Top 5 gifts for a new mom! — Niki Noto Palmer

I'll admit it.

I was awful with gifts to my mom friends before I had my own child.

I know I'm not the only one, so I figured I'd put it out there on the interwebs what *I think are the best gifts to give new moms.

REGISTRY
- I know this is a crazy concept, but if they have a registry... get something off the registry. I promise it exists for a reason and can lead you to great ideas for a new mom! Ish be expensive these days! I know they aren't monogrammed gifts, BUT, they're practical and oh so helpful. And when in doubt go with a gift card! Nothing says "I love you, go get what you want/need" more than a gift card to where you have your registry!
DIAPERS and WIPES
- This might be a crazy concept too, but diapers and wipes are a great gift to new moms! Babies go through about 7 diapers a day. That's 49 diapers a week and close to 200 a month. TWO HUNDRED. #Math. And then again on some days, well, fit hits the shan, if you know what I mean! So you might need more than 7 diapers a day.
- IDEA: Dudes and Diaper shower
  - Soooo this is exactly as it sounds. It's as easy as getting a list together of your man's favorite dudes and have them show up with diapers or wipes in one hand and beer in the other hand. I think Michael's "shower" fell around the time of NBA playoffs, which they just used as an additional excuse to get together. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL. I mean seriously! We're on month two of diapers/wipes for our baby girl and still have a plethora to go through. It is truly such a great idea!
GRACE
- Yep. New moms need grace. I know I have my phone on me 24/7 (well, when I can find it) but the reality of the matter is that I know I saw your text or your phone call... but I was busy. And then I was feeding, then I did the dishes, and now laundry because where did the floor go? I took the dog out, answered some emails, was that my kid screaming from her nap? Did I shower today? So what I'm smelling... is me? Was that my doorbell? Yes. Grace. I promise to answer those texts and mail the thank you cards, but it might be a few days later than when I normally would respond, because, squirrel. I mean baby.
A MAMA SUMTHIN'
- Gifts for the baby are inevitable! But I think these are some great gift ideas out there for the new mom!
  - Manicure / Pedicure gift certificate. YAY FOR BEING ABLE TO SEE YOUR FEET AGAIN!
  - Massage certificate. If you're in the ATL area, let me introduce you to treat your feet! Lets just say you can get a 60 minute foot massage for $30. They also massage your neck and head for the last 15 minutes. They offer other services and it truly is heaven. ps: the nail salon is next door!
  - Gift card for fun workout classes (maybe you could do together when the mom gets clearance!) Disclaimer: this by no means screams "WOOF! LETS GET YOU TO THE GYM!" Ha! If anything it's an invitation for fun company and also allows you to take a greater step towards feeling like the old you!
  - Wine.
  - A CLEAN HOUSE! Oh this is a wonderful gift! Coordinate a time that works for mama and baby and get that house cleaned up!
  - Maternity leave hangs! I LOVED when my friends came over and kept me company. I love my little human but the big humans are nice to interact with when you have a newborn and maybe when that newborn is napping.
  - Hair did gift card. Find out where mama gets her hair did' and put some money towards that!
MEALTRAIN.COM
- For those of you who are unaware of this website, it truly was such a God send post baby! We had the sweetest people gift us food and meals so we wouldn't have to cook or run to the grocery store. It was a great opportunity for people to come see the baby and have some fellowship and good hangs over food! I didn't necessarily post our link for all the world to see, but when people would ask if they could bring a meal, I simply sent them the link! It really lessened the anxiety associated with our frequent deer in headlight question of "what do you want for dinner?" that we seem to circle every night.

So there ya have it! I hope this helps whenever a friend of yours has a new baby and you're wondering what you can gift the baby or mom!