Welcome to Parenthood: Useful Gifts First-Time Parents Will Love

For first-time parents, awaiting the arrival of a new baby evokes feelings of both joy and panic. Despite all the baby prep and parenting classes, everybody questions their readiness as delivery day draws near. As an experienced parent, you remember what it's like. This is your chance to impart the knowledge you wish others had shared with you.

But before you start dishing out advice, stop. Unwanted and unsolicited advice can be perceived as arrogance, no matter how well-intended. Instead, treat your new parent friends to gifts that are both useful and educational to help ease the transition into parenthood.

Safe Bedding

New parents can get overwhelmed when trying to make the best and safest decisions for their babies. Take the guesswork out of bedding by gifting a SwaddleDesigns zzZipMe Sack wearable blanket. This gift perfect for children older than 3 months or when they begin rolling over. Unlike a regular blanket, the sleeping sack provides babies with utmost comfort. The sleep sack comes in various TOG ratings to promote proper thermal insulation. According to SwaddleDesigns, a TOG is the unit measurement of thermal resistance, used to estimate warmth. Most medical experts recommend a sleep environment of 65-70°F. As an added bonus, the zipper zips down from the top making it easy to place baby into sack and zips up from the bottom keeping baby snugly warm during diaper changes.

Brain Development

New parents seldom see a shortage of socks, body suits or adorable outfits, thanks to friends and family members. Instead, opt for a gift that promotes healthy brain development and encourages parent-child bonding time. Books are an excellent reminder of the importance of reading to children, especially newborns.

The American Academy of Pediatrics promotes early literacy for a variety of reasons, including evidence that it promotes early brain development and strengthens emotional bonds between parents and babies. Hearing words helps build a rich network of words in a baby's brain, and children whose parents frequently talk and read to them know more words by age two than children who have not been read to.

A recordable book such as Hallmark's recordable baby books gives parents the option of recording stories themselves or having different family members read a passage, making it easy for baby to be read to by various family members even if they aren't there.

Simple Nutrition

Proper growth and development is always top-of-mind for any parent, novice or not. However, for new parents who haven't yet found their groove balancing life with baby, the need for convenience may force them to unknowingly select foods with less-than-ideal nutrition. Show them how easy it is to promote healthy eating habits from the start with the gift of organic baby food from Plum Organics. The company not only provides wholesome selections, but they are also firm believers that building the foundation of your child’s nutritional intelligence is a journey that can be filled with tasty exploration. Plum Organics offers a wide selection of nutritious foods for babies, toddlers and kids.