Best gifts for new parents

Skip Hop Moby Bath Tear-Free Waterfall Rinser Bath Cup
Here are our picks for the best gifts for new parents. (Image credit: Skip Hop)

New parents have a lot to think about — for starters, they're feeding their baby around the clock, changing diapers and making sure their child is getting enough sleep. Thankfully, there are many products to help parents with their newborns. Here are the best gifts for new parents, including baby monitors, diapers and car seats. 

Dr. Brown's Bottle Brush

(Image credit: Dr. Brown's)

Dr. Brown's Bottle Brush

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Dr. Brown's Bottle Brush is an inexpensive-yet-effective brush for cleaning baby bottles. Firm bristles give the bottles' walls a good scrubbing, while a soft foam tip gets into the corners. Plus, this brush comes with a convenient stand to keep it close to your sink without taking up room.

Philips Avent Soothie Pacifier

(Image credit: Philips)

Philips Avent Soothie Pacifier

Pacifiers are a new parent's best friend. This four-pack includes Phiips Avent pacifiers made of hospital-grade silicone, and they have handy tabs that make them easier to insert into a baby's mouth. They come in soothing blue, purple, pink and green.

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy

(Image credit: Baby Einstein)

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy

Listening to classical music won't necessarily make babies smarter, but at least they'll be entertained with the Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy. It plays seven classical melodies, which you can change by pressing the large button on the front. A light panel above changes colors in sync with the music, and a beaded handle makes it easy for a child to grip and use as a teether.

Skip Hop Moby Bath Tear-Free Waterfall Rinser Bath Cup

(Image credit: Skip Hop)

Skip Hop Moby Bath Tear-Free Waterfall Rinser Bath Cup

Bath time can be scary, at least at first. The whale-shaped Skip Hop Moby Bath cup makes the bath a little more friendly by letting you pour water in a gentle stream, and its curved lip has a rubber tip, helping to keep water out of the baby's eyes. 

Nuk Simply Natural Bottles

(Image credit: Nuk)

Nuk Simply Natural Bottles

Whether you're filling your baby with milk or formula, you're going to need a good supply of bottles. Nuk's Simply Natural baby bottle has a 5-ounce capacity (the company also makes 10-ounce bottles) and a silicone nipple with multiple holes, which help simulate the real thing. Both the tops and the plastic bottles are dishwasher-safe.

Boon Drying Rack Grass Countertop

(Image credit: Boon)

Boon Drying Rack Grass Countertop

This fun drying rack holds plenty of bottles, teethers, pacifiers and other products you don’t want to put in the dishwasher. It measures 9.4 x 9.4 inches, so it won't take up much counter space, and it has a small, cactus-like projection that lets you drape additional items to be dried. 

BabyBliss Reusable Bamboo Nursing Pads

(Image credit: BabyBliss)

BabyBliss Reusable Bamboo Nursing Pads

One of the side effects that nursing mothers deal with is leaking breasts. BabyBliss' reusable nursing pads keep milk from leaking onto shirts, and their cup-like shape conforms to a woman's body. They come in three sizes and multiple colors.

Philips Avent Microwave Steam Sterilizer

(Image credit: Philips)

Philips Avent Microwave Steam Sterilizer

When you need to clean a lot of bottles and other products, the Philips Avent Microwave Steam Sterilizer is handy. Just add a few ounces of water and microwave for 2 minutes, and it will eliminate up to 99% percent of bacteria. At 11 inches in diameter and 6.5 inches tall, the sterilizer easily fits in most microwaves. 

Seventh Generation Baby Wipes

(Image credit: Seventh Generation)

Seventh Generation Baby Wipes

Spoiler alert: Babies are messy. Whether they're for cleaning babies' faces or their bottoms, Seventh Generation's baby wipes get the job done. This bundle includes 12 resealable packs of 64 wipes, which are fragrance- and alcohol-free. The hypoallergenic wipes use plant-based moisturizers to keep baby skin soft.

Skip Hop Messenger Diaper Bag

(Image credit: Skip Hop)

Skip Hop Messenger Diaper Bag

When you're on the go with your tot, a diaper bag is helpful for carrying all the essentials: diapers, wipes, pacifiers and more. Skip Hop's bag has 11 pockets for easy organization, can be clipped easily to a stroller and comes with a cushioned changing pad. It can also hold laptops up to 15 inches.

One-month supply of Pampers Swaddlers

(Image credit: Pampers)

One-month supply of Pampers Swaddlers

When you're up all night tending to a newborn, your sleep-deprived brain is bound to forget things. Help overtired parents by giving them one less thing to think about. This one-month supply of Pampers Swaddlers disposable diapers is available in multiple sizes, from newborn through size 6.  

Ubbi Steel Odor-Locking Diaper Pail

(Image credit: Ubbi)

Ubbi Steel Odor-Locking Diaper Pail

New parents have to figure out where to put all those used diapers. Help them out by getting them the Ubbi Steel Odor-Locking Diaper Pail, which ensures a little one's stinkies don't smell up her room. The all-metal construction means it can take a beating, too. And you can use regular liner bags with this model — either plastic or reusable — meaning you don't have to spend big bucks on the proprietary bags some other diaper pails require.  

Arlo Baby Monitor

(Image credit: Arlo)

Arlo Baby Monitor

This top-end baby monitor delivers a crisp 1080p video stream both during the day and at night. It has temperature and air-quality sensors, a night-light that changes color and a speaker that plays lullabies. You can talk to your child through Arlo's app, where you can also view up to seven days of videos for free. (Other storage plans are available.) As a bonus, the camera has cute bunny ears.

Britax B-Lively Travel System with B-Safe 35 Infant Car Seat

(Image credit: Britax)

Britax B-Lively Travel System with B-Safe 35 Infant Car Seat

We like this combination car seat and stroller for its ease of use. Once you strap a child into the car seat, it can be snapped into a base in your car or into a collapsible stroller. Designed for children from 4 to 55 pounds, the car seat has side-impact protection, and the base has a steel frame for extra support. The stroller can be used with or without the car seat. It can be opened and closed with one hand, and has a retractable canopy and a large storage basket. If purchased separately, the car seat and base are $199, and the stroller is $239. Be sure to check out all of our picks for the best car seats for babies.

Elvie Breast Pump

(Image credit: Elvie)

Elvie Breast Pump

Yes, it's expensive, but the Elvie breast pump is helpful for moms who are on the go. The battery-powered pumps operate pretty quietly and connect to a smartphone app, so breastfeeding moms  know how much they're producing. The Elvie's milk reservoirs are dishwasher- and microwave-safe.

Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.