by Rachel Mcclain

Created on: December 31, 2007

A new baby is thrilling, exhilarating and exhausting. Choosing a gift to bestow on the baby is easy. Choosing one for the beaming but beleaguered new mom can pose more difficulty, as you want to choose something that is both personal and represents her new role as a mom.

START A PATTERN
Present the new mom with a single quilt square and ask her to give you her new baby's clothes as he grows out of them from then on. You'll be using them to make her a quilt representing the first year of her new baby's life. It's a gift rife with memories that will warm her heart long after he's left for college.

TAKE A LETTER
Enlist the help of her friends and family and ask them to write her letters of encouragement or tender parenting memories and stories, even congratulations and reactions to the news of her joy will work. Bind them and decorate the pages. She'll love flipping through it during those tumultuous first wakeful nights of parenthood.

BLANKET BUNDLE
A beautiful blanket for the baby makes a great carrying case for a handful of personal gifts for mom. Spread it out flat and fill it with items that mom needs that first week home from the hospital, things that she'd send her hubby out for. If you've had a baby and you've been in bed recovering, you know the stuff. Get her some Tucks Pads, some ointment, her favorite magazines, the current bestselling novel, her favorite candy bars, maybe a DVD, whatever you know she'd love to get. Tie the blanket back up with a pretty ribbon and viola, a useful gift bag.

MORE STUFF FOR JUST FOR MOM
Keeping with the theme of pampering mom, show up bearing a gift of luxury. Laden your arms with gift cards for whatever her favorite pampering treats are; massages, facials, manicures, a spa day, etc. Tailor your choice to what you know she'd like. Round it out with the promise that you'll babysit her little bundle so she can get some mom-time.

A KEEPSAKE
Personalization mall (www.personalizationmall.com) has a wonderful selection of personalized keepsakes. A great example is a frame that you can have printed with a collage including the baby's name, the parents' names, the birth date, the length and the weight. A gift commemorating the special day that she can keep on her nightstand might be just right.

POP-IN CALENDAR
Just let her know when you'll be there. Just knowing that someone will be by on Tuesday afternoon can lighten her stress load because she can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Mom will know that no matter what happens, on Tuesday afternoon, she will be able to take a shower or take a break if she needs one. Hand her a set-in-stone copy of your calendar for a week in advance.

A BREAK
Don't expect a new mom to want to be gone from her precious bundle for too long, but offer anything from thirty minutes to a few hours of babysitting, for her to do anything from take a nap to run to the mall to pick up something that actually fits.

HOUSEKEEPING
Roll up your sleeves and dig in. Enlist the help of friends and family and get on a rotating schedule if you can't handle it all yourself. Make sure her freezer is stocked with frozen meals and casseroles that will last her a least a few weeks.

Picking a personal gift for a new mom can be challenging. But, with a little forethought and insight into what she would appreciate, a truly special gift can be found. A new mom's most precious gift is in her arms, you are just adding to her joy.

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