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.

See what’s available in the GCG Store.

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, and The Going-To-Bed Book are good choices.

Get new mom one of your sentimental favorites and attach a gift card for more practical items. Sentimental, yet practical. That’s what being a mom is often about.

Date Night in a Bag

Get Inspired: Heaven knows when that newborn arrives, mom and dad won’t have a second to themselves for about 18 years. Help them make time for date night with a gift card to the movies, ball game, video rental, game rental, or another fun night out.

Fill a bag with the other needed essentials such as water bottle, snacks, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, tissues, etc. Have fun with it. Afterall, that’s what you want the new parents to do.

Food Without the Fuss

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.

Deliver the gift card with a homemade dessert.

Fill Your Tank

Get Inspired: It’s not that I didn’t want to eat when my kids were little, I just couldn’t find 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. I delivered the gift card with a basket full of activities in hopes the toddler would self-entertain while mom ate.

Deliver a nutritous meal to new moms with the words, “Don’t forget to take care of yourself too.” Or in the words of the airlines, “Put your own oxygen mask on first, or you’ll be no good to those around you.”

Pamper Yourself

Get Inspired: My sister received this at her baby shower. A box of Pampers with a gift card to her favorite spa with a note that read, “Pamper Yourself!”

What a cute idea. Other gift cards that go with Pampers are gift cards to the salon, pedicure, or the bath and body shop. Or try a Spa Finder Gift Card if you’re not sure.

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: The music in the minivan is about to change. Create a playlist to go along with a music gift card. Here are some suggestions:

• Classical songs to boost baby’s brain power in utero
• Favorite lullabies for when baby comes home
• Toddler tunes that can be tolerated in an endless loop
• Cut loose tracks she can pop into the player on rare solo trips

Gift of Clean

Get Inspired: Get a service gift card such as cleaning, cooking, diaper delivery, and so forth. Deliver it with something dreamy like a luxury crib sheet, cd of lullabies, or a plush pillow.

Write, “Having a baby is dreamy–but cleaning the house isn’t. Hope this gift card helps.”

Substitute “cleaning” for “making dinner,” “cleaning diapers,” etc. according to the gift card selected.

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 like Jiffy Lube that will help with car maintenance or new tires. Pair it with travel items for the baby such as a neck pillow, car shade, or see-mommy-mirror.

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 place 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.