Don’t you love babies? I do. Their sweet smell and their tiny cries are music to my ears. Even more so now that I am not an exhausted new mom! One of my longtime friends recently gave birth to her first baby and from the daily photos she is sharing on Instagram, I know she is enjoying every second of it. Once I tell you about her story, you’ll agree that she deserves a few minutes to herself to relax and recharge with Bigelow tea.
Last year, she and her husband fell in love with two beautiful children who were in need of a forever family. My friend and her husband began the process to adopt these two lovelies quicker than you can blink your eyes. Shortly before the process was complete, they learned they were expecting a biological child! Crazy, right?
What a whirlwind of a year – this time last year, they were a family of two. Now they’re a family of five! Raising two sons and one daughter isn’t something this couple thought they would be doing in such a short amount of time!
Even though I’m not a new mom any longer, I don’t consider myself an experienced mom either. Every day I’m parenting a child a bit older and venturing into unchartered water. As crazy as things get, it’s important for me to remember that I need to have a few moments alone. Target is my happy place. I often tell The Texan that it’s where “all good things come from” and I knew it was the perfect place for me to find great items for the new mom gift basket I was making for my friend.
I knew that I wanted to get her some nail polish {and polish remover} – for me, polishing my toes is so relaxing. I usually do it while sitting in the living room drinking tea. I chose two fun and bright summery colors, perfect for her Florida lifestyle! Next stop was finding a cute mug – you can’t drink tea without a mug, right?! I’m pretty sure it took me as long to choose a mug as it did to drive to Target! I settled on a personalized “M” – could stand for Mom, could stand for her first name. I’ll never tell!
Once I had the mug in my cart, I headed toward the grocery section of Target in search of the Bigelow teas.
There were several to choose from, I had a hard time deciding. I always feel this crazy pressure when making a choice about what another person will eat or drink. I selected two of my favorite Bigelow tea flavors, the Spiced Chai and the Cozy Chamomile. Both are decaffeinated; excellent options for helping a new mom relax.
With everything I needed, I headed to the door. I wanted to grab her a magazine, but realized that the content would be outdated by the time she received the package. Instead, I opted for a journal with lined pages. When The Boy was an infant, I always kept a journal nearby to write myself reminders. I should get back into that practice!
Typically, I wouldn’t share a photo of the outside Target…but doesn’t it look gorgeous at sunset? Look at the beautiful color in the sky!
Relaxing as a new mom is so important. It’s easy for moms to lose sight of taking care of ourselves. Be sure to think of all the new moms in your life, and remember wether they’re first time moms or already have other children; they’re still parenting in a way that they haven’t before. They’re learning. They’re tired. And they need to know that it is healthy for them to take a brake and relax.
What are your favorite items to help a new mom relax?
I think that back when I was a new mom the best thing anyone did to help me relax was to come over and watch the baby for a few hours so that I could take a nap. I got a few mani/pedi gift certificates which were really nice, too.
My mom used to come over every morning so that I could shower, it was so nice!
I LOVE tea. Absolutely love it!
I recognized the mug from Target 😀 Um, for relaxing, I love to give handmade rice packs, gel masks for their eyes, magazines and a sweet treat!
Great idea about the rice packs and gel masks, too! I thought about including a magazine, but have to ship it to her and worry about the content being out of date.
Relax is something every mom at every stage needs
I have to keep reminding myself to get the tea and find my inner quiet 🙂
I’m thinking a good pair of earplugs might help encourage some relaxation! Yeah, tea is good too. 😉
Ear plugs are a great idea – perfect to really zone out!
I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m going to pick up some K-cups soon! Congratulations to your friends on their new big family!
Can you imagine growing your family so quickly! It’s very exciting for them. They’re so happy; honestly, I don’t think that any of them ever stop smiling!
I think keeping our nails painted as a new mom is a way to stay in touch with ourselves. Its so easy to lose who we are, especially when you are trying to hard to just stay afloat!
This would be perfect for a new mom! Love the nail polish and tea you chose! 🙂
I so love this idea. It really is the little things that mean the most. This would be a perfect gift for a new mom, old mom, or any mom in between.
That looks like a great kit for a new mom!! It will help refresh, recharge and make her feel like her old self!
I’m drinking tea now.
Since my family isn’t within driving distance, my Mom, sisters and niece all came to visit us shortly after our son was born. They spread out their visits which helped too.
Most of my friends are having baby #2, 3, and 4 so I try to volunteer to come by and occupy the older child so mom can have some time to nap or time alone with the baby.
This is such a great idea – I love that you included nail polish too!
Danielle at Framed Frosting
Colorful toes are a must have as a new mom – especially one that is lucky enough to live in Florida!
Great ideas! I always go with tea, especially ones that focus on relaxation/sleep such as ones with Chamomile or Kava Kava. Chocolate works, scented candles in lavender and vanilla help too.
Mmm…yeah, chocolate works for everything, right!
I love babies as long as they belong to someone else! LOL … just kidding, but seriously the baby phase is not my fave as a parent. I do love them but truly moms need to take advantage of every opportunity to relax in this phase because it takes so much out of you physically! This tea sounds like a good way!!
Don’t get me wrong, I love how sweet they are as infants. But, let’s not forget the endless feedings and diaper changes. It all makes me wonder how women have the strength to do it more than once!
Bigelow tea is my favorite. I love the Mint and lemon flavors. They are fantastic for steeping when I get sick.
I’m huge tea lover so i’m going to go buy some of this tea to try.
I love tea, especially for relaxing on a cool evening. This is a great suggestion for new moms!
This is such a nice idea! I love gifting my new mom friends with things for themselves!
This is such an awesome idea for new mom’s! I never thought of doing a little treat like this, thanks for sharing!
I have a hard time relaxing right now between a newborn and a toddler. I am just happy when I have several hours of uninterrupted sleep
Uninterrupted sleep is a wonderful thing. It will come, mamma. This phase, like all the others, will pass.
Sleep is my favorite, but I’ve got this atrocious habit of going to bed too early, and getting up too early too. Foot rubs are nice for relaxing too, but those don’t come around much either. 🙂
There is definitely something about tea that coffee doesn’t have. It’s so soothing and relaxing and peaceful.
Well said! It’s an entirely different experience drinking tea than it is drinking coffee!
Tea is great and very soothing. I think giving a new mom the gift of a homemade meal or an hour of babysitting so she can take a nice warm bath would help her stress a little bit.
I think I would give a new mom some nice lotion along with the tea. I would say bath soak, but no one has time for that as a brand new mom! Lol.
I have heard of their teas but have yet to try them. We are huge tea drinkers so maybe I need to grab a box of theirs to give them a try. It is hard when you know you like what you are currently drinking, but maybe we will like the Bigelow tea more.
Bigelow has so many fun flavors, too! I love the green tea – during the summer, it’s great iced with raspberries in it!
Wait, wait, wait. Back up. New moms get to relax!? I think the most relaxing thing that ever happened to me after having a baby was my sister in law took me out to get iced coffee and pedicures. It was heaven. If I were to give a new mom a gift, I would definitely do something for the bathtub – think candles and bubble bath to relax and unwind after daddy comes home to babysit! LOL
I’ve never shopped specifically for something to help relax. I’m guilty of shopping for what’s most needed or what’s most useful.
I love tea and most of all I love Bigelow tea it is so yummy!
This is such a great idea – should have one for my mom too! <3 Even though she isn't a new mom lol – she deserves relaxing treatment once in awhile, too.
As a new mom you need all the help you can get especially in the first few weeks.
You are so right, it is easy for moms to lose sight of taking care of ourselves. I sure did and currently working on it.
Oh my goodness, what a major change that must have been. A friend gave me a baskets of masks and lotions and books at my first baby shower and it was the best gift for reminding me to take time for myself. I try to do the same now, unless I know the mom really needs something.
It’s hard for new moms to relax, but having someone watch the baby for a bit was such a big help. My mother in law took our daughter every Sunday for 3 hours and it was so nice having those few hours to unwind!
How wonderful that they got 3 little ones at once! I bet this little gift box would be welcomed by any new mom!
I love Bigelow tea! They have so many wonderful flavors, and in our stores they’re less expensive than some of the other brands.
I love giving them something to enjoy or a break. One of the things I treasured as a new mom was an uninterrupted bath.
I think it is great that you are finding some me time in this crazy life called motherhood.
Such a great gift idea! New moms need all the help they can get to relaz!
This looks great! I love chamomile and decaf too! Being a mom of two, I know how important it is to relax and take some time for ME. Thanks for sharing.
I love the nail polish colors and that you included remover pads! Not having a lot of time for a pretty pedicure means those polish remover pads will come in handy. The mug is pretty and you made some great tea selections! #client