It likely comes as no surprise that it wasn’t until I became a mom that I learned how to be a better friend and show up as a mom to my new mom friends. So, when a friend of mine recently shared with me that she was expecting, I knew I wanted to gift her with the things I wished someone had given me.

You probably know what I am talking about if you’re a mom. The headlines we read switch from “These are the top 10 things every new mom needs” to “You need less than you think.” And, in all those headlines, where is the in-between? As a new mom, scouring the internet for your needs can become daunting and overwhelming. Some may appear helpful at first glance, so you buy it all, only to have a pile of every type of breast pump, nursing bra, and diaper balm. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you catch my drift.

When it came time to give my friend her new-mom gift, I knew exactly what I wanted to include. Postpartum as a new mom is an overwhelming time. We are navigating new territory—juggling feeding the baby, pumping, cradling, nursing, soothing, and trying to take care of ourselves to the best of our ability.

Maybe we get time to search for the right nursing bra or pads, or perhaps even those baby pajamas that make changes in the middle of the night as quickly and seamlessly as possible. But isn’t it so much nicer when someone can hand you a bag and say, “Here, these items worked for me and will make life a little easier for you?” I wanted to achieve that with a gift for my friend, and I am sharing it with you in this post.

So, whether you want to support your best friend, sister, cousin, or co-worker during this new phase of their life, this is the gift guide for you.

Now, I want to share with you why I chose each item. Each serves a particular purpose and is intended to make the mama-to-be feel memorable and, most importantly, comfortable following the birth of their bundle of love. For this post, I will separate each product into two categories: for mama and baby.

For Mama

Comfortable Drawstring Shorts

After giving birth, I found drawstring shorts essential for postpartum. All I wanted was comfortable, easy-to-put-on shorts that weren’t too tight. I ended up wearing drawstring shorts for months. These shorts are made of thick fabric that holds up well, keeping you cozy without being too warm to wear in the summer.

Nursing Bras

After my daughter was born, I immediately started pumping and nursing. Pumping was crucial for me because it was the only way I could provide milk for her while she was in the NICU. During that time, I tried out different nursing bra brands. I will give a detailed review of them in a separate post, but I want to share my top pick for now. I chose to give my friend this brand and include the link here. These bras are my favorite because they are made of thick material, fit well, and hug the body nicely without feeling too tight.

Cozy Robe

Every new mom needs a cozy robe. I had one but didn’t use it as much as I would have liked. My daughter arrived five and a half weeks early, so I didn’t have time to prepare my hospital bag as thoroughly as I would have liked. I was in the hospital for four days, and during that time, a cozy robe would have made the stay that much more comfortable, as opposed to the hospital gown I was wearing most of the time. Once I arrived home, my robe was helpful when nursing. A robe is so lovely because it is long enough to keep you warm and allows quick and easy access for your baby when you need to nurse them.

Nursing tank top

I can’t emphasize enough how instrumental my nursing bras have been. My daughter is now six months old, and I’m still wearing nursing tank tops, though I’ve begun wearing them mainly at night. For the first 3-4 months, I was wearing them non-stop. I wore them from the time I woke up and even when I went to bed. When you’re learning your baby’s feeding schedule, it’s much easier to unclip a latch and get it what it needs. I’ve tried a few different brands of nursing tank tops, from the expensive $50 to the $18 ones, and the ones I found to be the best quality are the ones I linked in this post.

I chose them for the softness of the fabric, the thick quality of the material, how they keep their shape after multiple uses and washes, and how they fit on my body whether you are six weeks or six months post-par postpartum something that makes you feel good after labor is something I recommend to any new mom. Because after hours of labor, then nursing around the clock, it takes a bit to gather yourself and feel like a human outside of being a human feeding vessel, so if something as simple as a good quality nursing tank top can make you feel a little more put together, I call it a win.

Water bottle

Whether you are exclusively breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, feeding your baby may feel like you’re running a marathon—solely because of how thirsty you are likely to get. I did not realize how thirsty pumping and breastfeeding would make me, but it did. A mom friend of mine suggested keeping a water bottle in every room. While that may not be feasible for everyone, having at least one big water bottle you can easily carry from room to room and keeping your water cold is instrumental to maintaining your hydration and energy and contributing to your milk supply.

Ivan Bars

Aside from being thirsty after nursing or pumping also comes hunger. The advice I have been given and have read is that for maintaining adequate milk production, hydration is the first element to keeping a good milk supply, and protein is the second. These Ivan Bars have been a saving grace for me as a new mom and a working mom. These bars also came to my rescue when I was rushing to and from the hospital and staying for extended periods to stay with my daughter while she was in the NICU.

I fell in love with the IVAN bars during those moments because the mornings when I was rushing out the door to see her and feed her, I was able to nourish and feed myself as well. I love the IVAN bars for many reasons, but to name a few: for one, they are packed with protein. The first ingredient in these bars is peanuts. Followed by gluten-free oats, dates, and a seed blend, which includes chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds), and other ingredients that I know and love. But. I’ll let you discover those for yourself. The wholesome and nutritious ingredients make the peanut butter IVAN bar so good; the second part is the delicious flavor.

Every new mom needs protein-packed food with no junk ingredients that you can pack in your bag or keep on your bedside table for those middle-of-the-night hunger strikes after a long pumping or nursing session. Even if you didn’t eat late pre-baby, trust me- nursing a baby built up an appetite I never knew I had- these bars were exactly what I needed to feel fueled to feed my baby.

Nursing Cover

Once I got into a good groove with nursing my baby, it was all I wanted to do. Yes, I also bottle-fed her and still do, but when we finally felt comfortable enough to step outside the house with her and go to a park or a restaurant, nursing was the easier way to feed her. Having an adequate nursing cover for me meant having one made from a breathable fabric so my baby could breathe and feel comfortable.

The nursing cover I included in this post is the second of two I purchased. I discovered it while shopping for a cover for a friend and decided to buy one for myself. After using it a few times already, I am very happy with the quality of the fabric and design. I especially like how it bumps out slightly at the top, allowing more airflow. This is very nice on warm days, preventing you and your baby from getting too warm while nursing.

Nursing Pads

I can’t emphasize enough how handy these nursing pads have become. A lot of being a new mom is being wet. Whether it’s getting spit up on, peed on, or having a leaking breast, staying dry becomes a goal for the first few months or so. At least, that was my experience. Nursing pads quickly became my BFF when I began pumping and breastfeeding. After doing either, your nipples carry a little bit of the leftover milk. To keep your bra or shirt dry, dab a little bit of coconut oil or whatever nipple cream you choose, and then place the pad with the soft fabric side touching the breast–this will keep your shirt dry, absorbing some of the leftover milk from pumping or breastfeeding.

Peri Bottle

A fellow mom friend introduced me to the peri bottle, but because I didn’t have time to get fully prepared, I didn’t have time to pack it in my hospital bag as I would have liked. However, after being discharged from the hospital and arriving home, I used my Frida Peri bottle exclusively. My nurses at the hospital also recommended the Peri bottle to me. They suggested I use it every time I went to the bathroom. If you have never heard of a Peri bottle–you fill the bottle with water, and after going to the bathroom, it is used to clean your vaginal area to ensure it is cleaned thoroughly. Because bleeding can continue after delivery, cleaning the area is said to reduce infection changes.

Please know I am not a medical professional. A medical professional has not reviewed anything expressed here. It is advice that has been given to me, and I am sharing solely from my own experience.

For Baby

Easy-snap, Cozy Pajamas

I discovered the MagneticMe pajamas while browsing my local baby boutique. My daughter is a preemie, and the preemie size in these pajamas was the only one with a print I liked and closed seamlessly. You can’t get any easier than a magnet when snapping close baby clothes. They are on the pricier side, starting at $40 each, but I made the investment and am glad I did. When my baby wakes up at 2 am crying and hungry but also needs a fresh diaper change, the last thing I want to worry about is spending time snapping closed a dozen buttons. That’s where these Magnetic Me pajamas are wonders for parents. Getting the baby’s diaper changed, closing the pajamas with the flip of your finger, and letting the magnets do the work could not be any easier.

I’ll link two styles here—one for boy and one for girl.

Soft Onesies

My baby had a lot of reflux as a newborn so eliminating as much movement was key to reducing her chances of spitting up all her food. That’s where the Gerber onesies became a time saver. They are not only so soft, but also very stretchy, which means moving baby too much was kept to a minimum. Overall, these onesies are a 10/10–they are affordable, soft, and stretchy enough where getting them on baby is a breeze.

Whether you need some ideas for some your baby or a friend, these are some of the essentials that have served me and my baby very well!