The 27 Best Gifts for New Moms

Nursing clothes don’t have to be frumpily uncool, but a good many of them unfortunately are. Not the Storq Soft Touch Nursing Tank. Made of soft lightweight modal jersey, the slim-fitting tank has adjustable straps, plenty of stretch, and a shelf bra with light support. It comes in seven colors and patterns, including a bright poppy red and a black floral. Storq has a guide for nursing bra sizing if you want to help your giftee find hers (or an easy return process if you want to make the gift a surprise). The tank works great as an underlayer in the early homebound days of nursing and can be dressed up with a maxi skirt or wide leg jeans once they start venturing out.

Once babies start grabbing things, dangly jewelry is out. These lovely, gold vermeil GLDN Aura Birthstone Hoops fit snugly around ear lobes, click shut on a hinge, and sweetly celebrate the little one’s birth month. Each earring has eight 1.3-millimeter gemstones, and you can opt to give her a set or one hoop, as a sweet accent to other earrings (if she has multiple piercings).

Between diapers, spit-up, and newborns’ delicate immune systems, parenthood brings with it a whole new level of handwashing. Your gift recipient can keep her hands, feet, and everything else supple with the intensively moisturizing Kate McLeod Daily Stone Solid Moisturizer, made with cocoa butter and sweet almond and apricot kernel oils. Instead of single-use plastic, the solid moisturizer orb (which she can warm between her hands before smoothing all over) comes packed in a lovely bamboo canister.

Give the gift of good-hair days in a few seconds flat with this excellent accessory. The Day Rate Beauty Petite Power Pin comes in nearly a dozen sizes, and there are 11 colors to choose from, so they can blend in with or stand out against any hair color. Supervising editor Hannah Morrill reports that just one 5.5-inch pin (in prosecco) is enough to tame her thick, medium-length hair. She says the technique takes a little practice, but the end result is more elegant than her go-to “mom bun.”

Even if you’re too far away to drop off a lasagna, you can deliver her a meal as good as home cooked. With chef-inspired options like Moroccan braised chicken, sungold arrabbiata, and heirloom bean soup, the Ipsa Frozen Meals are a far cry from Lean Cuisine offerings, and they have made more than a few new moms we know very happy (and nourished). To send Ipsa as a gift, you choose dishes from its menu, pick a delivery date, and then add a gift note on the easy-to-use website. (There’s also a gift card option if you want to let her make the selections.) Each meal serves two people and denotes dietary specifications, like gluten- or dairy-free, vegetarian, and spicy. The selections are surprisingly fresh and conveniently flat-packed, and we appreciate the flexible reheating options. Just check whether your giftee’s state is one of the more than 25 that the company ships to before diving in.

Founder Nell Diamond designed her beloved Hill House Nap Dress as a new mom to twins specifically to suit fluctuating bodies. Comfortable enough to sleep in, the A-line dress has fluttery sleeves, a tiered bottom, and an elasticated, smocked top that looks pretty on a wide range of bodies—just right for lifting the spirits of a new mama adjusting to her postpartum shape. It’s available in more than 20 pattern and fabric combinations, including blue botanical cotton, pink pansy georgette, and black crepe. The kicker? This beaut also has pockets—perfect for pacis and a phone.

If you’re looking for a timeless piece to last long after the days of swaddles and sleep regressions, we suggest the 14-karat Automic Gold Custom Letter Ring. Each ring is handmade from recycled yellow, white, or rose gold. You can choose up to three characters to be fused together on the thin band. The company sends ring sizers for free and resizes for a nominal fee. It’s likely to become the kind of piece she never takes off.

With mom-hood comes stuff and ever more stuff. And the machine-washable Baggu Go Pouch Set is perfect for organizing and toting all manner of things—pacifiers, linking rings, creams, and eventually crayons and coloring books. The nylon pouches have handy hanging loops and zip closures, and they come in delightful mixed patterns and three sizes. And they can meet different needs: as an organizer inside her carryall or a bigger bag to stash in the back pocket of a car seat.

One of our favorite puffy blankets from testing, the Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket is perfect for park dates and backyard hangouts with new babies. Its nylon shell is breathable and quick-drying, and its water-resistant coating can withstand food spills or bodily leaks. When the blanket eventually does get messy, your gift recipient can throw it into the washer and dryer.

Help a new mom proclaim her role loud and proud with the Ingrid & Isabel Mama Baseball Cap. Though one size fits all, the navy-and-white embroidered cap can be adjusted with a brass buckle in back. And for a twinning opportunity, you can also get the corresponding Babe hat for her little one.

The last thing a new mom wants to even think about is cooking. Take care of both the physical and cognitive labor by having restaurant-level dim sum delivered to her doorstep. The superb MìLà Soup Dumplings—choose from pork, chicken, or pork and shrimp—are shipped in 50-piece bags frozen on dry ice and are available either as a one-time order or a subscription. They steam up pillowy and juicy in just a few minutes, fresher than soggy delivery. Include a bamboo steamer basket ($30) if she doesn’t already have one; each generous bag contains perforated steamer liners that prevent the little jewels from sticking or rupturing.

The mix-and-match Care Crates Build-a-Box is one of our favorite care packages because you can fill it with five small presents—things that are wearable, comfortable, fun, indulgent, and wholesome—from a well-curated selection. In addition to being personalized and easy to assemble, each Care Crates box includes a $2 donation to one of a long list of nonprofits; gifters can choose to add more to that donation, too. For a new mom, we suggest the velvet scrunchie for easily tying back unwashed hair, the leather notebook for jotting down memories and schedules, the chamomile mint tea for chilling out, and the mint lip balm for feeling human. But maybe she’s more of a confetti-popper and gold-chain kind of person. That’s the beauty of this box: The combinations are nearly endless.

If you’re looking for something that likely wasn’t on the new mom’s registry but will be useful in the coming year, consider a great hiking backpack that she can use on outdoorsy romps or even walks to the corner store. Padded shoulder straps and a generous hip belt made the Deuter Kid Comfort the most comfortable of the hiking baby carriers we tried, but we also appreciate all of its parent-friendly extras. It has generous pockets in the hip belt for easy access to phones and wallets, and it offers enough pockets and pouches to tote all the diaper-bag essentials. The little one will enjoy the elevated and secure padded seat, the removable napping pillow, the optional sunshade, and the view of the great outdoors. Because the aluminum frame is adjustable, taller and shorter parents or caregivers can easily take turns wearing it.

She doesn’t need another thing to take care of. The MoMA Self-Watering Wet Pot Planter will help her cross “keep the plants alive” off her list. Fill the handblown glass outer container with water, and the terra-cotta planter slowly soaks it up, giving indoor plants the drink they need. It comes in three sizes and works best for plants that prefer to stay moist, like spider plants or philodendrons.

If you’re looking for a timeless piece to last long after the days of swaddles and sleep regressions, we suggest the 14k Gold Asymmetrical Initial Necklace from Los Angeles–based jeweler Zoe Lev. Each necklace is forged from recycled yellow, white, or rose gold. It’s likely to become the kind of piece she never takes off. The sideways initial in a sans serif font has a modern appeal that’s classic enough to fit a range of styles. Zoe Lev also offers repairs and alterations—such as adding another initial down the road—for a nominal fee.

Being a mom is not an experience that one can sum up in a sentence, a paragraph, or even a book. But doctor, mother, and author Grace Farris sure gives it a shot in her illustrated manual, Mom Milestones, an extension of her Instagram account, where she posts warm and incisive sketches about her humbling parenthood experiences. It tracks a mother’s evolution from Newborn Mom to Elementary School Mom, with pithy reflections such as “Notes I Would Send Myself” and “Tricks That Don’t Work.” This is an affirming read for new moms in particular, a literary road map of the very hard but very good path that lies ahead.

New moms should eat whatever they want, whether that’s heaps of butterscotch pudding or turkey avocado clubs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But once some of the post-labor food frenzy settles, she’ll likely want to nourish her body with foods that are both sweet and healthful. That’s why one of our favorite gift baskets, the Miami Fruit Variety Box, is a thoughtful gesture. Each shipment of farm-grown goods features tropical fruits such as kumquat, persimmon, and dragonfruit, alongside lesser-known finds like granadilla, goldenberry, and naranjilla. Another upside: Fruits require no preparation and can be eaten with one hand.

Many new moms don’t have the time—or the core strength—to bend over and tie laces before running out the door. For an easier footwear option, give them one of our favorite sandals, the Birkenstock Arizona Essentials EVA. These comfortable slides are made from ethylene-vinyl acetate (hence the name), so they’re waterproof, extremely lightweight, and even machine washable. Depending on your gift recipient’s style, you can choose from several bright colors or more-subdued neutrals.

Nursing clothes are expensive, and very seldom does a mom receive exactly the item she wants in exactly the size she needs. Eliminate the guesswork and give her a Kindred Bravely Digital Gift Card, the online maternity and nursing store most recommended by Wirecutter moms. It offers a great range of clothes and gear, including cozy pajama sets, practical-chic T-shirt dresses, and some of the best nursing bras out there: The Kindred Bravely French Terry Racerback is one of our top nursing-bra picks.

If you can’t narrow it down to a single printed and framed photo, consider giving a photo book (or a subscription for a monthly book) printed by Chatbooks. (Our top pick photo book service, Mixbook, does not have a gifting option.) The process is simple. The service draws up to 366 photos from a given social media account (Facebook, Instagram, or Flickr), or you can upload images from a personal computer. Then the service prints out a book in your choice of size, softcover or hardcover, and color, displaying a single photo per page. (The first 30 photos are included in the base rate of $15; each additional photo adds to the price.) Chatbooks will even replace books if a toddler happens to “love” one too much. The caveat: Though Chatbooks is by far the cheapest photo-book service, it offers less customization.

A tired new mom often has only a brief window of time for a nap. A number of accessories can help keep disturbances out: Pair our favorite white noise machine (the LectroFan EVO) with our favorite earplugs (Mack’s Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs) and the best room-darkening eye mask (the Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask). This kit should help a new mom drown out any distracting light or noise, so she can get at least a little rest. You could also give her a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, so she can have some blissful quiet time to herself for reading or otherwise relaxing.

A comfy robe is a great gift for a new parent who’s spending time at home with a newborn. This is an easy item to throw on, and it’s also convenient for breastfeeding or pumping. In our guide to the best robes, we suggest several options, but parents on staff especially loved the Natori Shangri-La Robe for its exceptionally soft and drapey fabric. If you think the new mom in your life would like something a bit more plush or with more structure, Restoration Hardware’s Luxury Plush Long Robe is the coziest robe we recommend.

Cherished events deserve to be memorialized, so consider giving the new mom in your life a framed family photo, a print of tiny footprints, or another memento from their first few months with their new baby. Our favorite online framer, Framebridge, has services for printing and framing digital photos or original art.

A big, soft scarf may be one of the most underrated gifts for new moms, according to some of the parents on our staff. Scarf Shop offers a range of great neckwear options, but its Cotton Giant scarf is the best choice for people who have babies. Measuring 108 by 54 inches, it’s large enough to cover a stroller or a car seat on a particularly sunny day, and in a pinch it also works as a nursing cover or an impromptu picnic blanket. This cotton scarf has a gauzy transparency when unfolded, but it easily doubles up for a more-opaque look. It’s available in 45 colors and—crucially for new parents—machine-washable.

Numerous Wirecutter parents recommend giving Aden + Anais Swaddles as a gift for new moms. They’re attractive and versatile, and they can serve as nursing covers, burp cloths, and lightweight blankets. Senior editor Harry Sawyers reports that his Aden + Anais swaddles lasted seven years, across three kids. He recommends giving a set of three since at least one of them will likely be dirty at any given time.

The traditional Chinese practice of postpartum nutrition is based on the principle that during the 40 days after giving birth, a mom should focus on healing and bonding with her new baby. With a focus on that practice, The First Forty Days includes 60 recipes, plans to help prepare for the baby’s arrival, and advice on navigating relationships postpartum. The book is a bit niche, but it has a worthy message: New moms deserve time to take care of themselves, and they shouldn’t be afraid to welcome help from family and friends. If you want to show your support and can’t be in person to prep meals for the new mom, another good idea is to organize a meal train: Take turns providing meals for the new mom, whether you drop off a lasagna at her doorstep or order her takeout from her favorite spot.

Flowers are always a welcome source of beauty. And for someone who may be spending more time at home than they’re used to, fresh blooms on the table can make a big impact. UrbanStems, our pick for the best online flower delivery service, offers subscriptions of classic or seasonal arrangements that arrive weekly, twice monthly, or monthly. The first bouquet comes with a simple, clear glass vase, but you could also buy a new mom a handblown Aurora Pill Vase to house the forthcoming bounty of blossoms.

A frozen-dessert collection gives a new mom something to look forward to for many weeks (or days, whatever). One of the best we’ve tried is from this hyper-popular, woman-owned Ohio maker: Jeni’s Best Sellers Collection includes five pints, with flavors such as Brambleberry Crisp and Salty Caramel; Jeni’s also has some lactose-free options for dairy-abstaining folks. The extra-creamy consistency and unique flavors make this ice cream worth shipping across the country (for another $10 to $20).

We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.

Dorie Chevlen contributed reporting. This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.