When I was in hospital just about to give birth to Eliott (a day or two before the induction); my oldest friend Siobhán, who had seen me through every big and small life event since we were six, came to visit me. With her were two washing baskets, decorated and filled to the brim with goodies, baby necessities and gorgeous baby clothes – the perfect new baby basket. She had literally thought of everything. It was definitely one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received, and something I would love to replicate. As it happens, a rather awesome blogger friend of mine, the lovely Suzy from The Airing Cupboard, is expecting a little boy in the next few weeks, and as I understand that having a baby isn’t just a time to focus on the baby but also the new Mama, I’ve decided to throw together something similar; a little baby basket, a hamper of joy, love and Mammy treats.
These are as easy or as difficult to make as you wish. Disclaimer:I am in no way a crafty person, distinctly talentless at art, so there won’t be any crazy Pinterest trends coming out of this post. Hopefully it might inspire you or give you ideas for a baby basket gift for any expectant Mama you love.
I’ve tied it all together in a basket. I got this one in Tiger a few months back for the princely sum of three euros – it’s a nice size and looks great. If only they had them in all of the time! I’m keeping an eye out for more!
Let’s start with the largest object in the baby basket; a book. Maybe not your idea of a must-have-new-mama-accessory; but this one is a humorous take on a children’s classic, We’re Going On A Bar Hunt
New Mama’s need some relaxing time, so for this, I’ve added some face masks and a Yankee Candle wax melt in Fireside Treats to fill the room with a gorgeous scent. During all that relaxing it may help to enjoy a coffee, so I’ve added in a mix of caffeinated and decaffeinated Nespresso capsules, as well as a pretty mug from Sass-Belle, which I love – we’ve got a set of them here with quirky sayings on them, always ready to serve me my morning latte.
Having a baby means you’re likely to be wandering the world zombified for the first couple of weeks as well, I’m hoping that the Lush shower gel, Happy Hippy, will be filled with enough wake-up-magic for her to make it to the coffee machine in one piece. It smells gorgeous and is natural, so no icky chemicals to deal with, and no animal testing to feel guilty about.
I guess in the spirit of it being a baby basket, some gifts for the baby wouldn’t go astray. These gorgeous booties from Inch Blue are handmade leather shoes for a little superstar, their range is absolutely gorgeous. I’m having to hide my card checking the shoes for toddlers because I want them all! I also picked up this awesome soother which was inspired by a gift we received for Eliott, it’s kind of funky and will give the grownups a giggle to see the little boy properly become a little man. As well as the fun and pretty things, some essentials have also been thrown in, a tube of Bepanthen, a packet of wipes and a few sample sized toiletries – always handy to have. And of course, the nappy bags, which you can never, ever, have too much of.
I’m of course hoping that Suzy and her new baby are both happy and healthy and get enjoyment from this baby basket. I really enjoyed making it!
What essentials would you put into a New Mother baby basket, or what would you have loved to have been given? Let me know in the comments below!
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If you haven’t before; you should check out The Airing Cupboard here – a tale of motherhood from the very first declaration of “I’m pregnant!” – funny, honest and moving in parts it is definitely worth following!
This is DEADLY! Excellent choices. I might add oatmeal cookie mix – but only for someone else to make, not the new mama!
Ooh, great idea – everyone around me seems to be getting in on the pregnancy game so definitely an addition to the next one, thanks! Thanks for reading 🙂