Sometimes, new moms are so busy caring for their newborns that they forget to pamper themselves.
The good news is, family and friends can offer creative gifts and services to new mothers to help them relax, refresh and rejuvenate. Indulging moms in these fun ideas can keep everyone in the family happy.
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Pamper a new mom ... or any mom with a gift bag of manicure and pedicure products. Shown here is Mary Kay cosmetics Satin Hands gift bag.
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The spa treatment
Anyone would enjoy receiving a manicure, pedicure or massage, but these services can be especially beneficial to a new mom. With stress, nerves and lack of sleep likely evident in her life, nothing might make her feel better like these relaxing services.
"A Swedish massage would be the best for a new mom," says Christy Webb of 1604 Day Spa & Salon.
That type of massage helps relax muscles and release toxins from them, increase oxygen flow in the blood, stretches ligaments and tendons and reduces stress.
A pregnancy massage also is available at 1604 Day Spa for pampering mothers-to-be before the baby is born. That massage helps ease lower-back discomfort, eases water retention, helps circulation and aids in post-partum recovery.
The Garden Day Spa & Salon and Jon Chelle's also offer pregnancy and pre-natal massages and other services that will help new moms re-energize.
The Garden offers therapeutic massages, including techniques that help ease tired legs and feet, use aromatherapy for intense relaxation and focus on a woman's specific needs. An array of hair and nail services also are available.
Jon Chelle's also offers massages, as well as facials and extensive hand and foot treatments. The spa and salon offers many treatments geared toward stress relief and revitalization.
Gift certificates to salons and spas for a variety of services could be even more beneficial to women who are still getting used to the lifestyle changes brought on by new motherhood.
The personal chef
A creative idea for new moms is hiring a personal chef to help with grocery shopping, food preparation and cooking.
"This is a good thing for a new mom for sure," says Laura Gorham, owner of My Secret Ingredient personal chef services in Rocky Mount. "A lot of times, new moms don't feel like getting up and cooking."
Gorham said hiring a personal chef not only can make mealtime more convenient – meals can be prepared and frozen for use as they are needed – but it also helps the rest of the family continue to spend time together over dinner.
"It's such an important thing to have family around a meal table," Gorham says.
Family and friends also can pitch in to help with meal planning and delivery to help out mothers.
The Gift Basket
Women experiencing new motherhood likely have what they need to care for baby, but what might also help her is a gift basket full of her favorite lotions, shampoos, bubble baths and other items that will help her pamper herself.
Gift baskets are easy to buy pre-packaged and fun to make yourself.
Personalizing such care packages for a new mom will help lift her spirits and let her know you understand how she feels and what she needs to feel her best.
Other fun gift baskets could include her favorite movies, specialty foods, fruit and other healthy foods, and stationery, hair products, powders and perfumes so she can use them when she has time to herself.
Other Ideas
Many new moms feel like they lose their own identities as they get used to caring for a new baby.
You can show her that you appreciate her and know who she is and what she likes by coming up with other creative gift ideas like these:
n Soft blankets, robes, gowns and pillows to make her as comfortable as possible.
n Books of her favorite genre and CDs with soft, relaxing music and sounds.
n Scrapbooking supplies.
n Gift cards to restaurants and stores.
n Plants and flowers.
n Magazine subscriptions.
n Movie tickets with an offer to babysit.
n House-cleaning help.
n Gifts she wouldn't buy for herself, such as a sleep mask packed with soothing eye gel.
