What Your New Baby Mama Friend Really Needs but Is Too Afraid to Ask For

The Bump. Babylist. MyRegistry.com. Baby registries are the ultimate checklist to ensure new moms have all the necessities (and then some) to care for their newborn. Sure, they make it super easy for loved ones to buy baby gifts, but if you’ve ever had a baby yourself, you know firsthand how little material things you truly need with an infant. Sure, you need a changing pad and copious amounts of diapers and wipes, but how many onesies does one baby really need? Once you’ve got the big-ticket items secured, like your car seat and stroller, the greatest thing that someone needs is help!

Now I don’t know of any baby registries that list help or more accurately, haaaalp!, as an option and it’s really, really hard for most new moms to ask for it. When you’re in that foggy postpartum delirium it’s nearly impossible to articulate what you really need even when your household is falling apart. So if you’ve got a friend who is expecting, here are a few ways to ‘think outside the registry box’ and shower her in a really impactful way. 

• Hire a housecleaner. Give your friend the gift of a sparkling clean house complete with a polish and shine. She is going to be consumed with keeping her tiny human alive and trying to ‘nap when her baby naps’, meanwhile her kitchen and bathroom have become no man’s land. Find someone trusted in her neighborhood and schedule it a few weeks after her due date. She will be forever grateful. 

• Pay for a dog walking service. Does your friend have a fur baby? Most doggies take the back seat once the new baby arrives and I’m not talking about car rides. Find a friendly dog walking service and schedule a few visits for their pup to be loved on, walked, and played with. Both parties will be soooo happy. 

• Pay for a laundry service. Could you imagine someone else doing your laundry for a few weeks? #laundrygoals. Babies produce an insane amount of laundry considering their clothes are one-tenth the size of ours and when you include burp cloths and clothes with milk stains, we’ve got a problem Houston. No one wants their dear friend doing their laundry. Pay a stranger and stay anonymously messy. 

• Buy a three-month membership for a fitness app. Find one that has some postnatal yoga or pilates and give the gift of movement. This is especially perfect if your friend is having a winter baby. It’s nearly impossible to make it to the gym with a newborn even if you had the energy. Having some exercise options at her fingertips would be a beautiful, low-commitment option to get her happiness endorphins flowing again. 

• Now for the fun one. Give your GF a mani/pedi gift card to a nearby salon! This way she can feel like a queen again and have her nails be on point for those precious newborn pics.