Practical Baby Gifts For A New Family

Everyone wants to shower a new family with gifts when the baby arrives. Buying tiny clothes may be fun for the gift giver, but new parents can often feel overwhelmed by the avalanche of onesies they'll receive, some of which the baby will only wear once or twice before outgrowing. Instead, consider a gift that those exhausted parents really need so they can get through those first weeks focusing on what matters: their new bundle of joy. 

Meal Preparation

New parents barely have time to sleep, so they certainly can't be expected to cook a healthy meal. Good nutrition is important in the post-partum period to help the mother recover from childbirth and help both parents keep up their energy. Practical gift-givers can give new parents a meal delivery service for a week or once a week for a month to take that burden off the new parents' shoulders. Remember that new families are often inundated with meals from well-meaning relatives during the first week home. Consider sending meals during the second and third weeks when the newness has worn off for others, but parents are still in the thick of sleep deprivation. 

House Cleaning Services

A clean house is often the first thing to fall by the wayside when a new baby arrives, but for some parents, a messy house can affect their mental well-being. Who wants to stare at a sink of dirty dishes or an inch-thick layer of dust instead of that precious little bundle? Help the new parents out by gifting them with one deep house cleaning during their first month home with their baby. 

Laundry Delivery

It's amazing that one tiny little person can double the amount of dirty laundry in a house, but babies are experts at getting clothes dirty! Give tired parents a break from this chore and give them a gift certificate for a laundry delivery service. If a delivery service is financially out of reach for you, stop by to wash and fold a load or two. But don't overstay your welcome! 

Diaper Service

Cloth diapers are better for the environment than disposable diapers and save money in the long run. No matter how committed parents are to cloth diapering before their baby arrives, however, it's easy to give up when faced with an enormous pile of dirty diapers that need to be washed every couple of days. Consider a gift of a cloth diapering service to get parents through those early weeks and months when their baby needs to be changed every hour.