5 Gifts for New Parents That They'll Actually Use

5 Gifts for New Parents That They'll Actually Use

(updated 2 September 2023)

Your friend has a new baby, and you’d like to get them a gift, but aren’t sure what they’ll find useful, or what they already have?

Usually, I advocate asking the person directly what they would like, in order to make sure you're getting them something they really want. The downside of this approach is that people are often either paisehto say what they want, or they genuinely can't think of anything extra they need at the moment.

The latter is especially true for new parents. When you're stuck in the middle of that newborn haze of middle-of-the-night feedings, endless diaper changes, and seemingly constant crying, who has the bandwidth to come up with a carefully curated list of things that they'll use not just for the next few days but for months down the road?

Plus, for new parents, the next few months are unchartered territory, so they often don't really know what they will need down the road. And you don't want to pressure them to give you a list when they're so tired already.

Here, we've gathered some of the best gift ideas for new parents, for all budgets.

All these gifts are things that will be useful from the newborn stage through the first few years, so you don't need to worry about dropping a chunk of cash on something that the child will grow out of in a few weeks.

They are also gifts that we are confident the parent will need and will find useful even if they have multiple (so, no need to worry whether they already have something similar!).

Top 5 Gifts for New Parents

cute grumpy baby in swaddle sleeping
1. Swaddle

Swaddles are a time-honoured tried-and-true strategy to help newborns sleep more soundly.  These swaddles are super lightweight and breathable, ensuring that the parents won't have to worry about baby overheating even if the aircon is off.

Plus, they are larger in size compared to normal swaddles, so they also work very well as nursing covers, stroller blankets/covers, and baby bath towels. Yet they fold up really compactly, which is lifesaver for when parents are bringing baby out.


2. Small Wet Bag

Where to begin? Waterproof, machine-washable, and perfectly sized, small wet bags have an endless range of uses.

When my babies were younger, I relied on them heavily to store pacifiers, teething toys, and extra clothes. After all, you can never be quite sure how clean plastic bags are, and you go through a gazillion ziplocks if you have to use a new one every time you're going out.

Now that I have a toddler, I use small wet bags for her sunblock and hand sanitizer, or the markers/crayons she brings to Sunday School, or a change of clothes when she goes out with grandma.

Even adults can use them - I myself use small wet bags to hold pads, tissue, hand sanitizer, and a variety of other bits and bobs!


3. Cloth Wipes

Everyone has heard of wet wipes. But these are often partially made of plastic, and can be really abrasive on a baby's skin. Not to mention they're generally not very effective at wiping (wet wipes tend to smear dirt rather than picking it up), and you have to buy tons of them.

Enter cloth wipes! These super-soft bamboo velour wipes are perfect for the sensitive skin of a new baby, while being incredibly effective at gripping any dirt (an incredibly important feature, as anyone who has fed yoghurt or bananas to a young baby knows).


4. Swim Diaper

A baby's first dip in the pool usually isn't very long - maybe 15-30 minutes at most. And it's not always easy to make time to bring a baby swimming very often. Altogether, this means that disposable swim diapers are used for an exceedingly short amount of time (💸💸💸), and the child may outgrow the diapers before finishing the pack.

Our reusable swim diapers have none of these issues. Adjustable sizing means that the baby can wear the same swim diaper from birth all the way to potty training. Being machine washable, it doesn't cause any extra work (we all have clothes to wash at some point), and doesn't cost extra even if the child just wants to do 10 minutes of water play.

Plus, a little-known hack is that these swim diapers can be used OVER regular disposable diapers to provide a better fit and prevent leaks!


5. Leggings

Bumblito leggings are made of suuuuper soft polyester that is comfortable to wear even in Singapore's humid weather. These leggings are perfect for warding off the chill in a mall, or for protecting little legs from abrasions and mozzie bites at the playground.

I especially like that they're so stretchy and versatile in size - you truly can get 2 years' worth of wear out of each size, instead of the few months you normally get with normal cotton clothes. And unlike cotton clothes, these leggings can be washed multiple times without worrying about prints or colours fading.

Conclusion

So these are our top 5 picks for gifts for new parents from our store! Hopefully this will make gift-giving a little less stressful, especially if you aren't a parent yourself yet. Have any questions about the gifts we suggested? Let us know in the comments!

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