Baby Gift Ideas: What I’ve Loved Receiving (and Giving!)

Written by Alysha

Since welcoming our little one, I’ve been so touched by the thoughtful gifts friends and family have brought over. From practical lifesavers to special treats, they’ve made these early weeks so much brighter. It got me thinking.. what really makes a good baby gift?

Whether you’re buying for a first-time parent or someone on their second, third, fourth (or more!) baby, here are some ideas that have stood out to me:

🎁 First-Time Parents

Honestly, when it’s your first baby, anything feels like the best gift ever. Parents are starting fresh, so useful and thoughtful is the way to go. Some favourites I’ve given or received:

• Functional baby clothes: A cosy onesie for 3–6 months and a seasonal jacket for 6–9 months. (Tip: skip newborn sizes, babies grow out of them so fast!)

• A Haakaa pump: Brilliant for breastfeeding mums, and not something everyone knows about.

• A Cook or Deliveroo gift card: Because sometimes the best gift isn’t for the baby at all, it’s making sure the parents can eat a hot, delicious meal without lifting a finger.

When in doubt, I’d say pick something you loved using yourself, those “hidden gems” are often the best gifts!

🎁 Parents with Baby #2, #3, #4 (and beyond!)

This is where you get to be a little more strategic. Chances are, these parents already have the basics covered, clothes, blankets, baby gear. What they’ll treasure most is support and thoughtful extras:

• Homecooked meals: Truly priceless. In those chaotic first couple of weeks, when the baby has no routine and the parents are in survival mode, having dinner taken care of is the best gift. (Huge shout-out to my business partner Alana who kept us so well-fed this time around with many meals 💕).

• A postpartum goodie bag: A thoughtful mix of little luxuries just for mum. If you’re local to Kingston, some ideas are:

• A body scrub from Lush

• Chocolate from Hotel Chocolat

• Fresh coffee from one of Kingston’s amazing cafés (we’re spoiled for choice!)

• And my personal favourite read: Beautiful Chaos: On Motherhood, Finding Yourself and Overwhelming Love by Jessica Urlichs.

• A membership to the Postpartum Plan: Created by a local Kingston mum, this is such a unique and supportive gift idea. It offers a wealth of resources from recipes and podcasts to movement guidance designed to nurture mums through the postpartum journey.

These are the gifts that remind a tired mum she’s cared for too.

🎁 The Gifts That Aren’t Always Winners

Over four babies, there are a few gifts I’ve received a lot of, some useful, others less so. A few to rethink before buying:

• Baby blankets: Lovely, but I have a mountain of them now (and I even bought some myself before my first!).

• Newborn sized clothes: Adorable, but if you’ve got a bigger baby (like my 9lb+ girl), they may not even fit past the first week.

• Anything too fancy: Not everyone dresses their baby in frilly dresses or tiny collared shirts. Comfort and snuggly always win over fashion at this stage.

💛 Final Thoughts...

At the end of the day, the best gifts don’t have to be big or expensive. They’re the ones that bring ease, comfort, or joy to those early days. Whether it’s a meal dropped off at the door, a beautiful book, or a cosy jacket that will actually fit in a few months, the thought behind the gift is what really makes it special.