The Best Holiday Gifts for Parents

The Best Holiday Gifts for Parents

Tranquility by HeHe is dedicated to bringing mental health awareness into every home that we serve. We take time to have sensitive chats before the birth of your child to see exactly what fears, concerns, worries, and questions you have. This is telling of the support you might need when preparing to welcome your little one Earthside. With so much focus on the baby by most birth workers, we've created an approach that is parent centered. Our Founder, HeHe, has been an active member in the Mental Health world for years and hopes that one day the stigma around mental health will be absolved. With this, we have a focus on mental health of parents leading up to the birth of their child and support during postpartum. Headspace is a word that you will hear HeHe say over and over again in order to bring awareness to your body, your emotions, how those two are connected, and how they inevitably influence one another.

With the holidays right around the corner, it’s time to start wrapping up last minute gift ideas! If your family is anything like my family, you will soon be faced with two of the most difficult questions, “what do I get [insert person] for the holidays?” and “What do you want for the holidays?”

We live in such a gadget-crazed and electronic fueled society that the holidays can be a wonderful and refreshing time of year. You can give the gift of refreshing relaxation and you can ask for the gift of rejuvenation.

Giving the Gift of Rejuvenation

Giving the gift of rejuvenation is a wonderful way to support new parents. Here are my favorite gifts to give to new parents to help them start the new year feeling refreshed, resilient, and ready to take on whatever comes their way.

• Massage This is everyone’s go-to. It’s perfect. It’s reasonably priced, it’s meaningful, and it has immediate relief, and it caters to improving parental mental health. Buying someone a package that allows them to go a few times or for a specific amount of times/visits can provide lasting results. This is a great way to intentionally carve out one-hour of self-care time for those you love.

• Spa Day This is one of my favorites. Though, it’s a tad bit misleading, as a spa day is rarely an entire day, but it’s still a wonderful and thoughtful gift. This allows parents to escape parenthood briefly and declare a reset. They can fully relax for a few hours to hit refresh. Usually spa days include visits to the sauna, massages, facials, hot tubs, showers, and refreshments available.

• Sleep Now-a-days, I feel like you can literally give anything as a gift. Between worldwide shipping, online ordering, and gift certificates, anything is possible. When thinking of meaningful gifts for new or expecting parents, be intentional. Think about what do parents really need? They are generally so exhausted that having one night to sleep without interruption can mean the world. Doulas and night nurses now offer gift certificates to give to your loved ones. These make great gifts because you’re giving the gift of sleep. Doulas and night nurses are professionals trained in infant care who will come to your home to take care of your child. They spend the night in your home to provide you with a full night’s rest.

• Trip This one is more for spouses or grandparents. Giving your spouse a trip is a wonderful way to escape together and hit reset as a couple and as parents. I often hear of grandparents who give this to their children and take care of the grandchildren while the parents are vacationing. A trip can be a weekend away or as extensive as a trip to another country or a cruise.

How To Ask for Rejuvenation

If you want to subtly hint at what you want, you could always say, “I would really love some time to just relax.” This is a polite answer and still leaves freedom and creativity in the giver’s hands. However, if you know someone is asking because they would rather gift you something that you truly want and would enjoy, you can say just that. It’s not rude to ask for what you want if someone is directly asking for that answer. Simply saying, “I would love a massage to start off the new year,” or “I would love nothing more than a spa day to celebrate the end of this year.” Don’t be afraid to advocate for your needs or wishes.

Pay It Forward

I like to say, “You’re only as good as the most rejuvenated person on your team when it comes to raising children.” When it comes to finding that balance between caring for your family and caring for yourself, it is important to remember to advocate for your needs and wants. This might mean directly stating what you want or need. Help the people around you, including your support people (not just other parents), to take the time they need to care for themselves, too. Remember to hold people accountable for self-care just as they take care of you.

Check out Gift Certificates from Tranquility by HeHe, here to help pamper your loved ones this holiday season. Give the gift that has a ripple effect of positivity.

Tranquility by HeHe, A Maternity Concierge, Birthing and Doula Service in Boston, Massachusetts

"We can't wait to pamper you."

**Tranquility by HeHe is a safe space for all persons regardless of gender, race, national origin, age, mental disability, or sexual orientation.