Since Chase decided to make his debut two weeks early, the Push Pack ended up absolutely saving me! I grabbed it at the last minute before we headed to the hospital and felt so grateful for my Push Pack a bunch of times during our stay when I found myself reaching for it again and again.
Now that I am a new mom, I feel much better equipped to give more thoughtful gifts to my pregnant girlfriends. Before I had a baby, I mostly just stuck to the baby registry for shower gifts (which I still think is a great thing to do!), but I often found myself wishing I had more ideas for creative gifts I could give to the expectant mothers in my life who meant a lot to me.
Since Chase’s arrival, I have a million more ideas for thoughtful gifts for new moms and think a bag of hospital essentials would be a great one! It can be hard for first time moms to know what to bring to the hospital, so why not help them out and pack a toiletry bag for them!? Buying a Push Pack is a great way to go (I truly loved mine!), but after I sent my best friend Michaela a Rock ‘n’ Play from her registry, I still wanted to give her something with a more homemade feel. I then remembered how much I loved my Push Pack and decided to assemble a homemade version to send to her before her due date a week and a half ago.
Here are the items I included in the hospital essentials bag I sent to Michaela:
- Facial Wipes
- Lip Balm
- Hairbrush
- Hair Tie
- Deodorant
- Slipper Socks (with a sticky bottom)
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Face Wash
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
- Floss
- Antibacterial Gel
- Nipple Cream
- Nipple Pads
- Extra Thick Pads
- Mesh Underwear
Of course you could take this gift up a notch by also gifting an expectant mother with a lovely robe, nursing tank, eye mask, etc. for her to use during her time in the hospital.
I’d love to hear all about your creative baby shower gift ideas in the comments section of this post!
More Homemade Gift Ideas
- Engagement Gift Basket
- Bachelorette Party Gift Basket
- 60th Birthday Present: 60 Reasons Why You’re Loved
- One Year Wedding Anniversary Gift
Question of the Day
- What is one of the most creative baby shower gifts you’ve ever seen?
The Welcome Wagon my sister and brother-in-law gave to me was one of the more creative and thoughtful gifts we received before Chase was born. I also have a follow up post coming your way with another idea for a creative baby shower gift, so be on the lookout!
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THat is such a great idea! I would love to receive that as a gift!
So cute!! I found out overnight that my friend, who has been waiting to adopt for almost two years, finally got to meet and bring home her baby! Aside from a diaper cake (THANK YOU for letting me know it exists), what else do I need to get her asap for her little one? She didn’t want to jinx things by buying too much in advance, but I’m sure she’ll be showered with gifts now 🙂
This happened to me! We found out only 2 weeks in advance we were matched with a baby to adopt. Things I found helpful ASAP for our baby that was adopted were:
Feeding supplies (Most babies who are adopted are on formula, not breastfed so these are essential!):
* Bottles
* Bottle scrubber (this one is the best: http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Deluxe-Bottle-Brush-Colors/dp/B000E89BNU)
* Bottle warmer (we love this one: http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Saver-Bottle-Warmer-White/dp/B006SFUCT0/ref=sr_1_15?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1447770024&sr=1-15&keywords=bottle+warmer)
* Aden and Anais muslin blankets (we used these as burp cloths AND blankets because they are nice and big)
* Gift cards to her favorite take out resturaunt or a homemade meal if you live close by, even though she isn’t recovering from a major birth, finding time to cook is still a challenge.
Congrats to your friend!
I way over packed for the hospital. And that glass of wine that I had been craving for nine months did not get opened. I was too excited and exhausted to drink it.
I went into labor a week early and had my grandma sweatpants on and was rushing around washing falls, seriously nesting. I had nothing packed and got to the hospital with nothing, gave birth within 20 minutes of walking through the door. It was that close! I guess I”m not that good at gauging how close those contractions were coming apart, despite the fact that my husband is a gym teacher and had a stopwatch!!!
Most creative baby gifts I think come in the form of items you can use for the baby but after too, like nice kitchen stuff. I guess I realized after having kids that all the stuff you get is overrated, some of it I never used and passed on to other friends.
My sister-in-law’s shower is on Sunday, and I arranged for a photographer to come and take photos of the shower and also paid for them to do a maternity session at a later time.
I figure she’ll get plenty of stuff from all the experienced mothers in the family so I tried to go for something more sentimental.
Such a great idea. I like giving more meaningful and thoughtful gifts rather than the generic presents, and this is such a great option!
Great ideas! When my sister had my niece last year I made “Mama’s Recovery Kit” I put items like your’s in to a basket with some epsom salt, lotion, pads, nipple cream, etc and also included homemade muffins, chocolate, and some snacks. I also included a few onesies for my niece because let’s be serious…who can resist those cute little onesies?!
Not for baby shower, but I was thinking as a housewarming gift it would be nice to buy a little basket of condiments, dressings, snacks, and basic staples to start the person off. My sister did this for my husband and I right when we moved in and got our first apartment together. It was a lifesaver!
What a great idea even for non-expectant mothers as well ! 😀 A toiletry bag filled with luxurious essentials and cosmetics would work so well for ANY woman haha! Every woman needs toiletry bags (plural 😉 ) and love receiving new creams and lip glosses 🙂 Thanks for the fun idea!
What a great idea! I have a couple friends who are pregnant right now. Thanks for the suggestions!!
What a great idea! I’m going to give this to one of my friends!
What a sweet idea!
Being 22 with no babies in the near future for me is a struggle when picking out a baby shower gift. I always get the “I don’t know what to get because I don’t have kids” thought in my head. After hearing you rave about the salt lamp I added it to a baby shower gift in September and although my friend has a couple more weeks until her due date she said her and her husband have already tested it out and love it. It’s now been my go to for personalizing what would normally be a typical registry gift. This is such a great idea that I will have to make one for her since I know she hasn’t packed yet.
This is such a cute idea!
Ooooo who’s having a baby?!?
Hands-free pumping bra = total game changer for me! I hated pumping until I started using it!
I love this! I have a few pregnant friends and have been wanting to send along something thoughtful and creative. This is perfect!
Love this idea! I don’t have any kids but I’ve been going to a lot of baby showers lately & I always struggle with what to buy that isn’t so generic.
What an awesome gift idea!!!
I do that for all my friends going into hospital for birthin’ dem babies … I always add rolls of quarters and loonies (I am Canadian so we have $1 and $2 coins) for vending machines, the coffee shop or even the parking payment machine!!
Also inavaluable??? EAR PLUGS !!!!!!!!!
Where’d you get the mesh undies?!?! a.m.a.z.i.n.g.. I LOVED those when I was in labor and afterwards. My doula and I commented about how much we loved them and said they needed a vending machine in the hallway of L&D so you could buy some to take home!
Love this! You’re always so creative…I need you to send me some of those creativity vibes up this way 😉
This is a genius idea! I have to be honest, not having children, I still don’t know what some of those things are at this point in my life. Ha! But I LOVE the idea of gifting something more homemade than my typical registry gift or diaper cake.
Our next friend is due in March with twins(!), so I’ll definitely be taking this idea into consideration. 🙂
Thanks for the tips!
a personalized piggy bank with a bunch of quarters to put in it! 🙂
What great ideas! You are so thoughtful! I don’t have many friends who are pregnant or have kids but it’s always good to know I can look up this post if I ever need ideas!
That sounds like a great gift idea for expectant moms. My friend was due this past Saturday and I plan to bring her a lasagna after she has the baby. I’ve heard that food gifts are great for new moms (and dads)!
This is such a great idea and such a thoughtful gift!
I did the same thing for my friend for her baby shower because after having my baby a few months ago there were things I wish I had packed and things I knew no mom could do without! Such a great idea and I think adds a little personal touch too!
My friend Denise made me a “new mom survival kit” and it was awesome!
http://www.livehalffullblog.com/2015/09/01/new-mom-survival-kit/
My husband and I have been waiting to adopt for over two years. I have been thinking about making some sort of hospital bag for our future child’s first mother for a while now to help her feel more comfortable during such an emotional time. This post has given me so many ideas! Thank you so much for sharing!
LOVE this idea! Thank you for sharing…I NEVER know what to get mommas to be since I am not one 🙂