It is often hard to come up with gift ideas for new parents, especially when a second or subsequent child arrives - when the parents are stocked up on all the clothes they could need. I am always in search of ideas that will be genuinely appreciated by the parents, something they may not have even realized they need. Once you dig past the boxes of diapers and packs of onesies, there are some unique ideas that new moms are sure to love!

CLEANING
After each of my children, I have been given the gift of a cleaning service for a few months. I have to say, this is one of my FAVORITE gifts. Not having to worry about trying (and failing) to keep the house clean is such a stress relief! Hiring a cleaning service for the new mom or offering your own cleaning services is a great way to help her keep stay sane for those first few weeks.

FOOD
Almost all new moms will be happy to accept meals for their family. Just like with the house cleaning, it is a huge relief to have dinner taken care of. Offer to bring a meal or organize a group of friends to bring regular meals for a few weeks. The effort will not be taken for granted!

NOTECARDS
A great gift idea is personalized notecards for the little one! New parents have tons of thank you notes to write, so your gift will definitely come in handy. There are many places to find notecards like this online, from etsy.com (search personalized notecards) to stationery stores like swankypaper.com, where I found the Gerber Daisy notecard pictured to the left.

PLAY DATES
For moms with older children, this one is a sure winner. Invite the older children out for a play date (or two, or three...). It doesn’t matter if you have your own children. Find something that you can do with the big siblings to make it a special outing for them, whether it is playing at your house, eating dinner at a favorite restaurant, or going to a movie. The siblings get some time to be in the spotlight, and mom and dad get a little time to relax.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
As my husband and I recently held our 2.5-week-old while stuffing envelopes, licking them, and sticking on stamps and address labels, he commented how it almost seems like a cruel joke that new parents are expected to get out birth announcements so soon after a new baby is born - as if we don’t already have enough to do. You could offer your services to the new parents, everything from taking the picture, ordering announcements, and stuffing the envelopes could be part of your gift.

These are just a few unique ideas for new baby gifts. Do you have your own go-to gift for new parents? Share your ideas here! - Sara I.