Gifts for Pregnant Women

Practical Gifts

One thing no mother has enough of is time! So, giving the mom-to-be a gift that will make her last days of pregnancy or her first days with a newborn less stressful is an excellent idea.

If you like to cook, casseroles make great gifts for pregnant women. During the last few weeks of pregnancy, many women don’t have the energy to cook nutritious meals. And, once the baby is born, she’ll have her hands full with diaper changes, midnight feedings, and extra loads of laundry. Give the mom-to-be a delicious casserole that freezes well and you’ll be guaranteed to earn rave reviews!

If you’re a klutz in the kitchen, offer the mom-to-be the gift of your time. Make a homemade coupon book with slips that she can redeem for free assistance with laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, or child care. Of course, this gift only works if you intend to follow through on your promises! Otherwise, consider purchasing her a gift certificate for weekly maid service.

For the future mom that needs help getting organized, there are several pregnancy organizers that will help her do just that.

Pampering Gifts

Let’s face it – women are good at taking care of everyone but themselves. So, make the mom-to-be feel special by giving her a gift that promotes pampering and relaxation.

Moisturizing lotions are a good place to start. Earth Mama's Body Butter is a rich and emollient herbal shea butter, which she's sure to love. For a combination of olive oil, avocado oil and evening primrose oil you might consider Mama Mio's Super-Rich Body Cream. Tummy Honey's Silk & Honey Moisturizing Body Cream is another popular choice as it combines many ingredients such as shea, mango and cocoa butter along with olive, jojoba and wheat germ oils.

Pregnancy isn’t easy on a woman’s body. Stretch marks are an unfortunate reality, but they don’t have to be. There are several products to prevent stretch marks as well as several to help stretch marks disappear if they do show up.

Having trouble deciding, perhaps a pre-packaged kit would be best. A couple of all-in-one kits are the Pregnancy Pampering Kit and the Belli Pregnancy Gift Box.

Gift Sets

There are a wide variety of pregnancy gift sets out there, so choosing can be difficult. Here's some ideas on how to narrow them down based on the receiver or what you'd like to convey to the receiver:

• There's no better way to say just how you feel then the You're Amazing Kit.
• For the budget conscious, you may find A Little Something for the Mama To Be kit to be a great choice.
• If the receiver is concerned about organic products - and who isn't - Nature’s Baby Organics Large Gift Bag is a great choice.
• Want to help ease her fears about labor? Try a Labor Ease Kit.

Make your own pampering gift basket with an assortment of bath products, a fluffy bathrobe, a CD of relaxing music, and a scented aromatherapy candle. If you know the mom-to-be has been craving a particular food, sneak her favorite snack into the basket as well! Or, slip in a DVD of her favorite sentimental movie so she has something to watch when pregnancy hormones have her feeling extra emotional.

Relaxation Gifts

If you live in a larger area, you may want to consider giving your pregnant friend a gift certificate for a massage or spa services. For maximum impact, split your gift into two smaller amounts so she can go once during her pregnancy and once after her baby is born. If you want to earn extra points for your thoughtfulness, offer to provide free childcare for her post-pregnancy trip!

As her belly grows, it will get harder to get comfortable sleeping. A Pregnancy_Pillow is a great way to help her get more comfortable sleeping.

Aromatherapy has helped thousands of women relax and reduce stress. The Basq Sweet Dreams Aromatherapy is a great blend of lavender and pear that will help sooth her senses. For a full gift set the Basq Bounce Back Aromacology Spa Kit contains three other pampering products as well.

Help her relax her feet with a Happy Feet soak from Earth Mama Angel Baby. Or help her revitalize those sore feet with the Tummy to Toes Feet & Legs Revitalizer from Tummy Honey.

Sentimental Gifts

If your pregnant friend is the sentimental type, consider purchasing a gift that will let her preserve memories of this special time. Sentimental gifts for pregnant women create keepsakes that can be enjoyed for years to come. Two great options from Proud Body are the Clay Hanging Keepsake Kit and the Clay Keepsake Memory Tin. They both enable your friend to create one of a kind hand or foot prints of they newborn.

If the mom-to-be is crafty, purchase her a kit that contains everything she’ll need to create her own pregnancy scrapbook. She’ll have a blast documenting her prenatal visits, unusual food cravings, bizarre baby name ideas, and nursery preparations. If she's not-so-crafty, the Tummy Talk Journal is a great option. It is a good way to help her remember the cherished events of pregnancy and birth is the .

A belly casting kit lets your pregnant friend create a 3D memento of her beautiful baby bump. However, this is a project that can be a bit messy! Check out these examples of belly casts and you'll see the possibilities are endless.

Nutrition Gifts

Pregnancy nutrition is becoming of much greater importance in the past few years as more information is being released about the benefits that proper nutrition provides for the baby.

Give the gift of knowledge in the form of a pregnancy nutrition book or pregnancy cookbook.

If your friend doesn't have time to read or cook, perhaps a Carmel Latte flavored Angel Milk shake will enable her to take a step in the right direction....and make you look so smart! And for the on-the-go future mom, the Baby Needs Chocolate Bellybar packs in many of these special nutrients needed, including Omega 3 DHA.

Places to Buy Gifts

• BellyGifts.com
• DoulaShop.com