Best Gifts for Parents (and Their Babies): Bottle Washers, Prepared Meals, and More

Parenting is exhausting. If there's a new parent in your life, whether it's your friend who is the new parent of the group or a family member who just had a baby, there are a lot of ways to show some love. Showing up, checking in on how they're surviving, and bringing something that can improve their life are all great ways to support the new parents in your circle.There's a lot of parenting and baby gear out there, and not all of it is created equal. Not all of it will suit what the parents in your life might need, either. This guide is organized into a handful of different categories of parenting gadgets, smart home gear, little luxuries, and even food deliveries you can send to their door. All of these are tried and tested by WIRED's reviewers (many of whom are parents) and can confirm the difference it's made in their lives.Looking for more baby gear or gift ideas? Don't miss our gifts for moms and dads, or our guide to all the best baby gear.Featured GiftsA Handy SterilizerMunchkin Mini Portable UV-C Sterilizer+Jump to reviewThe Best Bottle Washer We've TestedGrownsy EaseClean Bottle Washer ProJump to reviewFor the Meal TrainCookUnity Prepared MealsJump to reviewA Stylish Daily ItemMushie Muslin Swaddle BlanketJump to reviewGreat Parenting Gadgets to GiftIt's easy to remember to register for things like the car seat and baby clothes. But there are a lot of small gadgets that make parenting a little easier, things that new parents don't realize they might love using. Here's some of our favorites from the parents here at WIRED.Qunlions LifeElectric Baby Nail TrimmerBaby nails are sharp, but it's also easy to clip their tiny nails too far. The solution? An electric nail trimmer. No more scratches on mom and dad or baby's new, beautiful face. Plus it can be less scary for parents than wielding traditional nail clippers near baby's tiny fingers.MunchkinMini Portable UV-C Sterilizer+This was a gift from a friend that wasn't actually on my registry, but I used it more than so many things I did register for. Pacifiers fall all the time, and get grimy instantly. I kept this portable UV sterilizer hooked to my diaper bag, and loved popping a pacifier in after drops (after wiping it down with a wet wipe first).HatchBaby Sound MachineThe Hatch is my most-used item in the last four years. It was easy to set up on the fly when I came home from the hospital, and I love that I can set up a few scenes in the app to flip through depending on whether I was nursing at three a.m. or putting my son to sleep. The Hatch Baby is now in his room and keeps him asleep each night with its music, while I have the Hatch Restore for myself.GrownsyEaseClean Bottle Washer ProEveryone on TikTok might talk about the MomCozy washer, but the best baby bottle washer WIRED reviewer Nicole Kinning found actually comes from Grownsy. It's quiet, has a deep interior cavity to hold tons of bottle and pump parts, and has multiple modes and combinations you can customize for the perfect cleaning session. It circulates HEPA-filtered air to keep bottles sterile after washing.Something to EatEarly parenting is survival, and bandwidth to go to the grocery store or cook becomes a hard zero. There's a reason friends and family often run food trains for new parents. The following food gifts would be a great option to contribute to a food train, and being shippable packages means you can send it to a friend or family member you may live too far from to visit often.CookUnityPrepared MealsWIRED reviewer Matthew Korfhage has tried all kinds of prepared meals, and he says the best one is CookUnity. It's a ready-to-eat meal delivery service that calls itself a “chef collective”, with regional menus led by regional chiefs. Put together a week of meals to send them, or snag them a gift card so they can choose their own.Ess-a-BagelNew York Bagel BrunchHook up your favorite new parents with their very own brunch spread. This is a good option to send to their doorstep to feed them for a few days or to bring over in-person so they don't have to worry about having anything prepped. (Great to split with another friend or two for sip and see!) You get to choose up to six bagel flavors, up to three cream cheeses, Nova lox, and can add on more of everything.Some Daily Life UpgradesI didn't put anything fun on my son's registry. I was so overwhelmed with how many must-haves I needed (from the diaper pail to the infant baby tub device I never used), plus baby registry websites will constantly tell you how you haven't added things from every single category their site has deemed important. There are a lot of things parents need, but there's lots of fun things you can gift that aren't necessities, but will still make parenting a little easier, or at least feel like a thoughtful gift.MushieMuslin Swaddle BlanketMy friend gifted me two of these beautiful muslin swaddle blankets, and they were another of my most-used items. I used them to swaddle my summer child without worrying he would melt, and would use them for contact naps so I wouldn't sweat all over him. It was great for a quick car seat cover, place to sit him down on some grass—the uses are endless, and there's a ton of gorgeous colors and prints to gift.LoopExperience 2If the new mom or dad in your life is struggling with overstimulation, a nice pair of ear plugs could go a long way. The Loop Experience 2 cut down some of the volume and noise without completely blocking sound out. Great for epic meltdown and colicky days without being unaware of what's going on (and great for concerts when they're back to going out!)Little SleepiesWomen's RobeWIRED reviewer Nicole Kinning recommends a lightweight robe for new moms recovering postpartum. She loves this Little Sleepies robe since it's soft and light thanks to the 95 percent bamboo viscose (plus five percent spandex) design. It's something she found herself reaching for again and again recovering from childbirth.AmazonKindle (2024, 11th Gen)When I had my first child, I fell back into reading to help me stay awake for late night feeds and contact naps. I read entire series in a matter of days, and I was actually gifted two Kindles for my birthday to help me get off my phone and have a better screen to read on. While my favorite is my Paperwhite, the base Kindle makes for a great gift (and should be on sale for Prime Day!)Smart Home ImprovementsI'm biased as a smart home reviewer, but the right Wi-Fi powered gadget could change your life, especially when you're locked into a contact nap and need to dim the lights without moving. These are a few smart home upgrades I'd recommend gifting just about anyone, new parent or no.IkeaKajplats Smart Light BulbThese smart light bulbs from Ikea are super cheap and really easy to control and make routines with. Gift them a set with some remote controls that they can put next to the rocking chair, and they can instantly dim or turn off the lights without needing to get up. They're Matter-compatible and work with Apple HomeKit, too.Beautiful by Drew BarrymoreElectric KettleThis isn't technically a smart item, but I'm a big believer that parents who love tea and hot water need to have a double-walled kettle. It'll keep little hands from getting burned—and big, sleep deprived hands that forget how hot a kettle can get.AuraCarverI love a digital photo frame, especially as a parent. My camera roll has been stuck in a state of constant overflow since my son was born. I love being able to easily upload photos to my Aura frames to enjoy all the time, and as my son has gotten older, he's loved seeing them too.GoogleTV Streamer (4K)Mom and dad deserve painless streaming, but there's no hope for that if the remote gets lost. The Google TV Streamer is a sleek system that can also help you locate the remote with a button on the back of the streamer itself, taking one more task off a tired parent's mind.Gifts for Little OneYou probably already gifted baby something at the baby shower, but if you want to get something for little one to play with, here are some of our favorite baby toys as WIRED parents.Kids PreferredGoodnight Moon Soft BookA good soft book goes a long way with babies who want to chew on every corner, and I like that some of the corners of this Goodnight Moon soft book are reinforced with a chewable texture.JellycatStuffed AnimalA Jellycat is a kid must-have, and there's no such thing as too many stuffed animals. Jellycat changes its offerings often, so the one you get could become a treasured, irreplaceable stuffie. (Maybe buy a second if the kid gets really attached!)InfantinoSuper Soft 1st Building BlocksI just found my old set of Infantino blocks I had for my son, and put them in bags for my second-born-to-be's toy stash. These large, flexible blocks are easy to stack and safe for baby to stick in their mouths without worrying about choking or sharp corners.LoveveryPlay GymLovevery is probably best known for their toy boxes (which are great), but I actually think The Play Gym is one of their best offerings. From months three to seven, this was my kiddo's absolute favorite place to be. Being in a crowded New York City apartment, having a soft, fun, machine washable baby space that was easy to move around was invaluable. —Harry RabinowitzSmart Splurge GiftsIf you're looking to spend a little more on the new parents, these smart home and connected gadgets will genuinely improve their everyday life. When I tell you that every parents I've hooked on a good robot vacuum comes back to me raving about how much it's helped them—it's worth the price of entry. If you're looking for true parenting gear, like the best baby monitors and smart bassinets, I'd check out my guide to the Best Baby Gear instead.GoogleNest Learning Thermostat (4th Generation)If they're worried about baby's temperature at night (I'm permanently haunted by the phrase about warm babies, so much that I won't type it here), getting a smart thermostat that pairs with a temperature sensor lets you dial in the right climate for baby's room, separate from the whole house. The fourth generation Google Nest Learning Thermostat comes with a sensor you can pair with it to accomplish just that.SkylightCalendar 2For parents who are struggling to juggle doctor's appointments, parental leave schedules, and their regular life (on top of sleep deprivation), a digital wall calendar like the Skylight Calendar 2 helps to put everything in one place where anyone can check in. Plus, it doubles as a digital photo frame, but you have to pay a subscription fee for that feature.PetkitPurobot Max Pro 2Any household chore that can be eliminated when adjusting to a new baby is a huge help. If they're a cat owner but don't have an automatic litter box, this is our favorite one to help eliminate daily scooping and cleaning.RoborockQrevo 2 ProI've changed the lives of multiple parents by hooking them on robot vacuums. A lot of people still think robot vacuums means a useless machine that gets lost and eats your power cords, but today's modern models are smart, powerful, precise, and pull double duty as mops. My latest pick is the Qrevo 2 Pro, especially when it's on sale.Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that's too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.