The alternative to baby clothes...
Often when we think about taking a gift to a baby shower we head for the baby clothes, soft toys and chocolates. It can be difficult to think of something different or alternative and even more tricky to find something unique or useful for mum or mum-to-be!
So we have developed an alternative baby shower gift guide to help you choose and decide.. and arrive at the event with the perfect gift that everyone is jealous that they didn’t think of!
Personal Promises. Writing some self-made pledges or promises to do chores or bring food once the baby has arrived can be a really lovely heart-felt gift. A home-cooked meal or an hour or two of babysitting could be a dream come true to an exhausted new mum! It could be as simple as writing your promise in a greetings card, or you could buy these really cute Promise and Wish Cards from Babyblooms.
Foodie Gifts. There are some great pregnancy-specific food and drink items that have been developed with the health and wellbeing of mum and baby in mind. A couple of our favourites are the Mama’s Overnight Oats sachets from Mama Nourish and ‘The Final Push – Raspberry Leaf Tea’ from HotTea Mama. Why not make her up a little food basket with some healthy pregnancy and postnatal yummy foodstuff?
Pregnancy and Postnatal Nutrition. Speaking of nutrition and healthy eating, what better gift to give than the gift of support and guidance through what mum or mum-to-be should be eating at this time and once baby is born. The very experienced Janine McGee Nutrition provides vouchers for her support – we love the idea of her 2 x mini sessions to talk through 3rd and 4th trimester nutrition. This kind of support will help with mamas recovery post-birth, and her energy levels and general wellbeing at this typically sleep-deprived time.
Personalised Maternity Styling Service. Sometimes it’s so hard to feel good when nothing in the wardrobe fits! This is where Gabriela Rye from Glow in Style can step in; she runs an online styling service for expectant mums and nursing mums and beyond. A personalised styling service can start from as little as £47!
We also love the breastfeeding clothes from Nuzzle, their Nursing Hoodie’s are a genius idea and so comfy! Ideal if mama is planning on breastfeeding the little one, and they make a great gift.
Pregnancy Wellbeing Retreat Day. If you are looking for a thoughtful and relaxing gift for mum-to-be, why not treat her to a Pregnancy Retreat Day? This unique nurturing women-only retreat has been developed to help pregnant women both mentally and physically through a combination of learning hypnobirthing and mindfulness techniques, pregnancy yoga and positive birth planning.
Hypnobirthing Babymoon. You could also treat mum or mum-to-be and her partner to an Antenatal/Prenatal or Hypnobirthing Babymoon. At this unique 2 to 4-day countryside retreat they will have a wonderfully relaxing and pampered stay in a romantic and peaceful converted barn on the edge of the beautiful Suffolk countryside, and they will learn how to have a positive birth through coaching and education sessions from Better Birth & Baby, completely tailored to their needs.
You can buy a gift voucher towards or for either of these experiences and surprise her with a memorable and thoughtful gift that will improve her and her unborn baby’s health and wellbeing.
Books, Books, Books! You can’t really go wrong with a book. Whether its a classic or funny fave, it’s always a gift that will be put to good use. Our family love Usborne Books, and it’s so important to read to the little one.. they can hear voices when they are in the womb too, so its a perfect gift for pregnancy. The lovely Lisa from The Book Den can supply you with all the Usborne favourites, and point you in the right direction if you aren’t sure of the perfect pick, you can link in with her and get recommendations in The Book Den Community Group.
Healthy Convenient Meals. Coming back to food.. many of the couples I support love receiving a voucher for recipe boxes or food deliveries. Let’s face it, it just makes life during pregnancy or with a newborn a bit easier! We like to use Mindful chef for its healthy meal options and great introductory offer (25% off first 4 recipe boxes), and the frozen meals from Cook because of the quality and convenience. All mum or dad needs to do pop it into the oven, plus it can be delivered straight to their door!
Positive Affirmations. Have you heard of them? Positive affirmations are simply positive statements, and in this case about being pregnant or about the birth. They are positive phrases that mum repeats to herself, some like to call it ‘positive self talk’. It has been proven in studies that they make you feel better about yourself and the more you hear them, the more your mind will believe them. For less than a fiver you can download a printable PDF from Better Birth & Baby that has over 30 Positive Birth Affirmations such as ‘I am perfectly designed for birth’ so that mum can find the right ones for her to use.
We hope that’s got you thinking about what to buy as an alternative and unique gift for your pregnant friend or family member. Instead of buying the usual baby items (which are adorable, we admit!), why not choose something that will pamper and empower her as a mother? She will really appreciate your care and attention to her needs and wellbeing.
Debbie Willis, Better Birth & Baby
