40 Gifts for New Moms That Aren’t on Her Registry

The Skip Hop changing pad is made of cushioned, waterproof foam. No cloth means no extra laundry, which is music to every new mom's ears. Accidents, spray sessions, and blow-outs are super easy to manage and clean up with a swipe of a baby wipe, wet cloth, or antibacterial wipe. 

Given how many times baby needs a diaper change throughout the day and night, this gift for new moms will definitely help keep them sane.

More: The Absolute Best Diapers for Baby's Booty

There is, perhaps, nothing a new mom needs more than really good coffee. The Moccamaster makes pour-over quality coffee without all the hipster hassle of actually pouring hot water over grounds into a single cup of coffee. 

Moms need fast coffee. Maximum coffee. Because when you're a mom, 10 cups isn't the maximum — it's just the starting point. 

When you're a new mom, even a relaxing weekend away can turn into a huge pain if you don't pack properly. This travel bag has enough space for your stuff, along with all of the mom essentials you can't leave the house without like breast pads, a pump, your postpartum underwear, and even a bottle of wine. (Go with white — it doesn't stain if it breaks.)

Diaper bags are essential for all new moms, but they're not always the most stylish. Thankfully, this one is chic and durable, with lots of interior pockets — plus, it comes in a variety of lovely colors.

In those first months of being a mom, it's hard to feel like yourself. You're not always comfortable in your skin or comfortable period. But a cute, cozy top like this slouchy waffle-knit tee shirt from the Gap can really help you on your way to feeling like your old self again. 

And honestly, if you get breast milk and spit up all over it, it cleans like a dream and gets softer with every wash. 

Sleep might not be something new moms get much of, but the sleep they do get should be deep and restful. The Avocado pillow can do just that. It's made of GOLS-certified organic latex and GOTS-certified organic kapok, in a machine-washable cover.

It's not too firm, and not too soft, and the way it cradles your head feels positively decadent. There's no doubt that the new mom in your life will thank you for giving them the gift of sleep.

Crocs are totally socially acceptable now, and you know what else they are? Really comfortable and really quiet. Which means that with a pair of Crocs on, you can totally sneak up on a sleeping baby — all while having decent posture and cozy toes. 

And yeah, they're totally hideous, but that's almost the point. The new mom isn't wearing them to a gala, they're wearing them to be comfortable around the house and perhaps out for a bit of shopping.

If there's one thing universal about new moms, it's the fact that every one of us takes tons of pictures. 

But how many of those pics actually get printed? With this cordless instant photo printer, it's as easy as hitting a button on your phone to print a perfect (or perfectly ridiculous) picture. 

And yes, it's compatible with both Android and iPhone.

This is just for Mom. Only her. It's something that she can enjoy without sharing it, without taking much time, and without guilt. It's something that says you see her. You see her effort. You see the time it takes to do this mom job. Everything, and that time with baby in the beginning, it should be sweet. 

You waste a ton of milk into your breast pads. On days when a new mom is dealing with some oversupply or just in general, these comfortable in-bra milk collectors won't let a drop of milk go wasted. 

They take a bit of getting used to, but they are incredibly useful, especially for moms who work outside the home. 

Yes, this is one of those gifts for new moms that's a bit sticky-sweet and sentimental, but it's also a beautiful necklace and equally beautiful gesture. It's 14-karat gold, and gorgeously crafted, and it's not a huge piece, so Mom can wear it every day and for lots of different functions. It's also the perfect size for layering, so mama can wear it as an accent piece to her other favorites.

This play gym comes with an adorable (not tacky) playmat that is machine-washable and contains five different activity sides for tactile and visual sensations and learning. 

The overhead feature is made of oak and has three different dangling devices, including a black and white ball for those early infant days when stark contrasting colors are the most interesting to little ones.

BabyBjörn aims to please. Their Bouncer Bliss is an ideal seat for newborns due to its ability to lay at a slight incline — so tiny babies who can’t hold their head up just yet can be appropriately supported at the neck and head. 

We keep ours in the bathroom, which keeps baby entertained while we shower, apply a face mask, or get ready for work.  

This hands-free pump slips into your nursing bra (or any bra for that matter), is silent (yes, really, it's totally silent), and comes with a genius app that tracks how much you've expressed and shuts off when the bottles are full. 

I've worn mine on a plane, in an Uber, while sipping wine with my family, at a Broadway musical, and even while baby was feeding on the other side to boost my supply. Elvie is easy to clean, easy to charge, and honestly makes life so much easier.

Want your kiddo to sleep next to your bed but not in your bed? Us too! Not only did this upgraded Halo Bassinest introduce a number of new chic design features, but the functionality got an upgrade too. 

The Bassinest has lights, sounds, and motion buttons right on the side — controlled by a few batteries. The entire mesh side now zips off for easy cleaning, and the actual bassinet easily detaches from the stand so baby can nap safely in other areas of the house.

Darkness keeps babies asleep, so how do you navigate around your room at night to feed and change them without waking them up completely? Dim orange light is the answer. No fumbling in the dark and dim settings mean harsh bright fluorescents never wake up your sleepy angel with this smart bulb.

If there is one thing most new moms are unprepared for, it's going home with those mesh underwear, diapers, and ice packs from the hospital. Nyssa makes that discomfort bearable. They've designed the softest, stretchiest, seamless underwear that has a pocket in the front for an ice pack. 

Say bye-bye to mesh underwear and sagging ice packs. Nyssa knows all the things that ail you and fixed them with one sleek panty.

Got a fussy baby? The MamaRoo is here to the rescue! My baby needs constant movement when asleep or awake — thanks to how active I was during pregnancy, he’s used to moving. Now, on the outside, he still craves that constant movement. And even though we do a lot of babywearing, I still need a few hands-free minutes to myself.

I keep our MamaRoo in the living room —where I can easily bring it to the kitchen when I’m cooking — so I can quietly set baby down for a quick snooze after rocking/bouncing/dancing him to sleep.

Like all swings, you never want to leave baby unattended, so settle in with a good book, a scroll session through Instagram, or a few episodes of your favorite show and enjoy the peace and quiet the MamaRoo will give you. 

The Halo sleepsack infant and baby swaddles couldn’t be easier to secure. Pop baby in the sack, zip, fold over one side flap and secure the other flap with the velcro. You can even pull tighter with a quick adjustment that doesn’t require you to start the whole swaddle process over.

We love that they zip from the top and bottom, so middle-of-the-night diaper changes can be done without removing the swaddle – so baby gets clean while staying toasty and sleepy. 

The UPPAbaby Vista V2 is the creme de la creme of baby strollers — yes, it's pricey, but it's so worth every penny. First things first: It comes with a bassinet (for birth to 20 pounds), a seat (for 3 months to 50 pounds), and even allows your matching UPPAbaby Mesa car seat to clip right in. 

Great, but what else? The Vista stroller can fit one, two, or three kids. Yes, that's right! Whether you just have one and plan to have another later or have twins and want to push two car seats — the convenience and configurations are endless.

And UPPAbaby didn't just stop with looks — their functionality is top-notch, too. A few examples to whet your palate: The bassinet mattress is breathable and water-resistant, both the seat and bassinet come with sunshades and bug shields, the seat can face forward or backward (and even recline for naps), the handlebar is adjustable for parents of different heights, the entire system stands when it's folded (making it the ultimate space saver), and last, but certainly not least, the wheels have independent shocks to smooth out baby's ride. 

Bonus: With a simple adaptor, you can fit other brand car seats into the UPPAbaby V2 system. No need to get a new car seat! Unless, of course, you want the best car seat on the market with a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 5-star rating, of course. 

These Harry Potter-print muslin blankets are perfect for your little witch or wizard! With Snitches, Hedwig, envelopes with letters from Hogwarts, and of course, the iconic lightning bolt, your little one will be ready for their O.W.L.s before you know it.

Babies spend a LOT of time sleeping, so why not ensure the place they rest their head is the safest spot in the house? Babyletto's Hudson cribs are GreenGuard Gold-certified — meaning they've been screened for over 10,000 chemicals and VOCs. They're eco-friendly, non-toxic, and made of sustainable New Zealand pinewood, so new moms can rest assured their baby is sleeping in a healthy environment.  

Moms will absolutely adore the Carrier One from BabyBjörn for its versatility (wear your baby on your front, facing in or out, or on your back), longevity (fits babies 0-36 months), comfort (shoulder straps are padded and the waist belt allows Mom to distribute baby's weight on her hips rather than shoulders/back), washability (machine-washable!), and support. Its groundbreaking design is even certified by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute.

Oh Zutano, how you've made the need for socks completely obsolete. New moms will be ecstatic to find these chic little booties legitimately cannot be kicked off. Cold toes, no more!

Without mom friends to pass on the word about Zutano's booties, I would have been putting my poor little one in regular baby socks, all while losing a sock a day and my sanity. 

Newton’s mattress is one of the most “must-have” items a new mom can get. Why? It's breathable, washable, GreenGuard Gold-certified, and temperature regulating. Impressive. You can't get much safer than that. 

Wait, how is it breathable? That was our first question, too! It uses Wovenaire for the mattress core. It's a proprietary material that is 90% air and 10% food-grade polymer. 

Bonus: The Newton Mattress is also recyclable — eco-conscious moms will love that.

My baby boy was pretty much naked, in a diaper, for the first month of life — all so that I could get his skin on me whenever he was feeding, napping, or hanging out. And I couldn't have done it any easier without the help of his top.

Moms will appreciate that they can simply loosen the ties and pop their little one inside when they need a snuggle or a nap — or tie it around themselves more tightly when someone else is holding the baby or when they are down for a nap.   

The people behind this glorious tiny machine have my heart. It’s a night light, a white noise machine, and has a wake to rise feature for toddlers. White noise works miracles with fussy babies, according to Dr. Harvey Karp, creator of the Snoo.

The Rest+ comes with an app so you can program your favorite noise and light color combinations. Tap the metal circle on the top of the machine to cycle through your faves.  

Nested Bean makes lightly weighted swaddles that mimic the soothing touch of mom’s hand on baby’s chest.

Whether she’s still figuring out what swaddles her little one sleeps best with — or is sleep training and needs an “extra hand” — Mom can start with the Nested Bean weighted swaddle and graduate to their weighted sleep sacks and onesies for toddlers.  

Copper Pearl is a brand all new moms need to know about — they're not just about just swaddle blankets, but also tiny adorable hats, crib sheets, multi-use covers, bibs, burp cloths, washcloths, and so much more.

Their swaddles are a soft polyester/rayon blend which makes them super durable and stretchy — perfect for easy swaddling when Mom is just learning how to get that perfect tuck!

Skip Hop's diaper pail is more than just a diaper pail — it has storage on the top. Turn what is otherwise an eyesore and make it a space saver. Keep your wipes, diapers, cream, and more in the caddy.

Bonus: This massive pail is one of the biggest holders of diapers on the market, and it can hold regular trash bags, regular diaper-pail liners, or even cloth bags for cloth diaper users.

There is nothing quite like a knotted baby gown in those first few months. Aden + Anais is known for their receiving blankets, but this year they've introduced knotted gowns.

The gowns are soft and stretchy, plus they have a flexible neckline for pulling the whole outfit down over the body instead of overhead. Less fuss from baby makes a happy mom.

New moms will appreciate this simple, time-saving cleaning device by AVENT. It kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria in 6 minutes. Yes, 6 minutes. And, the interior of the machine is adjustable to fit bottles and pump parts of all shapes and sizes.

Bonus: The sterilizer shuts off on its own, and Mom can leave the parts inside for 24 hours while maintaining their sterilization. We put bottles and pump parts in before bed, and voila! They're clean in the a.m.

Not all moms have an easy time breastfeeding. In fact, it's not as intuitive for Mom — or baby — as most people think. Adding a lactation powder, like Majka, to your diet can help increase milk supply and simply makes you feel better between exhaustion and hormone depletion. It's not just a "milk booster" — it's also a postnatal vitamin. 

Since a crib is such a statement piece in baby's room, new moms will want to make sure the sheets are perfect. The prints are cute and chic for baby's environment, but the fabric is the same Brooklinen quality we've grown to know and love. They're 300 thread count cotton and made of a smooth sateen weave.

Comotomo makes bottles that are perfect for breastfed babies. Want to primarily breastfeed with the option for a bottle from time to time? Going back to work, and baby needs to take bottles at daycare? Comotomo's unique nipple shape and silicone body make that transition not only possible but smooth as can be, too.

The location where babies sleep should be the last place you ever find toxins, chemicals, mercury, formaldehyde, and flame retardants, right? Guava thought so too — so they invented the Lotus Travel Crib. It's the only travel crib on the market with a GreenGuard Gold Certification.

We love the travel crib because it folds up into a backpack and it fits in airplane overhead bins. Most play yards and travel cribs require parents to bend over to get baby in and out — but the Lotus has a side zipper, allowing parents easy access through the side. The frame is super sturdy, so it makes a perfect and safe play yard for little ones even when you're not traveling.  

Pipette is simply the chicest and cleanest baby brand on the market. New moms will love to know they're cleaning baby's soft skin with safe, plant-derived ingredients. It's made with squalane — the man-made version of squalene (a moisturizing ingredient found in baby's vernix at birth). We've been using Pipette's body wash, shampoo, lotion, and balm since our baby was born, and his skin is just as soft and blemish-free as the day he was born.

Is a bottle warmer a necessary gift for new moms? In my book, yes!

A warmer takes the pressure of boiling a pot of water to the perfect temperature for the correct amount of time off Mom’s very exhausted mind. Just fill your bottle, add water to the milk line, and heat for the time as laid out in the instructions based on how many ounces you’re heating. I set a timer on my Alexa or my Apple Watch, and presto! The meal is served.

New mamas spend a lot of time breastfeeding — to the point that there is nearly no reason to wear anything other than a nursing bra or tank! We love Storq's tank (and we've tested quite a few different nursing tanks) for its light support, soft stretch, one-handed clip down, and ability to stand alone as a shirt in public, unlike other nursing tanks that look more like nightshirts.

There is nothing quite as sweet as a freshly bathed baby wrapped in a soft towel — and Copper Pearl makes the cutest of them all. New moms will love the variety of modern and chic patterns, while baby will love how soft and warm the fabric is against their delicate skin. 

Babies, and moms, need a soft spot to interact on the floor, and more importantly, one that is certified non-toxic, chemical-free, washable, and portable. We started doing tummy time with our baby simply laying on a blanket on the floor, but he was not a huge fan. We quickly realized the squishy foam of a mat was the missing link.