I was reading a forum today where a thoughtful woman was putting together a gift basket for her pregnant friend. As her friend was very excited about the prospect of breastfeeding her new arrival, the poster was going to make her a basket of useful things. This got me thinking…
What would be in the ideal breastfeeding giftbasket?
* A sling - so your little one can sleep & feed easily while out and about.
* Booby tubes - gel-free, used hot or cold, these are a real help with blocked ducts, mastitis or engorgement.
* Nipple cream - hopefully it’s not needed, but if it is, it’s great!
* Some saline solution – can help with sore nipples added by Jackie
* Muslin Cloths – you could have a million of these and still there would be none near you when you need one.
* Nursing Pads – for me these were essential!
* Freezer bags for expressed milk – these will be handy later if she decides to express.
* Breastfeeding Affirmation Cards - beautiful cards with positive & caring messages for the nursing mama.
* Nursing Necklace – a special one for a newborn, a fun jingley one with bells or a pretty gem one for mama…
* Reminder Bracelet – after a while you know by doing a quick grope, but many new mums find bracelets a handy way to remember which side is next…
* Cute baby tee-shirt – go for a bold, bright lactivist print, a breastfeeding symbol one, or a cute understated one.
* A nice dressing gown - for receiving guests, so she won’t have to get dressed in a hurry!
* An “I make milk. What’s your superpower?” shirt/bag/bumper sticker added by Amygeekgrl
* A voucher for figleaves.com - amberjee says: “I love figleaves, they actually have nursing bras that look lovely and they allow you to return them or exchange so easily if they don’t fit or you don’t like them” added by amberjee
* A breastfeeding cushion – There are a few types to choose from, some popular ones are: Boppy, My Brest Friend, Big Flopsy added by tanya@motherwearblog
* A nursing rocking chair with stool – Mr. Halfpintpixie just pointed out that this was the best present we got. I’m not sure how big your basket is but if you squash really hard, it just might fit in 
Books & DVD’s
* “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding” by LLL – great reference book
* The Baby Book by Dr Sears – to answer all the “why won’t he stop crying” questions added by Activist Mommy
* “What Mothers Do (Especially When It Looks Like Nothing)” by Naomi Stadlen added by amberjee
* The Nursing Mother’s Companion for its comprehensive medication section and matter of fact advice added by Jackie
* A cute kiddie’s breastfeeding book like “Breastmilk makes my tummy yummy” – read it to baby while nursing added by Activist Mommy
* Dr. Jack Newman’s Visual Guide to Breastfeeding DVD – a wonderful visual aid for nursing mums added by milkandhoneydesigns
A little card with information on it like…
* Call LLL and get the number of her local leader and the times they meet, put this on a card for her, along with the words… “www.kellymom.com“
* Research any other breastfeeding groups in her area and write down the details for her on a card, maybe offer to go to one with her added by amberjee
* A card with your name & number and the message “Call me anytime, day or night” added by Activist Mommy
* A few websites you find good such as askmoxie added by Jackie
Food & Drink
* A packet of oat cookies – to help with milk production & because they’re yummy.
* Some snacky treats that you know the mama loves…
* Some frozen meals so the new mama doesn’t have to cook – in a cooler beside the giftbasket methinks! added by Amygeekgrl
* Subscription to a weekly organic fruit & veg box – just fruit so no cooking required added by amberjee
* A freshly baked banana loaf – MamaBear says: “No need to reheat…She could just unwrap it and bite into the whole loaf!” added by MamaBear
* A reuseable water bottle – to keep mama hydrated
* Some Mother’s Milk tea added by Rachel and MamaBear
* A breastfeeding symbol mug for her cuppa added by MamaBear
Ways to pass the time…
* DVD’s or a subscription to a cable movie channel – to watch while feeding or when the baby will only sleep snuggled in her arms added by amberjee
* A couple of her favourite magazines, how about a subscription so her favourite mag will arrive each month added by Rachel
* A subscription to Netflix or another of the DVD rental websites - for those long hours spent sitting down added by Jackie
Any more ideas to add?
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ooh, these are great ideas! i (heart) kellymom.com and recommend it to all bfing mamas.
how about including an “I make milk. What’s your superpower?” shirt?
http://www.cafepress.com/theapshop/767310
some frozen meals would also be nice (though don’t go very well in a gift basket), so the new mama doesn’t have to cook.
Those are great ideas! The only things I’dd add in are the baby book by Dr sears for those 6 PM “Why won’t he stop crying!!!” colic fits and beyond, and I’d toss in a card with my number and a note to call me anytime day and night. It’s a pretty good feeling tot alk a new mom down off the ceiling.
Oh and maybe one of the cute kid’s books out there about breastfeeding for her to read to the baby. 
I would add in Naomi Stadlen’s book “What Mothers Do (Especially When It Looks Like Nothing)” and loads of food, food, food! i’m thinking a weekly fruit box from abel and cole would be grand so she has instant stuff to nibble.
Also maybe a dvd that she would like, I watched a lot of tv on demand/dvds while sitting on the couch feeding and also while letting the Imp sleep because my arms were the only place good enough.
Oh, and a voucher from figleaves.com or shop that has good nursing bras. I love figleaves, they actually have nursing bras that look lovely and they allow you to return them or exchange so easily if they don’t fit or you don’t like them.
you could also research any breastfeeding groups in the area, and write down the details on a handy card, or even go with her to one.
i would be in ecstasy! but i wouldn’t get a veg box, as then someone would have to cook it!
how about adding full time chef to the box???
excellent ladies, I’ve added your ideas into the list. Wow, could you imagine getting such a basket… it would be lovely
full time chef… splendid idea amberjee… and also a house-cleaner, and a masseuse
The timing of your post couldn’t have been more perfect!
I had never thought of this; and a wonderful friend is expecting very soon, who will be breast feeding. Thank you!
I’d have died for a gift basket like this!
How about a nursing pillow? Boppy, My Brest Friend, etc.
I did a post on this theme with a poll to see what people would give:
http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/2007/02/what_breastfeed.html
Love the oatmeal cookie idea…
Tanya
[...] by Rachel on August 26th, 2007 Half Pint Pixie has compiled a neat list of gift basket ideas for new moms who intend to [...]
Glad we could help TYT!
Tanya, of course… I completely forgot about a nursing pillow.
I have a big squishy beany one, Big Flopsy, that I used to sleep with when pg, I used to prop babypixie it on when feeding her at the start or when she’d sleep in mine or hubby’s arms, and now that she’s bigger I just prop it behind my back if I’m sitting up in bed feeding.
It’s great.. I shall add that to the ever-growing list, you’d need a very large basket for this list
Is there like an online store for one stop shopping for at least most of this that I could be pointed to? I’ll go there and start clicking away!
I’ve never heard of most of these items, never breast fed.
I’ll end up getting it all wrong is my fear, gosh knows what kind of foreign objects I’d end up with in her goody basket.
Thanks again for this post, this is great!
Hi TYT, there are a couple of good UK and Irish online stores, there must be some good US ones, perhaps some of you US folk could recommend one?
Don’t worry about getting it wrong, I bet she’ll really appreciate the gift (I know I would have!)
These ideas are wonderful! I think the best way to help a recently postpartum mama is to take care of her so that she can take care of the baby (learn to breastfeed and so forth)… That being said, there’s tons more you could add to her gift basket.
A freshly baked loaf of banana bread… Yum! No need to reheat or anything. She could just unwrap it and bite into the whole loaf! (I probably would have when I was recently post-partum; I was just too exhausted to worry about formalities. LOL)
Traditional Medicinals makes a great Mother’s Milk Tea. You could put a box of their lactogenic tea in the gift basket, along with a cute mug, like this one: http://www.cafepress.com/mamabearshop.162710469
You could get her baby a cute International Breastfeeding Symbol onesie: http://www.breastfeedingsymbol.org/store/.
I don’t know of any shops that sell actualy breastfeeding gift baskets, but there are several that sell great supplies you can order then put together yourself. And one shop has a “Breastfeeding Kit” which is almost a gift basket. Just toss in a few more thigns and you’re set.
http://www.nursingmothersupplies.com/html/breastfeedingkits.htm
A link to http://moxie.blogs.com/askmoxie/, a subscription to Netflix for the many, many hours spent sitting and The Nursing Mother’s Companion for its comprehensive medication section and matter of fact advice.
And saline solution. It was a lifesaver for me when the nipple cream didn’t help.
excellent, I’ve rearranged it into sections as the list was getting overwhelming! Great suggestions…
[...] gift basket I could have used. by Jackie This is a fantastic list for what to include in a Breastfeeding Gift basket for a new mom at Half Pint [...]
I would add in Dr. Jack Newmans Visual Guide to Breastfeeding DVD. It’s a wonderful visual aid for nursing mums. Wow I would have DIED to get this basket as a new mum.
What a great idea! I started to do gift boxes awhile ago but I didn’t think up half of these great ideas! Please may I link to this from http://www.lactivist.co.uk and http://www.lactivist.net?
Oh of course Moomum, I’d be delighted! I have some of your nursing necklaces & babypixie loves them
[...]you’ll be familiar with some of the products that Moomum has[...]
[...]Remember the fantastic breastfeeding giftbasket we dreamed up[...]
@ I’ve updated some broken links so everything should be all happy! And I’ve added in links to a new site http://www.lactivistbling.co.uk which stocks a huge variety of nursing necklaces and bracelets from various well known suppliers, well worth a look! Happy shopping
@ Added in Feeding Mama affirmation cards, gorgeous little cards full of positive vibes.