From Help to Hugs: The Most Appreciated Gifts for Mums

Whether it’s a birthday, Mother’s Day, a baby shower, or just a regular Tuesday, every mum deserves to feel appreciated. Pregnancy and postpartum come with their own challenges, and while people love to give gifts to mums to celebrate their new baby, the best gifts for mums aren’t always wrapped in a bow. Quite often, simple acts of kindness are the most meaningful gifts, rather than materialistic ones.

Our gift guide for new mums will inspire you to think outside the box to find the best gift that real mums actually want and what truly makes a difference to their new family life.

A Helping Hand (Or Two!)

Rather than give a physical gift, why not give your time? Time is so precious and when you give others a moment of your time to help them it really shows that you care. You can create a voucher or write a card outlining jobs and services you can help the new parents with. For example:

• Assistance with housework (cleaning, laundry, dishes)

• Holding the baby so mum can rest, eat, or shower

• Meal trains or food deliveries from friends and family

• Hiring a night nanny to care for your baby overnight

Mums, Akshara and Charlotte, said “Chipping in for night nanny services over the first few months (especially in the weeks after your partner goes back to work) because it’s expensive and helps to remove any stigma or guilt around asking for help”. Charlotte added, “I used this with my second and it was brilliant to be able to get a good night's sleep knowing my baby was in safe hands to allow me to catch up on sleep”.

Imagine if you got home from a long day to discover someone had done your laundry, tidied the house, and got dinner started. Sounds dreamy, right? It may sound small but the gesture is huge and will make one very happy postpartum mummy!

Words of Encouragement & Reassurance

Being a new parent can feel like a tough gig some days. Especially as a new parent, the best gift a mum can hear are words of encouragement and reassurance. On days when you feel like you’re not doing anything right, the power of hearing “You’re doing great!” spreads over you like a warm hug.

Having a listening ear is always so underrated for new parents. They’ve told their birth story countless times, they don’t know how to answer how they’re feeling, and having advice thrown at you from all angles can feel exhausting. Be a friend, listen, and wait for your turn to speak.

New mum, Olga, says, “My mother-in-law would take the baby out for a long walk so I could sleep. I received home cooked meals and care packages too. But most importantly just people messaging and checking in, seeing how I’m doing, and encouraging that I’m doing well” was a heartfelt gift well received.

Gifts for mum can come in all shapes and sizes. You could write supportive notes and messages to store in a jar or leave them around their house for them to find. Each one is bound to raise a smile.

Time to Rest & Recharge

Life with a newborn means sleepless nights and catching naps throughout the day while the baby sleeps, to help recover from the birth. A peaceful night's sleep could be the best gift for mum you’ve ever given. Even if you can’t offer a full night’s sleep, there are other ways you can help a new parent relax and recharge.

• Letting mum nap while you look after the baby

• Taking care of older siblings for a break

• Creating a quiet, relaxing environment for proper rest

Corinne says, “An offer of dropping/bringing a sibling home from school when you’ve had 'one of those nights/days' and the baby is still asleep (so as not to disturb them)” made all the difference in getting the downtime she needed to rest.

Think candles, a relaxing bubble bath, freshly made bed with a good book laid out, all of these would make a lovely gesture to help mum unwind from her newborn duties for a few hours.

Food That Requires Zero Effort

Some brands now have special offers for new parents where they can purchase discounted meals. You can also prepare some batch-cooked ready meals and stock them up in the freezer so they won’t need to think about summoning extra energy for cooking. Some other ways you can create food gifts for Mum are:

• Easy-to-reheat meals

• Snack basket for one-handed bites to eat when feeding

• Keeping mum’s energy up by cooking her fresh, nutritious meal options

• Scheduling small top-up food deliveries and putting them away

• Create snack tubs in the fridge that are easy to grab and go

Even as a parent with children out of the newborn phase, there are days when I forget to eat until after lunchtime! Prepared snacks and meals that have already been thought of by someone else make a huge difference and it would certainly be a welcome gift for any new parent.

Thoughtful Gestures That Feel Like a Hug

What’s the best way to give a hug without being near? Gift them something that makes them feel warm and fuzzy inside. Here are some gifts for Mum that will help deliver this desired effect:

• Cozy pyjamas

• Frame your best photos to relive precious memories

• Create a song playlist of their favourite tunes

• Bake them some guilt-free treats (like these breastfeeding cookies)

• Fluffy socks or slippers

• Hot water bottles or heat patches

• Recommendations for binge-worthy Netflix shows and podcasts

• A hot drink set such as hot chocolate stirrers, luxury decaf coffee, or herbal teas

Angela booked a gift for herself, she says, “I had a private midwife come after a few days to give instructions on how to look after a newborn. It was really amazing to have some expert advice on holding, cleaning, breastfeeding, checking my c-section, and she stayed as long as I needed to answer all my questions”.

An act of kindness that brings a sense of normality to a somewhat chaotic whirlwind will bring joy to any new parent! The value of a meaningful gift for mums over expensive presents adds that personal touch that money cannot buy.

Space to Feel Like Herself Again

Babies have a lot of stuff and before you know it, the house is overflowing with all sorts of baby paraphernalia! Imagine creating a space in their home that’s just for them. Not a single baby item in sight, just a small space where she can be herself for a little while instead of mum.

Or, you can offer to take care of the baby while mum enjoys some downtime for herself. Some mums need gentle encouragement to step out and do something for themselves and leaving their baby for the first time can bring out some unease.

When we acknowledge the emotional changes and self-identity shifts of motherhood, it helps mums to remember who they are and what they enjoyed before they were mum. These moments can often be underrated but they are more important than you know.

A Supportive Circle That Stays

A difficult part of being a new parent is losing touch with people who you were once close with. The hype of the newborn phase and people visiting for cuddles dies down and then you are left with your supportive circle - the people who will show up for you no matter what.

Being present beyond the newborn phase shows true friendship and support like no other. The recovery process that women go through, both emotionally and physically, after having a baby can take a minimum of 12 months for some mums. 1 in 10 mums will experience postnatal depression and it can also affect partners, although this is less common.

Georgia, mum of two, says, “Hugs and a shoulder to cry on! A listening ear comes with that and general bubble being emotional support.” Mum Hollie added, “I think time is definitely the best gift! Someone to be there (even just over the phone) who I could just rant to if things were feeling a lot”.

Be the friend who is there after all the firsts. Offer your support and check in to ask how they are and tell them that they are doing a great job. This is the kind of support that is a true gift for mums.

If You Really Want to Buy Something - Must-Have Baby Essentials

If you really want to find the best gift for mums that you can actually buy in a shop, here are some fantastic mum and baby gifts that are purposeful and essential.

• An electric breast pump to save time, effort, and store expressed breast milk.

• A baby bottle heater and/or steriliser

• Infrared thermometer for quick health checks

• Nipple salve and microwavable heat pads for sore nipples

• A well-stocked postpartum station (peri bottle, mesh underwear, maternity pads)

• A stretch mark cream and soothing bath products

• Gift vouchers for massages, clothes, or baby stores

• A cleaning service voucher to ease household chores

• A meal delivery service or food vouchers to get on-demand deliveries of essentials

• Baby clothes in sizes 6 months+ (babies quickly outgrow their newborn clothes!)

• Baby toys for the bath, car, or pram that can be enjoyed off the playmat

• Massage voucher for postpartum

Conclusion

Gifts for mums don’t have to be materialistic. After speaking to many mums about what they really want is actually people’s time and their support. They want to feel like they have someone else who they can depend on, besides their partner to help them navigate parenthood. Your presence, kindness, and practical help are small acts that make all the difference in the world.