That bundle of joy may be the best present ever—but these treats sure didn’t hurt, say these moms.
Picture this. "When my first was born almost six years ago, my husband gave me a locket with her picture. It's something I'll always treasure—and my little girl loves it when I wear ‘her’ necklace."
—Amanda May, mom of three, Westchester, New York
R&R (Read and Relax): "I received the book Great With Child: Letters To A Young Mother by Beth Ann Fennelly. It was an incredible read during those first challenging months of being a mom. The writing is fantastic and sentimental without being too sappy. It's a book I've given to all the first-time moms I’ve know since."
—Susannah Felts, mom of one, Nashville, Tennessee
Insert memories here: "I love writing in my journal, but as a busy new mom, I never had the time to do it. I was thrilled when an artsy relative made me a Baby's First Year scrapbook. I’d just place snapshots of the baby onto the appropriate pages, jot down cute stuff he said, list his favorite foods. It’s a great keepsake."
—Tara Berson, mom of two, Middletown, New Jersey
Getting framed: "The digital frame a friend got me was perfect, especially since I never had time to print out photos, let alone put them in frames. I loved that we could run a consant slideshow and see how much our baby was changing week to week."
—Linda Tsang, mom of one, Washington, D.C., MD
Comfort clothes: "My mother gave me a super-fluffy, super-cozy robe after I had my son. I lived in that thing for both maternity leaves, though I did grudgingly take it off when I went out in public."
—Ellen Smokler, mom of two, Brooklyn, New York
A hand-y gift: "When my first was born, my sister gave me a gift certificate for a manicure. At first I thought, I’m nevergoing to have time to go! But when my daughter started taking longer naps, I was able to get out one day and it was such a treat."
—Lisa Lansford, mom of two, Tulsa, Oklahoma