26 Holiday Gift Ideas to Help You Spoil the New Parents in Your Life
Published Dec. 27 2021, 4:46 p.m. ET
You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't want to totally spoil a newborn or a toddler during the holiday season. But what about those tired new parents? We've figured out some of the best gifts for new parents this year that will help them feel a little more appreciated. Some of the gifts are tools for parenthood, sure, but others ... not so much. If it makes those late-night feedings easier, then why not?
Decision coin
Have you ever dealt with those middle-of-the-night feedings or diaper changes? Yeah, it gets old fast. With this coin, however, you can fairly determine whose turn it is to wake up with the baby at 3 a.m. If you and your partner have other gender identities, you could always opt to mark the coin to suit your needs.
Price: $12.99 on Amazon.
Portable espresso machine
Months after your baby is finished waking up in the middle of the night and interrupting your sleep, you can laugh about it. Until then, you'll need nerves of steel. And to get those, a little caffeine never hurts. Use this portable espresso machine to ensure you get all the caffeine you need, and quickly.
Price: $54.90 on Amazon.
Snack box
Back in the day, friends and family would bring casseroles and other food to new parents to help alleviate the stress of cooking with a newborn in the house. You can do that for the new parents in your life. But you can also gift them this treasure trove of healthy but delicious snacks.
Price: $30.95 on Amazon.
Belt bag
Having a diaper bag is all well and good until you need to fish out your phone, keys, and wallet amid diapers, baby wipes, rattles, lotion, and loose goldfish crackers. This bag is small enough to put the essentials in, and it's easy to strap to your body so you can save the diaper bag for all of the baby's needs.
Price: $38 at Lululemon.
NoseFrida
OK, hear us out on this one. You might think the new parents in your life would never use this, but it's a life-saver. Or, to be more accurate, it's a snot saver. Parents can use the NoseFrida to get extra snot and phlegm out of their baby's nose when they have a cold. It beats trying to make a baby let you wipe their nose every five minutes.
Price: $18.91 on Amazon.
Deep Sleep Pillow Spray
This spray has lavender and chamomile in it, which are supposed to help calm you and make you sleep more easily. That's easier said than done with a screaming baby. But if you have new parents in your life who could use a solid night's sleep and they have someone to look after their baby, then this is an option for the holiday season.
Price: $29 from DermStore.
Meal kit subscription
There are lots of different meal kits out there for busy individuals. HelloFresh has several meal plan options. You can keep your giftee's personal preferences and dietary restrictions in mind and choose to have up to six recipes per week delivered to your loved one as a gift.
Price: Starts at $57.95 from HelloFresh.
A "witching hour" candle
Every baby has a "witching hour," or a set time of day when they seem to be the most irritable. This candle doesn't make that go away, but it's a nice cheeky way to let new parents know that you understand what they're going through.
Price: $29.75 from Brooklinen.
Deep tissue massager
Whether the new parent in your life just gave birth or they just need a way to pamper themselves while getting into the groove of parenting, a deep tissue massager can make a big difference. The best part is that they can use it on themselves whenever they need to.
Price: $59.99 at Kohl's.
Swaddle blankets
While this gift isn't for the parents, per se, swaddle blankets are a godsend if the baby needs to be swaddled in order to sleep. And you honestly can't get enough of them. So if you have new parents in your life, trust us — they won't turn down a pack of swaddle blankets.
Price: $34.62 on Amazon.
Funny parenting books
This book, Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?: Confessions of a Gay Dad, is from actor Dan Bucatinsky (Scandal). It's a comedic self-help book of sorts for new parents. It includes a collection of stories about Dan's own foray into parenthood with his husband, Don Roos.
Price: $16.99 on Amazon.
'Friends'-themed cup
If you have a friend who just became a mom and she's also a fan of the show Friends, then give her a double whammy. Have this mug personalized with her name and cater to the mom and fan in her all at once.
Price: $13.60 from BrookHillCoffeeMugs on Etsy.
LG CordZero All in One Auto Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum
Let's face it, kids are messy, and spills definitely happen. Whether you need to clean your couch, car, floors, or curtains, this LG CordZero All in One Auto Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum is a must-have.
This vacuum charges, stores tools, and automatically empties the dust bin in a cleaning dock.
Price: $999.00 from LG.com.
Wine of the month club
We're not saying that parents need wine to survive. But if they loved it before the baby came along, then it could certainly help them out now. Give the gift of a wine of the month club to make that happen. Just make sure they know to pour a few glasses after the baby is down for the night.
Price: Starts at $149.85 from Amazing Clubs.
Postpartum care package
This care package for new moms who just gave birth includes balm to soothe dry nipples, body lotion, an herbal body mist to relieve any discomfort or itchiness, bath salts, belly butter, and other little items for the new baby too. It's a pretty inclusive set that will ease most new moms' discomfort for a little while.
Price: $80 from LavenderMeadowsCo on Etsy.
Personalized photo
You can choose from a black and white photo or three different skin tones to represent the new parents in your life with this gift. The photo itself is a reprint of two sets of adult hands holding baby feet and you can even add names to personalize it even more.
Price: $10.36 from LittleBitofSparkleGB on Etsy.
Instant photo printer
Sharing social media photos of the baby is all well and good, but having physical photos you can hang on the wall or refrigerator is so much better. Parents know that better than almost anyone.
Buy them this portable photo printer so they can not only post dozens of photos of their baby each week but also print them for their own personal real-life collection.
Price: $139.99 on Amazon.
Parenting party game
Being a parent means asking Google everything when you're unsure. This party game, in a similar style as Cards Against Humanity, uses common parenting questions and struggles and puts a humorous spin on them.
Price: $24.99 from Is This Normal.
Tree ornament
If your giftee celebrates Christmas and has a tree up in their home, they might need an ornament to commemorate their first holiday season with a third member of the crew. This one can be personalized with names and its simple design means it looks good with almost any decor.
Price: Starts at $28.50 from ThePinkOwlDesigns on Etsy.
All-day water bottle
As a new parent, it's easy to forget about your needs. So if you need to find a gift for parents who could use some stronger self-care, opt for this water bottle. It's huge and has markings on it to make sure they drink enough water throughout the day.
Price: $11.89 on Amazon.
Amazon Echo Buds
These earbuds are suitable for listening to music or a certain parent's favorite true-crime podcast while they're feeding the baby in the wee hours of the morning. Parents can also use them as noise-canceling earbuds when it's their partner's turn to be on baby duty.
Price: $69.99 on Amazon.
Bloody Mary kit
If your giftee is a new parent and they enjoy a good Bloody Mary, then treat them this holiday season with all they need to create a couple of drinks from home. Not only does it include Bloody Mary mix, but it also comes with two beer can-shaped glasses.
Price: $64.99 from CraftConnectionsCo on Etsy.
New parent glasses
Choose from the "dada" or "mama" option with this beer can-shaped glass. It's kind of the perfect way to unwind at the end of a long baby poop-filled day, whether they fill the glasses with alcohol or something else. You can also pay a little extra to include a lid and straw.
Price: Starts at $12.99 from JLDesignsCT on Etsy.
White noise machine
Are you one of those people who sleeps with a fan on? Then you already know the value of falling asleep to white noise. Babies get this too, and if the new parents in your life need something to help get their baby to sleep and keep them asleep, this white noise machine could be the answer.
Price: $25.99 on Amazon.
Baby record book
New parents love to record every milestone and detail about their babies. This book is meant to help them do just that. They can add in little notes, stickers, and pictures too.
Price: Starts at $27.62 from LittlePickleMemories on Etsy.
Free babysitting
Luckily, you don't have to spend money on this gift for new parents. All you have to do is offer up your services to give them a well-deserved night out. You can even offer them a nice long uninterrupted nap while you care for the baby. Either way, the new parents will undoubtedly love this.
Price: FREE
There are plenty of gifts you can give new parents in the holiday season that they'll love. Some are for them, while others are more on the baby accessory side of things. The important thing is showing how much you care. We promise — through the poopy diapers and spit-up stained shirts they deal with daily — they appreciate it.