Today is the second day of my blog-detox week and I'm kind of struggling, much more than on Facebook-detox. I guess that must mean I'm addicted to other people's creativity ... and that I have no life of my own:) Since I can't read other blogs, I'm just going to write more on my own. There's a theme I wanted to write about for some time: gifts for a new mom/new family.

We visited our friends yesterday, a lovely couple with a six weeks old tiny bundle of joy. I was impressed by  tiny-ness of the little guy's feet. I just couldn't believe my Lila was ever that small:) I thought about what to bring as a present for the new family a lot, and ended up bringing them some cute little pajamas, bath-time animals, and pacifiers for the little one and chocolate financiers for the parents. I wasn't completely satisfied with presents, but they seemed pleased enough.

So here's a list of presents for a new family that I thought of for future reference:

1. Food!

When you're a young parent, it isn't always easy to find the time or the energy to cook. Trust me, I know;) Bringing a home-cooked meal to a new family seems a perfect gift to me! There is a question, what foods to bring, though. I like to cook with a lot of spices and beans and cabbage, and these are all things that some breastfeeding moms prefer to avoid...

2. Jewelry

I got a tiny gold bracelet (along with a ton of cute stuff for my little girl) from my aunt when she first visited me and my little new family. Even later I learned that the family was supposed to give gold jewelry to a new mom (maybe just to the first time mom?). I liked the gesture a lot, even though the bracelet wasn't really my style. But I so love these!



To be honest, though, I prefer earrings to bracelets. But it's almost impossible (even dangerous!) to wear dangly earrings when you are carrying a baby around. Maybe not when she's a newborn, but soon she will start grabbing those pretty little sparkly things. So stud earrings are the obvious choice for moms.

3. Photos

Many new families decide to hire a professional photographer to take photos of their newborn. But some just forget to book the photographer (they are very busy people) or can't afford to, and you can step in here. You can, of course, gift them a voucher for a photo session with the local photographer, but if you have a camera yourself, you can snap a few photos of the newborn and the whole family, even if you're not a professional. Set the camera on black and white, shoot in natural light, edit photos with a free software (before Lightroom, I liked to use Picasa, but there're tons of others, just google it:)) and you'll probably end up with at least two photos you'll like. Have the best one printed on a canvas and you have a unique present for the new mom (and dad, and grandma ...), like, ever.

What gifts do you like to bring to new moms? What would you like to receive?