This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support the site. All opinions are my own. Written by Molly, mum of two. Last updated: October 2026.
Here’s the thing nobody tells you about new baby gifts: by week two, most new parents have a drawer full of 0-3 month outfits that the baby will wear once, if at all. What actually helps is the stuff that gets used every day, and anything that makes life a tiny bit easier for the person doing the 3am feeds.
So this list is split in two: gifts for the newborn, sorted by budget, and gifts for the new mum. Because she’s the one who’s actually going to open them.
In a Hurry? Quick Picks
- Best useful baby gift: aden + anais muslin squares
- Best keepsake toy: Sophie la Girafe
- Best for sleep: Ewan the Dream Sheep
- Best for the new mum: a Kindle for one-handed reading during feeds
- Best splurge: BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss
- Best free gift: a home-cooked meal dropped on the doorstep (more on that below)
Before You Buy: What New Parents Actually Want
- Size up on clothes: everyone buys newborn and 0-3 months. Go for 6-12 months and you’ll be the hero in spring.
- Useful beats cute: muslins, sleeping bags and bibs get used daily. Novelty outfits don’t.
- Skip anything for the cot like pillows, bumpers, quilts or sleep positioners. They go against safer sleep advice.
- Got an older sibling at home? A small gift for them as well goes down really well.
- Include a gift receipt. Nobody minds.
| Gift | For | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Whoozit sensory toy | Baby | Around £10 |
| Bigjigs rainbow rattle | Baby | Around £10 |
| Lansinoh nipple cream | Mum | Around £9 |
| Sophie la Girafe | Baby | Around £16 |
| aden + anais muslins (5) | Baby | From £20 |
| Grobag sleeping bag | Baby | From £20 |
| Star Baby Wrap | Baby | Around £24 |
| Ewan the Dream Sheep | Baby | Around £30 |
| Julia Donaldson book set | Baby | Around £30 |
| Insulated cup with straw | Mum | £15 to £45 |
| My Expert Midwife set | Mum | Around £68 |
| Kindle | Mum | Around £95 |
| BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss | Both | £178 to £210 |
Newborn Gifts Under £15
Manhattan Toy Whoozit
A soft, crinkly, high-contrast toy with dangly bits to grab, and it clips onto the pram or car seat. Cheap, washable and it’ll get played with for months.
Price: around £10. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Bigjigs Rainbow Rattle
A pretty wooden rattle that looks lovely in photos and is the right size for tiny hands once they start grabbing.
Price: around £10. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Bandana Dribble Bibs
Not exciting, but you can never have enough once the dribbling starts. A multipack in nice colours is a gift that genuinely gets used every single day.
Price: from around £6. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Newborn Gifts £15 to £40
aden + anais Muslin Squares
If you only buy one thing, make it muslins. They’re burp cloths, pram shades, changing mats and comfort blankets all in one, and these big soft ones wash really well and last for years.
Price: from around £20 for five. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Sophie la Girafe
The classic teether for a reason. Easy to grip, squeaky, made from natural rubber, and it works from the early months right through teething.
Price: around £16. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Grobag Sleeping Bag
Babies get through sleeping bags fast with nappy leaks, so a spare is always welcome. Check the size and TOG for the time of year (my baby sleeping bags TOG guide explains it).
Price: from around £20. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Tuppence and Crumble Star Baby Wrap
A cosy fleece wrap for the pram or car seat with no poppers, buttons or zips. Much easier than wrestling a newborn into a snowsuit in winter.
Price: around £24. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Ewan the Dream Sheep
A cuddly sheep that plays womb-like sounds and glows softly. Lots of parents swear by it for settling. Keep it out of the cot and on a shelf nearby, in line with safer sleep advice. For more options, see my best white noise machines.
Price: around £30. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Julia Donaldson Board Book Set
A keepsake gift that lasts for years. They won’t follow the story at first, but the rhymes are lovely to read aloud and they’ll be bedtime favourites by the time they’re toddlers.
Price: around £30. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Splurge Gift (Good for Clubbing Together)
BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss
Pricey, but this is the gift that buys a new mum ten minutes to shower or eat a hot meal. It bounces with the baby’s own movement (no batteries), folds flat, and works from birth up to around two years.
Price: around £178 to £210. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Gifts for the New Mum
Everyone brings something for the baby. Bringing something just for her is the bit that gets remembered.
A Kindle
Night feeds are long. A Kindle is light, works one-handed, has a backlight that won’t wake the baby, and the battery lasts for weeks. Far better than scrolling your phone at 3am.
Price: around £95. 👉 Check price on Amazon
A Big Insulated Cup with a Straw
You get so thirsty, especially if you’re breastfeeding, and a lid and straw means you can drink with a baby on you without spilling. Stanley is the famous one at around £42 to £45, but there are cheaper versions that do the same job.
Price: from around £15. 👉 Check price on Amazon
My Expert Midwife Gift Set
Post-birth care products designed by midwives, in a proper wash bag. Not glamorous, but every new mum needs this stuff and nobody thinks to buy it for her.
Price: around £68 for the full collection, with smaller sets available. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream
Only if you know she’s breastfeeding, but if she is, it’s a lifesaver in the early weeks, and you don’t need to wipe it off before a feed. Tuck it into a bigger gift.
Price: around £9. 👉 Check price on Amazon
Food, Glorious Food
Ready meals for the freezer (COOK does a new parents box from around £63), a takeaway voucher, or a box of posh brownies through the letterbox. Food is the gift every new parent says they’d want more of.
Free Gifts That Mean the Most
If money’s tight, these are worth more than anything on this list:
- Drop a home-cooked meal on the doorstep and leave, no visit needed
- Take the older sibling to the park for an hour
- Put a load of washing on, or empty the dishwasher, when you visit
- Hold the baby so she can have a shower and a hot cup of tea
- Text “no need to reply” and mean it
And if you know someone who’s expecting, point them to my baby freebies page for the free boxes and samples they can claim.
New Baby Gift FAQs
How much should I spend on a new baby gift?
There’s no rule. £10 to £30 is typical for friends and colleagues, and close family often spend more or club together on something bigger. A useful £10 gift beats a £40 outfit they’ll never wear.
What should I not buy for a newborn?
Anything for the cot like pillows, quilts, bumpers or sleep positioners, plus too many newborn-size clothes, toys with small parts, and anything scented for the baby’s skin.
Is it OK to buy clothes as a baby gift?
Yes, just size up. 6-12 months is the sweet spot, and check which season they’ll fit in.
What’s a good gift for a second baby?
They usually have the basics already, so go for food, something for mum, or a small gift for the older sibling so they don’t feel left out.
When should I give a new baby gift?
Any time in the first few weeks. Gifts that arrive a month or two in are often the most appreciated, once the first rush of visitors has gone quiet.
Shopping for an older baby too? See my stocking fillers for babies under 2, the baby products I buy on repeat and my 10 baby essentials that aren’t a waste of money.
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