10 Gift Ideas Parents REALLY Want

Practical thoughtful gifts are all the rage but what parents really want is for other parents to acknowledge the hard road they are on and give some love, time and support in practical ways. Here are 10 Gifts Ideas Parents Really Want!

1. Noise Cancelling Headphones

Headphones for meditation, listening to inspiring podcasts, “reading” audiobooks or not getting so bored while you rock baby to sleep at 2am that you gouge your eyes out. Also very useful when baby is in a screechy mood, has been singing the song of their people for 3 days, or you just need to carve out a bit of me-space while you make dinner.

2. Easy Meal Planning for Busy Weeks

Crockpot with cookbook for meals that are tried-and-true, tasty, inexpensive and fast to prep. Help for prepping a whole heap of meals into ziplock bags and into the freezer is also appreciated.

3. Sleep – Lots of Sleep

Naps with a side of naps, and a nap to recover from all the napping they’ve been doing this week. Sleep deposits in their sleep bank account, not talking about sleep, and the right to bitch-slap anyone else who complains about being tired in their earshot. Wrap this up in ignorance as to how tired they are and tie it up with a bow of the ability to safely function through the haze of broken, short or far-too-brief sleeps. Or alternately, arrange a time after a feed to come over, feed the new parents, tuck them into bed and take the baby for a walk.

4. Good Coffee

A coffee machine with coffee pods, frothing milk, cups that wash themselves and someone to make it for them for you while you shower. Shower coffee is extra rejuvenating.

5. Reassurance You Are ‘Parenting’ Okay

A hug and a reminder that you never suck at parenting, parenting just sometimes sucks. An ear to listen to the bad and the good. A reminder that you are on the phone and will pick up when someone says Help.

6. Helping Hands

A visit from one of five fairies would be amazing:

1. The Cleaning Fairy: who loves to deep clean the skirting boards, dust the knickknacks and change beds,

2. Her lovely sister the Cooking Fairy: who is upset with an empty pantry, freezer or biscuit tin,

3. The Think-Tank for the Whole Family Fairy (the one who remembers birthdays, commitments, bills and where the important paperwork is),

4. The Shopping Fairy: because there’s always shopping to do and it’s boring to buy fruit and veges every week, and

5. The Clothing and Washing Fairy: who keeps track of what size everyone is, the weather and its plans for the next month, and the management of Mount Washmore.

So maybe organise one of these for a friend a cleaner every fortnight, or some meals for their freezer at their baby shower or blessingway, a neat organiser (http://www.milestonepress.com.au/The-master-plan-family-diary/), details of home delivery services, or an offer to help sort clothes.

7. Non-judgement on the Wardrobe

Advice, gently and lovingly provided, on the wardrobe situation when you’re post-baby, not in your stretched-out maternity clothes, needing wash-and-wear clothes, living in mum-jeans and wondering if there are socially-acceptable Ugg boots for the kindy run.

8. Beauty Basics

BB cream, mascara and under eye concealer. Moisturising lipbalm for extra points.

9. Hydration

Water bottle that doesn’t leak and a vacuum insulated cup that doesn’t leak. These are worth their weight in gold and if you know of brands that satisfy the no-leak requirement, pass this information on!

10. Savings

A jar for a coin for every time you do something you swore you’d never do as a parent. Because new parents and repeat parents need reminders that there is nothing like a reformed parent to laugh at the things they said they’d never do or say.

What gifts have you received from wiser parents that you could now gift to others? What absolutely pearls have you received, that you wouldn’t have thought of but now can’t imagine not having?