6 fun gifts for a birth

No, don't be alarmed. I don't have any news to share. This is an old photo from when I was pregnant with my first child. But it's spring and everyone seems to be pregnant, including my young colleagues whose girlfriends suddenly all seem to be having their first child. And then the question arises; what do you give?

From experience, I can tell you that mistakes are often made. Hence, at many people's request; what do you give and what do you not give to a friend who has just given birth?

Flowers

Flowers are ‘a thing’. My beloved seriously considered putting ‘don't give flowers but wine’ on the birth announcement of our second and third child. I managed to stop that, but no matter how beautiful the bouquets I received were, it's a lot of work. They need to be in a vase, cut (you really don't have time for that because a little lamb is crying at you as soon as you do anything other than be by the crib) and later also thrown away. I also had a huge shortage of vases and no matter how stunning the flowers are, a lot of bouquets together don't look that nice.

If you really want to give flowers, order them already cut and in a vase. That makes it easy for someone. Or have them delivered exactly a month after someone has given birth. That's what my friend M. did and I thought it was such a nice idea.

You make yourself immortal if you give your friend a vase and good pruning shears just before she gives birth. She will need them in the coming weeks. Or when you visit her, go through the flowers. Refresh the water, throw some away. It may sound very silly, but you really don't have time for that.

Baby shoes

I understand that mini-Tod's, Nikes, and All Stars are irresistible to give, but the truth is that they will never be worn. As you may know, babies don't walk in their first year, so the mother really won't put those shoes on her child. Okay, they look nice on the dresser, but you make someone happier with shoes in a size that children have after a year.

Texts

When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, I worked as an assistant at Beau Monde. My colleagues (who were all already mothers) were so happy that I was pregnant that I occasionally called John (the editor-in-chief) for help. “I really don't want to talk about being pregnant right now, Johnny. Please tell a story about a lot of drinks or something.” I would secretly email him. I also gave John extensive instructions on what absolutely should not be given during my baby shower. I didn't necessarily need that, but I couldn't take that away from my colleagues. No pacifiers with texts (unless they had the text Dior or Juicy Couture), no T-shirts with ‘I love my daddy’ and actually nothing with a pronounced color or pattern. Soft pink, cream, and nothing else.

Buy something for the mother

When you've just given birth, you are overwhelmed with gifts which is really, really, really touching. I cried at every card. Seriously. But how nice is it if there is also a little gift for the mother. Or for the father! I received Pour petits et maman from Bvlgari from my boss, a perfume that can be for both. So nice. Or Burberry Baby, another lovely scent that can be for mother and child. A scented candle, a face mask (not that you have time to use it, but still), really, that's so nice to receive.

It doesn't have to be expensive

The best gifts are the custom-made ones. From Mart Visser, I received a handwritten letter along with a very small T-shirt that said ‘My first Mart Visser’, and from Vogue, I got a beautiful onesie from Petit Bateau with the Vogue logo printed on it. My sister-in-law bought all small soaps with the letters of my daughter (they were pressed together and wrapped in plastic so you had her name in soaps) and for the birth of my third daughter, who is named Igoné, I received a shirt that the ballerina Igone de Jongh danced in.

Something else nice

Something else nice. When you've given birth, everyone is eager at your door. But the last weeks of your maternity leave can be quite lonely. I remember that Jet's mother came by a few days before I gave birth. That was so cozy and extra special. Now I had all the time and that boring waiting and counting down period was also broken.

Image: Nick van Ormondt