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 what they need until reality comes home from the hospital and tosses post-partum plans out with the bath water. Get a gift card so mom can buy what she needs—even if it’s just diapers.

Expect the Unexpected

Get Inspired: 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.

Bedtime Stories

Get Inspired: 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.

Food for Thought

Get Inspired: 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

Get Inspired: 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!”

Pamper Yourself

Get Inspired: My sister received this at her baby shower. A box of Pampers with a gift card to her favorite spa for a facial. What a cute idea. Other gift cards that go with Pampers are gift cards to the salon, pedicure, or the bath and body shop. Let’s see, to be fair. You could give a box of Huggies with a gift card to a massage. “Get yourself a little hug.”

At-Home Entertainment

Get Inspired: 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!)

Diaper Discount

Get Inspired: 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

Get Inspired: 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

Get Inspired: 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.

Coming Home Safely

Get Inspired: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

Get Inspired: 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.