Best Gifts Ideas For a New Mom in the Hospital

Your friend just gave birth to her first beautiful child. You are so excited to be able to go visit the new mama, but you know that you are supposed to bring something for her. However, you are completely stumped as to what to get for her. “What are good gift ideas for a new mom in the hospital?”

My Experience With Bad Gifts

When I gave birth to my first child I was exhausted. My son came into this world at 2:30 in the morning, I struggled learning how to feed him, and so he cried for the rest of the night. He was 10 pounds and so I was in a lot of pain. I wanted to sleep for 25 years!

The day arrived and I was looking forward to sleeping, but instead I got visitors. I wanted my family to come, but there were random people who would show up and I just wanted to sleep.

My mom’s friend showed up unannounced and so did family friends. At one point I had 12 people who showed up without being invited. They all wanted me to be awake and to entertain them. And then they even started telling me all about their birth stories. I just wanted to sleep.

One of the women handed a whole bunch of cupcakes that said, “Happy Birthday Duke.” She then made us all sing Happy Birthday to my little baby boy. It was the stupidest and most tiring thing. I just wanted everybody to leave.

My mother in law then came and brought something in her hand. It ended up being a cherry pie, for my husband. She brought nothing for me. She then asked me to serve everybody the cherry pie. She knew I didn’t like cherry pie, but she didn’t care.

5 Gift Ideas For a New Mom in the Hospital

It is hard to know what to bring a new mom in the hospital. You want to bring something that will make her feel special and make her know that you care about her. Here is a good list of gift ideas for the new mom.

1. Chocolate

Literally every problem can be solved by chocolate. I remember when I gave birth to my third child somebody came to visit and said, “I didn’t bring chocolate, because I know nursing moms can’t have chocolate.” Yes, yes we can. Bring us the chocolate!

2. Smoothies

Mama needs to drink liquids to stay hydrated and she needs to eat to be able to feed her new baby. However, she may not want to eat a regular meal quite yet. The hospital does have smoothie options, but they aren’t nearly as good as ones you can get from the “outside.”

3. A Movie/T.V Series

The hospital makes new moms stay in the hospital at least  24 hours after the baby is born. There is a lot of sitting around and waiting. I did bring my own t.v series to watch, but I would have loved for somebody to surprise me with a cool new movie.

4. Flowers

Although flowers seem to be such a cliche mom gift, we love flowers. When in doubt, bring flowers to the new mommy. I only got one bouquet of flowers with each of my deliveries. My sister-in-law had like 20 bouquets and I was so jealous of her beautiful room!

5. Toiletries

Sometime new moms forget to pack things for themselves. You can always bring gifts such as shampoo, conditioner, face soap, toothpaste, or toothbrushes. It may not be a fun gift, but it would certainly be helpful.

6. Baby Book

Mama might want a baby book. In most baby books there are sections that ask questions about labor, delivery, and the baby’s first moments. It would be good for the mom to have the baby book in the hospital, so she can write down all the details while it’s fresh in her brain.

Gifts NOT to Bring to the Hospital

Sometimes people want to bring gifts, but they aren’t the types of gifts that mom needs at the hospital. You may be tempted to bring presents for the mother or baby that just cause extra clutter in her hospital room. And then they have to worry about loading all of that stuff up in their car.

Mom doesn’t need any diapers. Please do not bring diapers to the hospital. The hospital provides blankets, diapers, wipes, and even clothes for the babies while they are in the hospital. So, mom doesn’t need these to clutter in her room. Most likely she already has an outfit to take the baby home in.

Mama doesn’t need any type of baby products. There are many amazing baby products that mom will absolutely want, but just not at the hospital. She would love a baby carrier, but she doesn’t need a baby carrier when the baby is only 7 hours old and while mom can barely walk. Maybe wait until mom gets home to surprise her with that gift. 

Other Tips When Visiting Mom in the Hospital

Visit during regular visiting hours (Not just when it is convenient for you). If you get off of work at 10:00 that doesn’t mean that you can just show up at her room at 10:30. If you want to visit her, check to see which time is best for her.

Always call/text mom before showing up. One of the worst things that you can do when you are visiting a new mom is if you don’t ask her before you show up. I got more strict with my visitiations on my second child and it was so much more relaxing and peaceful.

Don’t use her bathroom in the room. When I gave birth to my first child my MIL came in and wanted to use my bathroom in the hospital room (there was blood everywhere still). I told her “no” but she did anyways. I felt so embarrassed and so while in the hospital I was trying to clean up. Just use the public restrooms!

Focus on her. I know it might be tempting, but stay focused on her labor and delivery. She doesn't want to hear about how your labor and delivery was so much worse and she is lucky to have had such an easy time. This is not a competition ladies.

Ask her husband/partener what she needs. Many moms will not admit that they need something. She may really need something, but she doesn’t want to feel like she is a burden. Her partner will be quicker to make suggestions to what she might need/want.

Don’t bring latex balloon. Most hospitals have banned latex balloons, because many people are allergic. My mommy went and bought me a whole bunch of balloons, but then she had to pop all of them before going into the hospital. She was so sad.

Conclusion

The key to a good gift is something that is thoughtful. New moms just want to know that you are thinking of them. No matter what you bring the new mom she will love that you thought about her. However, the best gifts are those that she will be able to use right away and won’t clutter up her room. My favorite gifts while in the hospital was chocolate.

When you visit a new mom never go empty handed. If you really can’t think of anything to bring the new mom then you need to call her and see what you can bring her. She might surprise you with what she like.