Last year, I became a parent and recently completed what is commonly called the newborn stage. It was filled with rich emotions, a lack of sleep and a total realignment of priorities.
What made it easier was the kindness and generosity of friends and family, who sent us positive messages and occasional gifts. I’ve written gift guides for years, and as a semi-new parent, I am freshly aware of certain gifts that were exceedingly helpful to me and my family in those first few months. I’ve collected personal favorites, NBC Select staff picks, and other bestsellers below.
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Best gifts for new parents in 2025
Newborns grow fast — this clay hand and footprint keepsake can remind them how small their baby was once upon a time. It comes with air-drying clay, letter stamps and a wooden frame with glass cover that leaves room for a few pictures.
Many new parents could use some help catching up on sleep. The Hatch Restore 3 provides several sounds and features to help your giftee unwind. They can select and adjust the audio via the Hatch app and can schedule it to turn on and emit a light anytime in the morning or before bed. NBC Select commerce editor Cory Fernandez has a Hatch alarm clock and wakes up to it everyday. “I love that I can program it to play a gentle harp sound in the morning to help me wake up, rather than a blaring alarm on my phone,” he says. “I also listen to podcasts on the app or rain sounds before bed.”
Sleeping like a baby really means waking up throughout the night, especially in those first few weeks. These Grace & Stella Eye Masks are our favorite eye patches, made with amino acids, hyaluronic acid and sea moss to help brighten and moisturize skin. While they probably won’t help them get more sleep, they may help with inevitable dark under-eye circles.
Everyone wants photos of their new baby, but sharing them can be tricky, especially when you have to start explaining the concept of a shared digital album to grandma. Sharing physical photos can be easier, especially with this portable photo printer. It prints small 2x3-inch photos with peel-and-stick backs straight from your phone — no cords or finicky networking required.
This hand cream is a favorite among NBC Select staff, mainly because it has a pleasant scent and it dries incredibly fast. It isn’t greasy at all and doesn’t leave stains on clothing, according to Fernandez, who bought it after it got a lot of hype on social media. “This lotion keeps my hands moisturized and prevents me from developing calluses, especially after lifting weights at the gym,” he says. “I also love that it doesn’t leave my hands looking shiny.”
One of the hardest parts of the newborn season for me was finding time (and energy) to get groceries and cook. Anyone who sent us a food delivery credit (or better yet, just sent meals straight to our door) was a hero. Not having to worry about food made taking care of baby that much easier. Grubhub was our food delivery app of choice — it has a huge selection of restaurants in New York City.
Getting as much rest and relaxation as possible is the name of the game for new parents, and this cozy bathrobe helped us do just that. The soft, slightly plush, slightly waffle-textured cotton fabric was soothing and relaxing, whether I was post-shower or holding baby in the middle of the night.
Pre-baby, I was content with moving one reusable water bottle around the house as needed. One month into the newborn stage, I realized having a water bottle by the rocking chair, the couch and the bed was not just a matter of convenience but necessary for staying hydrated and not waking the baby to go refill my one water bottle. This 32-ounce Hydro Flask is my bottle of choice—it keeps drinks temperature controlled for hours and holds enough to be convenient but not too heavy.
All that rocking, swaying, bouncing and pacing to get baby to sleep can do a number on your feet, in my experience. Slippers like these have plush memory foam soles that add a layer of cushion and comfort to the mix. They are machine washable and available in men’s and women’s sizes.
Contact naps (holding your baby as they sleep) were pretty much mandatory for our baby to have a good nap during the daytime. To not disturb the baby but keep myself from drifting off to sleep, I wore headphones and listened to a lot of audiobooks. Audible is one of the best places to listen to audiobooks, and its selection of fiction and non-fiction titles kept me awake and entertained while I was otherwise occupied holding and rocking a napping baby.
Our newborn was a light sleeper: little noises around the house were enough to end any nap. Listening to music, audiobooks or podcasts became a headphones-only affair. If they have an iPhone, these AirPods Pro 2 are some of the best wireless earbuds you can give them. They sound clear and detailed, have impressive noise-cancellation and hear-through modes and are great for non-baby activities like work, exercise and travel.
I always needed another bag or tote during the newborn stage, and this one from L.L. Bean is one of our staff favorites. “I’m always surprised by how much it can hold,” says NBC Select commerce editor Lindsay Schneider, who uses the zip-top options as a weekender bag. You can also personalize the tote with a monogram or name up to ten characters long, just plan for extra shipping time.
Fernandez tested out this sleep mask from Ostrichpillow for our Wellness Awards earlier this year, and he said it was his absolute favorite of all the ones he tested. The mask isn’t just a sheet over your eyes — they fit almost like sunglasses so they don’t press on your eyelids in an uncomfortable way, according to Fernandez. “This mask helped me fall asleep fast and didn’t give me a headache,” he says. “I love that it has an adjustable strap and that it’s raised on the eyes. Plus, it completely blocks out all light.”
After becoming a parent, I developed all sorts of new, specific aches and pains, and a massage gun helped me ease them away. This one from Theragun has a triangle-shaped handle that makes it easier to pinpoint hard-to-reach spots like the middle of the back, in my experience using similar models from the brand. It’s also simple to use, with one button to turn it on, off, and control the speed.
Compression socks can help with comfort and blood circulation if the parents do a lot of sitting at home (read: are nap trapped). These socks are from an NBC Select staff-favorite brand and are a Wellness Awards winner. They are made from nylon and spandex, with left and right-foot specific fit.
I thought I had everything needed for the newborn phase, but after the first month, I realized how many little things I needed from Amazon, both for me and the baby. Anytime gift fund balance in my account during checkout made me thankful to the person who sent that Amazon gift card. The gift card is available as a physical card or a digital code.
Coffee can be necessary for a new parent to get less sleep than they are used to. With a subscription like Atlas Coffee Club, they’ll get a new blend sent to their door every month. NBC Select Commerce Editor Jordan Bowman reviewed it and could easily sample international blends from India, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador. You can gift a three- to 12-month subscription of whole, ground or pod-compatible coffee, with surprise beans or emails ahead of time where he can choose his preferences.
A new parent can’t always get to their coffee the moment it’s ready. With the Ember Mug, they can keep their drink warm and return to it later in case of sudden interruptions. The mug can keep beverages between 120 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit and is controlled through the Ember app. It has about 1.5 hours of battery life and charges wirelessly through the included coaster.
A weighted blanket can be a relaxing sleep companion, a comfy couch buddy or fun house decor. This is one of our favorites — it has an open-knit design that lets in air and prevents overheating, says NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin. It is made of a polyester jersey fabric and comes in 10 and 15-pound options.
Baby-wearing a newborn for a long walk in the neighborhood immediately makes you reconsider your choice of footwear. For me, running shoes became a go-to for almost every walk. The Brooks Ghost 16 are excellent walking (and running) shoes that have a comfortable, stable fit, with a shock-absorbing sole and just enough arch support to be helpful and not obtrusive. The shoes come in many colors, and are available in men’s and women’s sizes.
Fitness may be a far-off thought for some new parents, but exercise doesn’t have to mean finding time to get outside or buying an entire home gym machine. Malin has used Bala Bangles as part of her fitness routine for over four years. They act as wrist or ankle weights and come in one, two and three-pound options that add resistance to any type of workout: pilates, barre, yoga, cardio, you name it.
One of our favorite bath mats and an NBC Select Bed & Bath Award winner, this bath mat is great for new parents because it dries fast and is easy to clean. It’s made from diatomaceous stone and recycled paper, and starts drying literally seconds after I step off of it. It’s also easy to clean: just wipe it down or use the included sandpaper circle — no bulky laundry to add to the pile.
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Why trust NBC Select?
I’m a reporter and new parent who covers technology and fitness including guides to fitness trackers, wireless earbuds, TV brands and more. For this article, I curated gifts using my first-hand experience with products, NBC Select staff recommendations, previous coverage and top-rated items from major storefronts like Amazon
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