Think you won’t get any “oohs” and “aahs” at the baby shower if you show up with a gift card instead of a minky dot blanket?  Guess again.  New moms seldom know everything they need until reality comes home from the hospital and tosses their post partum plans into a daily best-guess scenario.  With a gift card, mom can buy what she needs to get life in order—even if it’s just diapers.

Here are a few ways to present your gift card and still get a round of applause:

A sentimental favorite book and a practical gift card for necessities.

• Expect the Unexpected. Along with a gift card to a drug or baby store, deliver a list of items that you discovered useful as a new mom.  Though your friend might not have the same needs, the advice could still be a helpful resource.  For example, my list would include baby oil for cradle cap, simethicone drops for a gassy tummy, and Bag Balm—unmatched diaper rash defense.
• Baby Books. Did your child have a favorite baby book?  Goodnight Moon?  The Napping House?  Get new mom one of your sentimental favorites and attach a gift card for more practical items. One of our readers suggests “Little Women” for the mother of a new baby girl.


The secret to a happy baby...trust your instincts.

• Food for Thought. Treat new mom to a nice dinner that  doesn’t require getting dressed up or hiring a babysitter.  Get her a gift card to a restaurant that delivers or offers curbside pickup.  Download a copy of the menu so she can phone her order in without delay.  You could also throw in tips for survival eating in the early days—like keeping a stash of granola bars, dried fruit snacks, and bottled water near the rocking chair.
• Food for the Day Too. It’s not that I didn’t want to eat when my kids were little, I just couldn’t find the time to fix myself a proper meal. When my friend had her second baby, I got her a gift card to a local sandwich shop and a basket full of activities for her toddler. I wrote on a card, “Don’t forget to eat!”
• At-Home Entertainment. Get new mom a gift card to a video store or logon to Netflix and download a gift subscription.  Attach it to the obvious bag of popcorn and movie candy or poll friends and family to give her a list of recommended videos to watch.  When my girlfriend had her fourth baby, I gave her a gift card to a video store with a note that said, “Let’s face it—you’re not going out anytime soon!”  (Four kids.  No need for subtlety here!)


If you love your babies,take care of their mother.(Gift card to restaurant)

• Diaper Discount. Diapers covered the entire gift table at the last baby shower I attended.  While I love the idea of being practical, a deluge of diapers can be difficult to transport and to store.  Try this instead.  Get a gift card for diapers, attach it to a package of baby wipes, and clip out as many diaper coupons as you can find—they’re in magazines, newspapers, stores, and on the Internet.  Grateful parents can get the diapers they need, when they need them and stretch the value of the gift card at the same time.
• Music of the Heart. She might not know it yet, but the music in the minivan is about to change.  Create a fun playlist to go along with a music gift card.  You can suggest a list of classical songs to boost the baby’s brain power in utero, favorite lullabies for when baby comes home, toddler tunes that can be tolerated when played in an endless loop, or a mix of cut loose tracks she can pop in the player when she finally gets a moment to herself after the baby comes home.
• Dream. A gift card for dinner at a restaurant or one of those “make and take” dinner places will fit nicely with this idea.  Get a sweet sleepy baby item–a cd of lullabyes, a dreamy pillow, or something for the crib.  Write, “Having a baby is dreamy–but making dinner isn’t. Hope this gift card helps.”  This would also work great for a gift card for diapers, house cleaning, or any other less-than-fun post-baby moment.


Get baby home safely.

• Safe Travel. Getting the car ready to transport new baby is just as, if not more, important than getting the nursery ready. Get mom a gift card for a shop that will help with car maintenance, new tires, or just gasoline. Pair it with travel items for the baby such as a car shade, see-mommy-mirror, or sippy cup.
• Free Babysitting. Frankly, a homemade coupon for free babysitting is about as thoughtful a gift as you can give.  But if you want to make sure you get the job, combine the gift of time with a gift card to the salon, a spa, the theater, a ball game, a nice restaurant, or some other places the new parents can go to reconnect.  My mom frequently offers to babysit and she throws in movie tickets on birthdays and other special occasions.  The entertainment is a treat.  The alone time is priceless.

I guess by now you’re thinking I’m a pretty practical mom.  While that’s certainly true, it’s not that I don’t go all goo-goo gah-gah for a new baby.  I just know the little bundle of joy is going to cost a tidy bundle of cash.  And I think a gift card is a nice way to alleviate some of the financial stress a new family might feel.  I also think a gift card can force mom into doing something for herself instead of focusing solely on the new baby.

If you have an idea of your own, please share it with me.