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Life as a new mom is hard as it is. Factor in a global pandemic, spending months indoors, and having to wear a face mask to do basic things like head to doctor appointments and grocery store run, and it's completely understandable if your new mom friends are ready to pull their hair out. Now is the perfect time to show them just how solid of a support system they have in you with a gift to help ease their day-to-day challenges.
While they may not be dealing with the woes or homeschooling just yet, learning the ins-and-outs of caring for a new baby, all while trying to maintain some semblance of a self-care routine is a hell of a lot of work. Show them some love with these helpful items that'll make life as a new mom a lot more comfortable.
Treating Skin Concerns
Mutha Body Butter
Lano Golden Dry Skin Salve
Ever Lavish Ultra Rich Body Butter
Conscious Coconut Home Bath Bundle
Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel
Burt's Bees Tips and Toes Kit Gift Set
Murad Glow Forward Skin-Care Set
Between the pregnancy acne and chafing from nursing, dealing with pre- and post-baby skin can feel like it's on a wild roller coaster ride. Help your mom friends and family keep their skin soft, soothed, and chap-free with the help of Mutha Body Butter, a whipped blend of moisturizing shea, cocoa, and mango butters. Or for those areas that need a bit more love, Lano's Golden Dry Skin Salve is a multi-purpose balm that heals cracked, lips, hands, and heels. And with its mousse-like texture, and cocoa butter and jojoba oil-laced formula, the Allure Best of Beauty-winning Ever Lavish Ultra Rich Body Butter is an even more luxurious moisturizing gift to give.
The Conscious Coconut Home Bath Bundle comes with a jar of organic coconut oil and a dry brushing tool to exfoliate rough skin. New moms in your life who are already familiar with the fan-favorite Bio-Oil original formula will likely be into the brand's newest launch, the Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel. Thirty years after the launch of the first product, Bio-Oil introduced a gel-to-oil formula with glycerin and urea to help moisturize intensely dry skin. It's a perfect addition to any unpredictable, post-pregnancy skin-care routine.
The Burt's Bees Tips and Toes Kit Gift Set was made especially for dry extremities. The six-piece set has a hand cream, foot cream, multi-purpose salve, cuticle cream, lip balm, and travel-size hand cream – all with skin nourishers like sweet almond oil and vitamin E.
If it's more of a brightening boost they're after, the Murad Glow Forward Skin-Care Set is the way to go. It contains full sizes of everything you need to create a completely skin-care routine — from cleanser to SPF.
Caring for Hair
Kérastase Advanced Scalp And Hair Serum
Colab Dry Shampoo
Another area that can experience a drastic change after a baby is the hair and scalp. If thinning hair has been top of mind for new moms in your life, they may find solace in knowing that the Kératase Initialiste Advanced Scalp & Hair Serum is what Ashley Graham said helped get her hair growth back on track after she delivered her son earlier this year. And since regular hair washings are likely taking a back seat to baby these days, a single or bundle of the Colab Dry Shampoo cans will come in handy.
Nursing
Girlfriend Collective May Crossover Nursing Bra
Elvie Curve Wearable Silicone Breast Pump
Kindred Bravely 24/7 Nursing Bra Bundle
Bawdy Nipple & Areola Stick
Lansinoh TheraPearl Breast Therapy Pack
Breastfeeding comes with its own special sets of joys and literal pains, but any new mom will appreciate a gift that will help ease the discomfort — including a proper nursing bra. “Poorly fitting bras can cut into tender breast tissue," Karyn Tapley, an OB-GYN and aesthetic and integrative medicine physician in Bellingham, Washington, previously told Allure. New moms who plan to breastfeed may want to over from pregnancy bras to nursing bras.
While bras worn during pregnancy are typically similar to everyday styles, nursing bras are designed for easy access when breastfeeding. If you're buying for a friend, it'll be helpful to get one that has minimal clips and hooks so that they don't have to practice opening and closing it. "When you’re holding a squirming baby and trying to unclasp a nursing bra one-handed, a quality bra that opens easily will be your best friend,” Ali Cudby, best-selling author of Fit My Bras: How to Find Your Perfect Bra and Why It Matters, previously told Allure. The Girlfriend Collective's May Crossover Nursing Bra fits that bill, offering plenty of stretch that makes it easy to slip on and off each breast at feeding time.
The Kindred Bravely 24/7 Nursing Bra Bundle is just as simple to get on and off and comes in a pack of three for quick swapping if they experience any leakage in between feedings. For those who prefer to pump while getting some other things done around the house, the Elvie Curve Wearable Silicone Breast Pump is a great option. It's a single cup pump that they can place on one breast while they feed or whenever the breast feels full. It's held in place with a bra and uses natural suction to pump out milk.
To assist with the irritation and chafing that can result from breastfeeding, Bawdy's Nipple & Areola Stick combines moisturizing marula oil, soothing honey, and anti-inflammatory chamomile to help heal chapped skin. The Lansinoh TheraPearl Breast Therapy Pack can be used cold or hot: Pop each gel pack in the freezer then use it to soothe swollen or irritated nipples, or warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds and place it on breasts to help get the milk flowing.
Lounging
Hatch The Maternity Cashmere Jogger
Naked Cashmere Ynes Robe
The ever-changing body of a new mom is a lot for anyone to wrap their head around. No matter where they are in their journey, there's likely one commonality between them — comfort is key. One of the upsides to this new indoor living reality that we're all settling into is that it's created a boom in cozy loungewear offerings. Soft and stretchy fabric like the Hatch Cashmere Joggers or the incredibly luxe Naked Cashmere Ynes Robe will make getting up in the middle of the night for feedings a bit more pleasant.
Resting
Ostrich Original Napping Pillow
Peter Thomas Roth Hydra-Gel Eye Patch Party
We Are Knitters Dragonfly Baby Blanket Knitting Kit
A proper night's sleep may feel like a distant memory for new mamas, but there is light at the end of the no-snooze tunnel. In the meantime, catch a quick nursing nap with the Ostrich Original Napping Pillow. It may look silly, but it triples as a traditional pillow, neck pillow, and light-blocking eye mask in one.
Or you can always help her fake a good night's rest with the Peter Thomas Roth Hydra-Gel Eye Patch Party. The set includes three full-size jars of eye patches that have ingredients like hydrating hyaluronic acid and caffeine to help reduce puffiness, and moisturizing glycerin and arnica to minimize dark circles.
If resting just isn't happening for the new mama, they may find it soothing to take a new hobby. The We Are Knitters Dragonfly Baby Blanket Knitting Kit may be just the thing to keep them busy as their baby naps.
Day-to-Day Troubleshooting
Athena Club Razor Kit subscription
Tushy Bidet
Bloomscape Edible Garden Savory Herbs Collection
Simple Satch Golden Star Belt Bag
When it comes to essentials for the baby, many new moms are usually pretty set. It's those other more random but practical items that they'll find a need for and won't have on hand. That's where you come in. You may be familiar with the traditional purpose of a bidet, but there's also some post-partum relief that it can offer. According to Tushy, the cooling stream of water that comes from their version offers some post-delivery soothing for swelling and hemorrhoids. Jessica Shepard, a Chicago-based OB-GYN, says that while hot and cold packs or witch hazel pads are preferred for hemorrhoid soothing, a bidet "can be useful for irritation relief by soaking the area periodically when aggravated." And when drugstore runs are just out of the question, they can check razors off of their to-buy list thanks to the Athena Club The Razor Kit, which offers a choice of deliveries every three, six, or nine-month on razor head refills.
Speaking of store runs, the Bloomscape Edible Garden Savory Herbs Collection is a nice alternative to a farmer's market selection and can be picked right at home. If mom and baby have to head outdoors for any reason, they'll want to have the Simple Satch Gold Star Belt Bag in tow. It not only helps mom keep her hands free, but there's a very useful compartment for easy access to sanitizing wipes that'll make quick cleanings easy breezy.
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