Best Gifts for a newly pregnant friend

A week or so after I got that positive pregnancy test a small package arrived in the mail. It had a little note, a cute wooden teething rattle, some baby socks, and a beautiful gold heart necklace for me. It said congratulations and in the time when I was mostly keeping this news to myself, it was such a fun and thoughtful way to celebrate. I felt loved and special (and grateful for the kindest, most supportive friend a thousand miles away).

Are you ever unsure about what to gift to a newly pregnant friend?

Baby things seem appropriate but the birth is probably a long ways off at this point. There will be gender reveals (maybe), baby showers (probably), hospital visits, and newborn snuggles where you can gift baby items. Right now is the the time to celebrate her. It’s possible, if she’s a first time mom with no baby things, she’ll be thrilled with a onesie or a baby item. But, even if she is, it’s going to be many months before she can use something like that.

Today I’m talking about gift ideas to celebrate the
mom-to-be and the pregnancy, not the baby. Skip favorite baby books and nursing ointments and go with something to pamper the suffering and excited mom to be.

Here are 17 gift ideas she’ll love and be excited about.

• Bright Box (pregnancy box): I hadn’t heard of this until one arrived on my doorstep a few months ago from a sweet friend but I like that this box has a combo of things for mom and baby (my favorite part of it was the delicate gold necklace but my toddlers were obsessed with all the tiny baby things, too). The necklace is a simple heart that can represent pregnancy but we worn without giving away your precious secret.
• Promptly baby journal: These heirloom quality, linen bound, journals will be treasured. They have prompts to record experiences throughout pregnancy and then monthly for baby’s first year. After that, they go annually up until age 18. I have one of these for each of my three kids (teared up typing that – third one only has his first trimester filled in). This makes a great gift right now because mom-to-be can begin recording pregnancy moments. You can grab them on Amazon here or shop the Promptly website for their complete range of products. 

*side note: my other favorite tradition with promptly journals is to use the lined space at the end of each year section to write letters to each of my children on mother’s day. especially when they’re a young age and can’t remember or understand, it is a meaningful place to record how much I love being their mom.

• Gap maternity joggers: These are the most comfortable of all pants. They’re meant as loungewear/pajamas but I’ve worn them out and about as well. Buy her these and she’ll have something she’ll never want to take off for the next 12 months. And in case you were wondering, they have a non-maternity version too and I own three pairs. I have worn these all through this pregnancy and they are coming with me to the hospital. I’ve also gifted these to a few friends who love them as much as I do.

• Delicate necklace: This is a thoughtful gift to celebrate the pregnancy and a great one if you are lucky enough to know before your friend is announcing her pregnancy publicly. A token necklace (a heart or a birthstone if you know the birth month already) is a neat way for mom-to-be to be reminded of her pregnancy + secret throughout the day (not that she’ll need much reminding). Made by Mary makes really high quality necklaces in a million different options and Hey June has some beautiful options at such a great price point (like this heart necklace).

• Maternity robe: If you’re wary of picking out clothes for the mom-to-be and guessing at sizes, a maternity robe is a safe bet. It’s something comfortable she’ll be able to use through pregnancy and beyond plus something to be comfortable in at this time where she is likely feeling less than awesome.
• Maternity Bath salts: Give her something to treat herself without leaving the house. These bath salts claim to help with nausea and make a thoughtful gift.

• Bump box: This subscription service sends 5-8 full sized products safe for pregnancy to moms-to-be each month. You can also choose to send one box only and they are tailored to the trimester your friend is in. They also carry newborn gift boxes and sell assorted products from their boxes individually on their site.

• Straw water bottle + water flavor drops: Staying hydrated is one of the top things a mom-to-be can do to feel good during her pregnancy. The gift I’ve used the most since a thoughtful friend sent it over as part of a “new mom surivival box” has been a straw water bottle. This time around I went out and bought the same water bottle for myself and stocked up on a variety of water flavor drops (this is especially helpful for getting moms-to-be to hydrate during the first trimester when plain water often seems gross).

• Portable massager: Another perfect gift for helping a girlfriend unwind and recharge without leaving home, this portable massager is something she’ll use through pregnancy and beyond (we have this one and love it and a friend has this one and loves it).

• Belly butter: As her body starts to change her skin will start to stretch and this butter helps relieve discomfort. I was gifted this Burts Bee’s Belly Butter this pregnancy and have been loving it.

• Bump friendly skin care: Did you know there are plenty of chemicals in many skin care products that can be harmful to growing bumps? While skincare can often be a personal thing, gifting a tried + true pregnancy safe skincare product can be a great thing to check off your friend’s list.

• Pregnancy pillow: As her bump grows, finding a comfortable sleeping position gets harder and harder. Give the gift of better sleep with this pregnancy pillow. This is the one pregnancy product I can’t live without. I have and LOVE this one from amazon.

• Preggie pop drops: Is your friend struggling with nausea? These preggie pop drops can help get her through the morning (or the day…because we know morning sickness isn’t always in the morning).

• Pink Stork Starter Bundle: This trio claims to fight morning sickness on two ends. If your friend is having a rough first trimester, this would make a really thoughtful gift (I haven’t tried this one but it has great reviews).

Gifts of service:

 

• A nap: What can you do for her that will give her more time to sleep? Maybe she has other kids at home and its taking her kids for a morning so she can sleep. Maybe it is dropping off dinner so she can be off her feet at the end of the day or picking up her favorite take-out. Maybe it is picking up groceries for her so she can skip a trip to the store.
• A meal: A night off of cooking might be just what the doctor ordered
• A listening ear: Pregnancy often means all the hormones and emotions, sometimes just listening can be a great soothing gift.