5 Things Your Pregnant Friend Won’t Think To Put On Her Baby Registry
I love a good registry. Particularly, being on the receiving end of one. Something about that in-store scanner and unlimited online clicker makes you realize you need things you never even knew existed.
But here’s the thing about baby registries. All the things included are usually for the baby.
And thus begins the 18+ year attention vaccuum for momma. Why? Because everything’s suddenly about the baby.
Every time anything gets bought, it’s for the baby. And any time someone brings a gift, it’s for the baby. And any time we make big family decisions, we have to consider the baby.
But no one is considering momma anymore. Nobody’s thinking of what she needs; not since the strip turned pink. Everybody’s too worried about the baby.
And don’t get me wrong, the baby needs a lot of stuff! But so does momma. And we can’t forget about her.
Because her needs, comfort, and even stress level directly impacts the growth and development of that baby we’re so smitten with.
I promise, someone will get her the bottles. And the diapers. And the changing table. And that super cute play mat that’s in the shape of a piano. Because those are normal baby things, and those are the things she thought to ask for.
But these next 9 months aren’t just about preparing for the baby. They’re about preparing for motherhood, too. So while her focus is on the baby, I encourage you to put your focus on her.
In fact, here are a few things she’ll need in the next 9 months that she doesn’t even know she needs; things she’s never even thought of.
When she unwraps them, she may not know she needs them. But trust me, one day she’ll wake up, and she’ll have a problem that’s a problem only a pregnant lady could have, and she’ll have just the thing. All thanks to you.
5 Gifts Your Pregnant Friend Needs Right Now That She Won’t Think To Put On Her Baby Registry
1. Weight Support
9 months from now, your cute momma friend won’t feel so cute anymore. In fact, let’s look at it this way… She’ll be carrying a watermelon right on top of her bladder.
I’ve given friends inflatable pool floaties for stomach sleeping (their stomach goes in the hole!), wedge pillows to prop their bellies up for side sleeping, and belly bands for daytime pelvic support.
Trust me. If your friend just announced they’re pregnant, and this is their first kid, they haven’t thought of this. Because right now, they’re carrying a mango.
But soon it’ll be a watermelon, and they’ll be thanking their lucky stars for your foresight.
2. Belly Butter
Pregnancy can come with its own skin irritations. Some women find that their stretching skin itches or irritates more than usual. Belly butter is designed to moisturize and treat with as few irritants as possible.
Burts Bees Belly Butter = best for moisture and anti-irritation
TriLastin Prevention Belly Butter = best for treating stretch marks
Palmer’s CoCo Belly Butter = plant based alternative, moisturizes and prevents stretch marks
NOTE: I’m not an affiliate of these products or companies, they’re just the top 3 I hear the best things about!
3. The Grabber
You laugh, but sometime during her third trimester, that sweet pregnant friend of yours is going to drop something on the ground. And she’ll be alone. And she won’t be physically able to bend down and get it, due to the massive tummy in her way.
She’s going to need a grabber.
Several years ago, my friend called me crying because she had dropped a jar of jam on the floor. It completely shattered, there was jam everywhere, and she was having a hard time keeping her dog’s paws out of the glass.
I drove over immediately, cleaned the mess, drove her to Target, and got her one of these bad boys. She used her grabber nearly every day until her baby was born. (And she still admits to using it to get things off the top shelf of the cupboard when her husband isn’t home.)
4. A Pregnancy Journal
Even the most unsentimental mommas can get very sentimental during their 9 months of pregnancy. So it’s time for a Pregnancy Journal.
She has lots she wants to say to her baby; lots she’s worried about, lots she’s excited about, and lots to plan for. But “pregnancy brain” is real - it makes a girl very scattered and very forgetful. But this is such an important time in her life (and an important time in her baby’s life too!), and she doesn’t want any of it lost to “pregnancy brain.”
This provides her a place to write letters to baby, keep up with nesting plans, or simply work out her momma anxieties.
5. Baby Books
Not all, but many parents find that they bond with their baby a lot earlier than they expected… Sometimes as early as their first few weeks of pregnancy.
It’s never too early to start reading to baby, so a nice starter pack of baby books is a wonderful gift your momma friend might not have on the registry quite yet.
Did you know babies can hear in the womb? Yes! They can hear momma talking, reading, singing… so they can benefit from read alouds before they’re even born. In fact, listening to momma read from inside the womb increases bonding, attachment, and even early speaking and literacy!
Plus, books are super personal and nostalgic… So it means a lot when someone gifts momma and baby a book that meant a lot to them growing up.
But if these things aren’t sparking your inspiration, just think… What’s something you wish someone had given you when you were pregnant?
