?
A gift that fits these parents, such as a letter for the child to read later, a voucher for babysitting or a set with something for the mother. A personal card makes any gift unique.
What clothing size do you give as a newborn gift?
Better go a size up, such as 62 or 68. Parents already get plenty of the smallest sizes, and those are quickly outgrown.
When do you give a newborn gift?
Usually on a visit in the first weeks after the birth. First ask when it suits the parents, or send the gift.
Can you give a newborn gift together?
Yes. With a few people together you can give one bigger gift, such as a diaper bag, instead of lots of small odds and ends.
Looking for a newborn gift that gets used from the very first nights? Take a look at the SleepyBeebi onesie with footed sleeping bag, soft, easy when changing and lovely to give.
