DIY Gift Ideas for New Moms!

This is a guest post by Michael Peggs. I only share with my readers information that I find fun, informative, or helpful! Enjoy!

Anybody can just buy a new mom a nice gift, but it takes a special friend to actually make one. Even if it’s something as simple as editing family images in Photoshop and displaying them in decorative frames, the fact that you spent a bit of time working on it means that your gift comes from the heart.

Many new moms are not prepared to deal with all of the stress of caring for a newborn, so receiving special DIY gifts from loved ones gives them encouragement.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Homemade potpourri - All you need for this gift are some dried flowers, essential oils, and any spices or herbs you want to include. Lavender oil and cloves are commonly found in homemade potpourri recipes. You can dry the flowers out by gathering a bouquet and tying the stems together with twine. Hang the bouquet upside down and wait a couple of weeks for them to dry out. Place it all inside of a pretty container.

Felted stuffed animals - These make great baby shower gifts. The toys can range from five to eight inches, depending on what kind of animal you want to make. All you need are a few basic pieces of felt plumped up with batting. Add the appendages, such as tails, floppy ears or wings while sewing. MarthaStewart.com gives a great tutorial on how to felt wool.

Lemon body scrub - Make this simple DIY scrub with ¼ cups of melted coconut oil, approximately 15 drops of lemon juice or essential oil, and 1 cup white sugar. First, combine the coconut oil and sugar, and then add the lemon juice or essential oil. Mix the ingredients until they are blended completely. Store the scrub in mason jars and decorate them! Learn how to paint and decorate mason jars at ItAllStartedWithPaint.com.

Gift basket - A gift basket is still considered “DIY” as long as you pick out the items to put in yourself. If you don’t have enough time to actually create, sew or paint anything, just grab an empty gift basket and place several, nice little gifts inside of it. Add items that mommy and baby will both be able to use: rattles, baby cloths, baby wipes, restaurant coupons, spa gift card, diapers, hand lotion, baby nail clippers, and so forth. Just head to your nearest arts and crafts store to grab an empty basket and materials to decorate it with (ribbons, bows, organza, etc).

Handmade diaper bag - You can find many customizable diaper bag patterns online, just check out AllFreeSewing.com. Be sure to add plenty of interior pockets. You’ll need to add at least one exterior pocket for keys and cell phone. Add velcro tabs to the pockets to keep things in place. You can make a bag out of any type of material. Suggested fabrics include denim, corduroy, cotton, or twill.

Baby subway art - It’s possible to create very pretty pieces of art with this simple project. Just look at many examples of baby subway art on Pinterest. Go to your nearest arts and crafts store and get all of the materials you need: craft paper, cardboard, alphabet stickers, etc. You’re limited only by your imagination. Display the final art pieces in gold frames.

These are just a few of the useful, pretty things you can create for new moms. It’s time to get creative!

Michael Peggs is the founder of Marccx Media, a digital marketing agency specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Before Marcxx, Peggs worked at Google in business development, forming digital media and advertising partnerships in the United States and Asia. He is also a contributor to The Huffington Post, FastCompany and Business Insider as well as and podcaster, hosting the iTunes Top 10 New & Noteworthy Podcast You University.