Gifts Mummies Really Want


I am at the life stage where many of my friends are becoming mothers, and as I shopped for congratulatory gifts, I grew genuinely curious about what would be an appreciated gift! 

Angbaos, baby milk bottles or cute onesies? What do mummies truly want to receive after they give birth?

Some mothers are too polite to state their preferences since it is rude to look a gift horse in the mouth. After all, it is common courtesy to be grateful for what you have received.

But I want to know the truth! Surely some gifts are more appreciated than others. 

So I created a short 4 question survey and reached out to 15 mummies for their honest opinions. 

Hopefully we gain some insight to make better and more thoughtful gift choices for our mummy friends in future!

Disclaimer: This is just an informal survey I conducted on my own accord to satisfy my own curiosity. No sponsorships or affiliations.  



Q1: Pick your top 3 gifts you would like to receive.

I presented the mummies with a list of 13 gift choices to choose from. Can you guess what the Top 3 favourite gifts are?


Ready for the results? I'll start from the gifts with the lowest scores:


Camera related refers to instant cameras, photo frames and albums. I added this option because I thought maybe mothers would like to document their child as they grow up!

Seems like most mummies did not care for these items. I included the 'For Mummy' items because I thought gifts often centre around the baby and more care can be shown to the mothers, but seems like mothers don't feel the same way! Haha. 



These items only received 2 votes each. Surprisingly, baby clothes, a popular gift choice, seem to be ranking rather low with our mummies.

As for food deliveries, my idea is that a sudden big influx of perishable food can cause stress. During the Circuit Breaker period, food deliveries were very popular and I have seen people receive 10 food deliveries in a day for milestones like birthdays, weddings and of course, a birth in the family. It can be very overwhelming for families to deal with!


Baby toys and books rank 4th overall! Health foods include lactation cookies, vitamins and Chinese medicine. 

Now, are you ready for the big reveal? Here are the Top 3 Gifts Mummies Wanted:


Did you guess it right?

An overwhelming majority of mummies wanted to receive angbao, followed by supermarket vouchers and postnatal massage vouchers. Practicality rules the day!

Here's all the results collated. I find it an useful guide for my future gift purchases, since I want to avoid giving mothers more trouble of deciding what to do with unwanted items. (They already have their hands full!) Worse, they may have to pretend to like my gift in order not to hurt my feelings. Yikes.


Were the results surprising to you? If you're a mother, do you agree with the Top 3 choices? 

Q2: Was there anything not mentioned that you would like to receive?

  • Items for an older baby (e.g. 6 months v.s. 1 month old baby) as mummies tend to already be prepared with newborn stuff
  • Lactation Massager from Lavie
  • Time from loved ones
Q3: What was your favourite gift to receive?

Next, I wanted to find out more specifically some favourite gifts mothers had received. The responses were especially useful if you're hunting for a suitable gift!


Sometimes mummies are unwilling to splurge on themselves, preferring to spend on the baby, so friends and family can help to pamper them a little :)

Angbao was the top favourite gift with 7/15 votes. Cash offers versatility and choice – mothers can use the money to select what they liked or needed. Furthermore, many have already prepared most of the baby items already, and may end up with too many unsuitable clothes or milk bottles.

What was your favourite gift after birth? I would really love to know, so please leave a comment below.

4. What is one thing you did not like to receive?

Now, of course, not all gifts are welcomed with the same enthusiasm. Here are some that were not as popular as the others.

The main issue seem to be impracticality and also quantity - there were just too much of the same item (especially milk bottles and clothing!) 

Here are some thoughts from our mummies:

  • "Pre-packed gift hampers came with several items that are not very useful. They were also costly." 
  • Snacks and treats were usually not consumed by the mothers because they were on a confinement diet. 
About newborn clothing, which many mothers received:
  • "I did not like the design of the clothing."
  • "Newborn sized clothes were very tricky, as babies outgrow them within 2 weeks to a month. Many new mothers do not have time to wash these clothes, or may only have time to sort out the gifts later, when the baby may have already outgrown the clothing." 
  • "Received too many baby toiletries and clothes. Many were unsuitable especially if the baby has skin sensitivities like eczema."
What are some gifts you did not particularly enjoy?

Conclusion:

Looks like practical gifts like angbao and vouchers are our mummies' top picks! 

Every gift is sent with sincere intentions, but sometimes may cause extra trouble to busy mothers who would have to deal with unsuitable items.

When choosing gifts, it is probably wise to ask the mother what they prefer, or stick to specific items listed on the baby gift registry (my friend used Babylist.com). However, if you do ask your mummy friend and they respond with 'Oh, no need la!' then perhaps you can consider an angbao!

At the end of the day, I think extra consideration for the recipient when choosing a gift would be much appreciated :)

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A big THANK YOU to all Mummies who have participated in this survey: 

and not forgetting all the Mummies who prefer to stay anonymous ♡ . Thank you for taking the time to do my survey! I really learnt a lot from your responses. 

Till next time, everyone!

Skye

Read more:

Confessions of a Mum-to-be

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