Hooray for our new family member! My sister-in-law just gave birth to her first baby boy yesterday. Amos, is his name… a little handsome and cute baby who looks alike to my elder son when he’s first born - this was my first impression of him from the photo sent by my brother.

Now, it’s time to consider what should I buy for the new baby, new mom and not forgetting the new dad? Based on our previous conversations, I know that almost all the basic stuff like baby clothes, diapers, bath and skin care products, feeding bottles, pillows, blankets, etc had already bought by the new parents. Hmm… what else do they actually need now?

From my past experience, receiving excess stuff like baby hampers or gift baskets will end up just sitting around. Wait until another friend/relative of mine has a new baby, then I’ll pass it to them. In fact, having a first baby represents a major change in lifestyle as new parents are embarking on one of the life’s greatest adventures. Therefore, I realised that special emphasis should actually be given to the new parents instead of just thinking about the needs of a new baby. For close relationships like siblings or best friends, It would be more appropriate to ask them directly what do they need and then buy accordingly.

I have some simple and good gifts ideas for new parents in my mind:-

• Gift voucher. We may consider giving gift voucher when really have no idea about what to buy for them. With this, they can just redeem the gift according to their needs without fail.

• Red packets with money (Chinese tradition). A lot of extra expenses be incurred before and even after the birth of a new baby are unavoidable. Giving a red packet with our affordable budget is the easiest way to express our concern and at the same time share out a bit of their financial burden.

• Big and more expensive items. Some big and more expensive items are like baby cot, baby stroller, baby car seater or glider/rocking chair which caters for breast-feeding mom. We may consider to share the cost of this kind of gift with a few close friends or family members and present it as a group gift to the new parents.

• Magazine subscription. New mom always struggles with her new role. A subscription to her favorite magazine or magazine with some thought-provoking reading materials, will offer her some company and support when she feels like she’s alone. This is a personal gift showing that you’re care about her needs/comfort and can bring some form of pleasure to her life.

• Benedictine-D.O.M. It is a French liquor that made of 27 different plants and spices gathered from all over the globe. DOM is traditionally used in Chinese confinement cooking and reputed good in restoring health to mothers after childbirth. We may give the new mom a box of DOM as an indication of our care about her.

• Written Words of Encouragement. New parents are easily exhausted and become overwhelmed with the daily responsibilities of an infant. By sending a simple handwritten note or inexpensive card with words of encouragement can help them go a long and better way. This can make a huge difference in the life of new parents.

After all, new parents will certainly love and appreciate every gift that is received from anyone, no matter it is a suitable gift to them or not. This is because each gift bears a message of someone’s care, love and concern about their family.