Homemade Gift Baskets for New Moms

Choose a container to hold the gifts. Instead of a boring basket, choose an item that will be useful to the new mom, such as a diaper bag or an infant bathtub. The new mom will appreciate this much more than a decorative basket.

Pick a theme for the gifts in your gift basket. When you are shopping for baby items, everything is adorable and it can be hard to rein in your spending. By choosing a theme beforehand, you will stay on track and on budget while shopping. Some theme ideas include bath time, bedtime, feeding time or play time. If you are unsure, look at the new mom's baby registry list to see the items she needs. This may help inspire a theme for your basket.

Shop for items for your gift basket. A gift basket comes together nicely with one or two larger items and then smaller items to fill up the basket. Have fun with it but try to stay within the theme. For example, a bedtime basket could include lavender baby lotion, which helps babies to sleep, a copy of Goodnight Moon, a swaddling blanket, a pair of tiny pajamas and a CD of soft music. A bath time basket could include baby powder, fingernail clippers, baby shampoo and lotion, washcloths, a baby towel and a few bath toys for when baby gets a little bit older.

Add a gift just for the mom. It could be a gift card to her favorite store or restaurant or a bottle of her favorite scented lotion. You could even include a promise to come over one afternoon so she can take a nap and catch up on some sleep. New moms can often feel forgotten and unappreciated when everything is about the baby, so remind her that she is still an awesome person aside from her new role as a mom.

Assemble your basket. Put the larger items in first and then add the smaller items. Try to display all the gifts so the new mom can see them easily without having to pull everything out. A large cellophane bag can contain the entire basket and gifts and give your homemade gift basket a professional finish.