The "New Mom" Gift Basket She'll Love: Services Instead of Gifts

Published November 1, 2021
Mother kissing baby daughter lying on bed at home

New mothers need nurturing and support in the same vein as their newborns. Instead of giving the new mom you know a tangible gift, consider putting together a new mom gift basket that's filled with services and assistance she needs, to help her through that exhausting and overwhelming phase of taking care of a new baby. Following are foolproof gifts for new moms that she'll love and be so grateful to receive.

The New Mom Gift Basket That's Full of Helpful Services

New parents enter a whole new world that is completely centered around their baby. They spend 24 hours a day rocking, soothing, feeding, and changing diapers, so they sometimes forget to take care of themselves. Since new moms and dads place their needs on the back burner, friends and family can remind them to take care of themselves too. One way to do this is by giving them gift cards and services that they simply can't refuse. These types of gifts are priceless for new parents.

Fuel Mom With Food Cards and Meal Services

New moms have to eat to sustain the mass amounts of energy it takes to raise another human being. In the blur of parenthood, groceries dwindle, bowls of cereal become the go-to dinner, and for months, the only meals that get attention come in baby bottles. Be a good friend and feed a new mom some healthy meals she doesn't have time to make for herself. You'll know she is fueled by delicious and nutritious food, courtesy of you.

Go Grub Hub

A gift card to Grub Hub allows the new mom to quickly dial up her favorite restaurant and place an order, STAT. This is a great option to give if you don't know what particular eateries are preferred, or if the mom doesn't like cooking, and she mostly dined out in her pre-baby days.

Gift a Meal Service Subscription

Even parents without new babies struggle to get meals on the table nightly. Shopping for ingredients, prepping items, and cooking meals can feel like a mountain that really isn't worth climbing during those early parenting days. Meal subscriptions remove the mundane from cooking, saving tired and hungry parents. Subscriptions like Blue Apron, Sunbasket, and HelloFresh allow parents to customize the meals they want delivered. They'll then receive healthy recipes and pertinent ingredients straight to their door several days each week.

Have Groceries Delivered

Woman receiving a box full of colourful and fresh organic groceries

Busy new moms rarely have a few extra hours to stroll the aisles of their local grocery store. Think of all they could do with those precious hours if only someone would do their grocery shopping for them! Services like Shipt, Instacart, AmazonFresh, and Fresh Direct allow new moms to place a grocery order directly from their phone. From that point on, all they have to do is lug the bags inside after they are placed on the doorstep.

Coffee of the Month Club Memberships

New moms run on baby cuddles and coffee, lots and lots of coffee. If you have a coffee-loving new mama friend, sign her up for a Coffee of the Month subscription. You know this will go to great use, and it will give her a reason to invite you over for a hot cup of joe. Bean Box, Atlas Coffee Club, and Lady Falcon Coffee Club are all worth checking out.

Make a Meal Train

If you want to help feed new parents, try organizing a meal train. This is an inexpensive and personalized way to pull meals together for busy new families who have little or no time to cook breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Self Care Centered Service Gifts

Shower? Makeup? Jeans? These are words that new moms once used in their pre-baby era, but maybe don't now use as often, now that they are tending to a newborn. Help mama get her groove back with a few service-based gifts that will make her look and feel like the Queen she is.

Relaxation App Membership

Help new moms find their inner zen with a subscription to a wellness and relaxation app. They might not have time for a hot yoga class, but they can probably find a few minutes here and there to tap into centering apps like Headspace, The Mindfulness App, and Calm.

Gift Certificates for Pampering Services

Woman having massage

A bit of pampering always feels nice, and new moms need relaxation and rejuvenation. They will treasure any gift certificates that will help them feel great. Think about gift certificates for a massage, a haircut and color, or a gift card for freshly polished nails.

Fashion and Style Subscriptions

Sweatpants and messy buns quickly become the go-to uniform of new mothers, but that doesn't mean mommies shouldn't get dressed up in new digs. If you know how much the new mom in your life once enjoyed all-day shopping excursions, then look into a subscription to Stitch Fix, where clothes are directly delivered to her door, and she only pays for what she keeps (along with the stylist fee). Beauty boxes like IPSY provide fun beauty products to women who want to try new moisturizers or shades of lip gloss without wandering the aisles of Sephora or Ulta for half a day.

Household Care & Baby Services Will Be Appreciated

Baby comes first; housekeeping now comes last. It's hard to keep up with the demands of a newborn and home-related chores. If you know this, because you are a seasoned parent yourself, then give the gift of help around the house. You've been there, you know no new mom is spending her days dusting fans and scrubbing toilets, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have to get done.

A Night Nurse Is a Game Changer

Long nights with fussy infants will test the patience of the most serene newborn mom. Would your pal consider the assistance of a night nurse? Hiring someone for direct newborn childcare is certainly a gift that you'll want to ask about first. While a surprise evening baby fairy seems like a dream come true, some parents could perceive this service as presumptuous or invasive. Do your homework here first! Should the new mom be open to it, check out Newborn Care Specialist Association for leads, or ask the neonatal department at your local hospital for their advice on the service.

Offer to Babysit

Changing baby

Night nurses are expensive, costing hundreds of dollars for an evening of quiet, uninterrupted bliss. Not everyone can splurge for a gift like this. What you probably could swing, however, is your own babysitting services. Ask the new parents if you can rock their baby for a few hours while they grab a shower and a nap!

Light Housekeeping Services

New parents don't have the time or energy to clean the house from top to bottom, and that is where you can swoop in and give the gift of cleanliness. Maid services like Merry Maids will keep the house clean, so mom can focus her energy on more important things, like baby bonding!

Door to Door Laundry Service

Being a parent means doing lots of laundry until the day your kids leave the nest (and even then they will bring it home from college with them)! If one or more people in the home have to get to work with clean, pressed clothing sans spit-up, hire a door-to-door laundry service to pick dirty clothes up, launder them and bring them back to you. Check out Rinse, which offers a subscription and services seven major cities, or Tide Cleaners, which boasts over 200 various locations throughout the country. You can also check this service out locally.

Other Ingenious Service-Based Gifts That New Parents Will Love

These new mom gift ideas will help break up those long days of meeting a seven-pound human's constant needs. Fill their fleeting moments of free time with entertainment, and on the rare occasion they get to leave the house... a trip to good old Costco!

A Sam's Club or Costco Card

Get a new mom a Costco or Sam's Club Warehouse membership, along with a gift card to get them started. Think of all those diapers and wipes they will be able to buy!

Audible Subscription

Young mother relaxing at home while holding her sleeping baby

A new mom's hands are forever full with a brand new baby, but she can likely pop her earbuds in and listen to books while she rocks her infant to sleep. Audible allows her to stream books and podcasts whenever she gets a chance.

Amazon Prime Subscription

All parents need an Amazon Prime subscription! Oh, to click a button and have items instantly shipped to your door! New moms can get anything their heart desires at this infamous one-stop-shop, and if they don't yet have a membership there, be the person in their life to make this shopping dream come true.

A Paid Pass to Their Favorite Television Shows and Movies

Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Video (Get that Prime membership!), and so many other subscription-based streaming options exist now. Sign the new mom you know up for one or two of them, and have the monthly bill forwarded to yourself. This way, she will have something to watch when she gets up to do a feeding at 4 a.m.

Flowers Each Month

There's something about opening the front door to flowers that makes women feel like the most loved person in the universe. Every month, send flowers to your favorite new mom to let her know you think she is an amazing parent and is doing such a wonderful job in her new role.

Choose the Best Gift Services for a New Mom

Read your audience. Know what the new mom loves and what her interests are. Listen to her discuss the highs and lows of new motherhood, and figure out where you can help fill in the gaps. Once you decide on which services to gift, arrange gift cards and receipts of subscription in a cute box or basket, or include them in a sweet card. The packaging matters far less when it comes to giving services, because they truly speak for themselves.

The "New Mom" Gift Basket She'll Love: Services Instead of Gifts