Something for the person holding the baby
Almost every gift a new family is given is for the baby. This page is for the other one — written by someone who has spent thirty years watching which presents actually get used.
What helps, and when
The first two weeks
Anything that means she does not have to think, decide, or stand up.
She is not short of muslin wraps. She is short of sleep, hot food, and five minutes alone. Something for her rather than for the baby lands hardest here, because almost nobody buys her anything at all.
Weeks three to six
Something that marks a small return to herself.
The visitors have stopped and the help has gone home. This is usually the flattest stretch, and the one people forget to send anything for — which is exactly why a gift arriving now is worth more than one that arrived with everyone else's.
Any time at all
Hands. Actual, practical help.
If you are local, the unglamorous offer beats anything with a ribbon on it: a load of washing, an hour holding the baby while she showers. A voucher toward in-home support is the version of that you can post.
The small things are the ones you can have
You cannot control how tonight goes. You can have five minutes that belong to you — a hot shower, something that smells like calm, hands that don't feel like paper. Sue takes the big things; this is the small half, and it is yours. Free shipping Australia-wide.
Buying for someone else? A new mother almost never buys these for herself — which is exactly why they land. Free shipping anywhere in Australia, and the gift vouchers on the services page go toward Sue's in-home support if you want to give something larger.
What to skip
- More newborn-size clothing. She has been given plenty, and the baby is out of it in weeks.
- Anything that needs assembling, charging, or a manual.
- Strongly scented candles and perfume — postpartum skin and noses are unpredictable.
- Anything that creates a job: a plant to keep alive, a hamper to return, a subscription to cancel.
Giving something larger
A voucher goes toward Sue's in-home support — overnight care, postnatal visits, feeding and settling help. It is the one present that buys her sleep instead of another object to find a home for.
Families often go in together on one: grandparents, a workplace, or a group of friends at a baby shower.
About gift vouchersNot sure what she needs?
Tell Sue roughly where the family is up to and she will tell you honestly what would help — including when the answer is nothing from this page.
Ask Sue