11 Food-Related Mother’s Day Gifts for New (and New-ish) Moms
Elite gift ideas for the food-loving new moms in your life
Illustrations by Laura Sant
Want to do something nice for a foodie friend or family member who’s celebrating her first Mother’s Day, or who is really in the trenches with young children? I know a thing or two about the incredible psychedelic trip that is those first few years of motherhood, and in my opinion the first few Mother’s Days deserve special recognition. Here are 5 things I would have been thrilled to receive for my first holiday as a new mom, and 6 things I would be excited about this year (my third).
For the Mom-to-be
The First Forty Days cookbook
This is a beautiful book full of nourishing food that feels good to eat when you’re postpartum. I actually found myself cooking from it quite a bit in those first few months of motherhood, because I missed cooking and I craved something other than lasagna (I love lasagna, but everyone drops off lasagna). There’s also lots in it that can be made ahead and frozen before baby arrives. For extra credit, make something from it and drop it off along with the book.
The First Forty Days, $30 at Bookshop.org
Gift card (or cash!) for a nice dinner
Someone did this for us as a baby shower gift and it was so thoughtful. We love trying new restaurants but knew that after our son arrived it would likely be a while before we’d be able to do a quiet dinner out anywhere. It was a nice way to celebrate our last days as a family of two.
A very fancy fruit board
I cannot even explain the intensity of the craving for fresh fruit that I experienced when I was pregnant. And I don’t think I’m alone in this. Don’t cheap out. Mangoes, pineapple, raspberries, etc.: the fancy stuff is what will make this a truly thrilling gift. It’s worth noting that pre-cut fruit (melon, especially) can be contaminated with bacteria like listeria, so it’s better to buy whole fruit and wash it before cutting.
A giant water bottle
Ice-cold water was almost as delicious as fruit while pregnant. If the mom-to-be in question plans to breastfeed, get a comically large one, or even more than one so she can have water ready in multiple locations — the thirst when breastfeeding is unreal. I like the Era and Era Flip series from Brumate, which are leakproof and have an integrated stainless steel straw, but a Stanley, Owala, or Simple Modern bottle would do the trick nicely, too.
Era Flip 40 oz, $48 at Brumate.com
An upgraded coffee maker, or some nice coffee or tea
Even for people blessed with good sleepers, the baby and toddler years require a lot of caffeine. If she’s a coffee drinker, a wonderful gift would be upgrading her current coffee setup or just treating her to some nice coffee — local beans, a set of the expensive Nespresso pods, etc. For tea drinkers, go for some fancy loose leaf tea.
For the Mom with a Baby and/or Young Kids
Arrange childcare + take her to a new restaurant
Get the partner, granny, nanny, whoever on board and make a restaurant reservation. Check in first, as everyone is different in their energy level and comfort with leaving their kid, especially in the very early days. Personally I was immediately stir-crazy and longed to get away for a little adult conversation over a cocktail, but I also didn’t want to be too far away for too long (and I was too exhausted for anything that felt too fancy). Now, 3 years in, I’m down to get dressed up and go for a long wine-fueled dinner while my husband puts our son to bed.
Cook her dinner
This is the chiller, more budget-friendly counterpart to the above. Again, check in: I appreciated it in the early days when people came to me, but with a slightly older child a little time out of the house might sound nice. NOTE: If you’re going to her, think of the dishes!! Either stay and clean up or figure out some paper plate situation. Do not leave her with a mess.
A fancy snack box
We were very lucky to have lots of people dropping off dinner in our first weeks of being parents, but I often found myself lacking snacks and quick breakfast options. I was so hungry when breastfeeding and also so often nap-trapped with a baby that I took to squirreling granola bars away all over the house. A basket of snacks would be so welcome — a mix of nutritious things that would be easy to grab for breakfast or filling snacks plus some fun junk food or fancy treats. Even for parents out of the baby stage, grocery shopping is just a never-ending pain and food is always welcome.
A cocktail kit
Some friends of mine received as a new-baby gift everything they needed to make a batch of margaritas, and I was angry that I didn’t think of this first. What a lovely gift for a cocktail-loving mom to package up the ingredients for her favorite drink as a little treat after a long 40-ish weeks of teetotaling. Maybe go a little fancier with the spirits than she might buy herself. Bonus: include some nice glassware, tools, or fancy bitters.
A self-heating coffee mug
I always thought these were a bit ridiculous until I had a baby and found myself nursing and re-microwaving the same cold cup of coffee for hours every morning. You would think that with as much as newborn babies sleep you would have time to drink a cup of coffee while it’s hot once in a while. You would be wrong.
Ember Mug 2, $98 at Ember.com
Subscription to What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking
Even for those of us who love to cook, the existential dread of having to decide what to eat every night for dinner just multiplies when you throw kids into the mix. Girl dinner at 9pm is fine when you’re DINKs, but it doesn’t really pass muster when you have a small child to feed. I’m devoted to this substack by Caroline Chambers; the recipes are nutritious, they taste good, and they’re varied enough in techniques and ingredients for people who enjoy cooking, but are pretty much always very quick to pull together on a weeknight. Caro has young kids (a lot of them!) so there are always suggestions on adapting recipes to be more kid-friendly when necessary. AND she and her team regularly send out weekly meal plans with shopping lists and prep instructions, so you can just blindly follow instructions on weeks where you just cannot.
What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, $50 for a one-year subscription on Substack