Gift for new mum work colleague?

[squashedalmondcroissant]

A work colleague of mine who I'm quite friendly with is going on maternity leave soon.

I want to get her a little gift for the baby, I already have an idea for this as she has quite a niche interest and I've seen something small and very cute that would be perfect.

I also want to get her something just for her as I know that often people only get gifts for the baby and most just sort of forget about the woman who did all the work 😂

When I was pregnant and postpartum I know I spent a lot of time in the bath but I don't think she even has one in her flat so I can't go with my own experiences on this!

Any ideas? She lives quite far from me and I don't drive so I can't give her any practical support like meals/cleaning, etc.

You can get her a voucher for ready cooked meals that get delivered. I know my DD got some of these vouchers from her MiL and she was really pleased. I went down for 2 weeks to help her and I made lots of meals like Bolognese, fish pies, shepherds pies and quiche in the freezer for her to use after I'd gone home. Then she was going to use these vouchers.

Hand cream. She will be constantly washing her hands and they get very dry.

Her circumstances are, no doubt, very different than mine were when I had my babies, but I remember being intensely annoyed at being given toys for the baby when what I needed was useful things, and what I wanted was pretty useful things rather than just utilitarian stuff. So when I buy a small gift I make sure it is pretty AND useful. Printed muslins, a little hat and bib set, that kind of thing. For the mother... well I think I would have liked some luxury bath stuff - something to make her feel special that would also relax and deal with aching muscles.

I remember there being a collection at work some years ago for a colleague who had just had a baby. The girl who bought the present was from a rich background and had no children. She bought a tiny pair of Ugg boots at around £60. I thought that was a really bad choice!

Rex London has some lovely little baby gifts.

Maybe a voucher for a coffee shop? I would have a liked that as I was constantly walking around with the pram to get the baby to sleep, and it was nice to stop in somewhere and pick up a coffee to go. What sort of thing does she like now though? I got a spa treatment voucher from work which was very kind but I hate that sort of thing so it just expired...

Paper plates and cutlery. It sounds ridiculous but you're a lot more likely to eat if you don't necessarily have to do the washing up. It's just one less thing to deal with. My colleagues did it for me and with 3 kids they've all been used up in the first few months. (It's not a forever solution but sometimes you just need a break, especially if you end up with a velcro baby)

“Cook” meal voucher AND/OR a good water bottle with sippy lid NOT screw top.

For baby
if you want to do clothing an outfit or nice set of bibs / muslins/ hats /socks.
otherwise I always think bath toys are a good choice

Voucher for massage or similar pampering.

I would have loved a magazine subscription when I was on my maternity leave.

I was the opposite to PP.
I already had purchased everything i needed Muslin, bibs, hats literally everything up to way past 6-9m of the basics
I didn't want more vests, sleepsuits etc

I loved toys for 3m+, even up to 12m+
We received a beautiful toy basket which is still used 7 years on.
Vouchers were great.

The one gift that always stands out to me was a friend gave us vouchers for a local takeaway and it was so appreciated on harder days

I’d get her some vouchers for a food delivery service like deliveroo/ just eat/ Uber eats so at the very least she can order meals in when she’s exhausted. A big water bottle for when she’s stuck feeding baby and some practical toiletries like lip balm, nipple balm if she’s breastfeeding, dry shampoo.

Same here. My hands got very dry.

Pajamas, I lived in them during maternity leave

hand cream works too

Really good thermos mug for coffee - I have a contigo one that is leakproof and genuinely keeps coffee hot for a long time.

What about some HelloFresh or some supermarket vouchers?

My suggestions is a delivery of coffee to her door via delivery service (if she’s not too remote). If she has a partner at home with her that first week or two, two coffees (and maybe a bubbachino for a cute touch). Not for days, just once or twice☕️

My favourite gift for me was actually some hand cream. I ended up using it a lot.

What I didn't like was any clothes in too big a size as found them a bit overwhelming when I was holding a newborn in my arms.

Also any gifts like muslins/bjbs/socks were awesome as a lot we had alot it's the type of thing you can always have more of.

Oops, I've bought Ugg boots for colleague's babies before and so has my daughter. In fairness the recipients have always appeared
Delighted with them.

Cook vouchers
really, really good handcream
good travel mug, one you can open one-handed
larger towel, not the tiny hooded ones, at least 1x1m

If you buy clothes, get a gift recipe from a high street shop so she can exchange if necessary. If you buy a larger size, take the season into account. I got a really cute short sleeve romper but it would have fitted DD when I needed winter clothes.

The most thoughtful gift we got for us rather than baby was a just eat voucher for that day when cooking just seemed all too, much needed at times

I found I never really had time for a proper relaxing bath for months after the birth

A really good hand cream as she will likely never have washed her hands so much🤣.

Hand cream, cook or deliveroo vouchers, straw /sippy water bottle.

Don't get candles (dangerous with a baby), massage vouchers (no time for this until a few months in), nipple cream (bit personal), deliver coffees (much better to get deliveroo voucher rather than a cold coffee??).

Whatever you get given a gift receipt!

What about a gift voucher for a massage/ facial for a local salon?

One of the best gifts i got was a nappy caddy. I still use it now 4 years later even though we’re done with nappies. Great for organising bits and bobs.