A friend of mine recently had her first baby. I was so happy for her and of course couldn't wait to meet the little guy. However, being an OB nurse, I see firsthanded how exhausting those first few days with a newborn can be. I waited until the baby was a week old so they had time to adjust and settle into a routine, and coordinated a good time for her between feedings to stop by.
The night before my visit to the new mama and baby, I went shopping for a congratulatory gift. As I looked through the baby section, the most obvious and most common purchases were all around me: onesies, adorable outfits that will only fit them for a month or two, cuddly blankets, and sleepers. I didn't want to get her something she likely already had too much of from her shower, so I continued searching and found myself wondering if I should call and ask her if there was anything she needed from the grocery store. I wondered if she had enough of the essentials for postpartum life.. pads, motrin, and so forth.
Then the idea came to me that she probably is, or will be, running low on essentials and may not have the time or energy to run to the store for simple things. I decided to create a Postpartum or New Mom Survival Kit. I threw things in my cart that I thought might be helpful for her:
- Dry Shampoo (she may be too tired to shower every day!)
- Maxi pads (That first couple of weeks postpartum can make a girl go through a lot!)
- Fresh Linen Candle (With a new baby, I don't know that dishes/laundry/vacuuming is a priority, but the smell of a clean house is comforting, in my opinion.)
- Hair ties (Those little buggers are always getting lost and I'm sure they would be coming in handy right about now)
- Season-appropriate outfit for baby and pair of shoes
- Something funny.. I saw a super cute onesie with instructions for dad on where to put each limb ;-)
- A simple sign for baby's room for a little decor (click for the link)
- Baby Lips chapstick and nail polish for mom
Here's some other great ideas if you want to switch out or add some items to your New Mom Survival Kit:
- Motrin
- Baby Gas Drops to help fussy baby
- Protein bars
- SD card for when her camera memory fills up with new baby pictures
- Tinted moisturizer
- Breastfeeding reminder bra clips so she can remember which side baby left off on when feeding start to run together
She loved it! I hope you found this useful and as a good gift idea. Please stop by my Etsy and take a look around at other cute (and inexpensive!) items for baby and mom: https://www.etsy.com/shop/juiceboxbaby
Etsy.
I have
purchased items from Etsy for many different events this past year:
weddings, engagement parties, bridal showers, new baby, and even just
for myself. What I love about this site is that it's full of sellers who
are passionate about what they're selling- they have a hobby and a
talent they want to share. It's much classier than ebay or some other
online retail sites. It's honest people with lovely, unique items that
you can't find anywhere else!
I decided to open my own Etsy shop! The name is JuiceBoxBaby and I feature things for new moms and babies. Here's the link! https://www.etsy.com/shop/JuiceBoxBaby
I work in OB, so new moms, babies, pregnant bellies, and all things related are very familiar to me!
One thing that stood out to me while
helping mothers breastfeed is how much feedings start to run together
for them. They lose track of times, which side they nursed on and for
how long. One thing I made to help with this, is a helpful bra clip
reminder for breastfeeding mommies.
I have a few different patterns and they
are all soft ribbon with magnets so they are comfortable and cute. I had
fun making these and hope that others find them useful. They make a
good gift for new or expecting moms.
I also have
some cute, inexpensive items for nursery decor. It's baby room wall art,
or it could also be pictures for a little girls room.
I had a fun time doing crafty things and
starting my etsy shop but I'm having a hard time starting out. There's
so many talented, wonderful sellers on that site and so much
competition! I've heard it's difficult to make your first few sales. I
don't want to pay to promote because my items aren't priced for much
revenue anyways. I'm doing it more for a hobby as opposed to a side job.
Anyone out there have any tips to help my shop to get more views and a
few sales? I've tried Pinterest, sharing my link on facebook, and joined
some Etsy teams. I'd love any input!
