Gifts for new dads and how to help them feel included at a baby shower
This post brought to you by New England Coffee. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Kara Carrero.
My husband always jokes to his guy friends that they dad isn’t really needed in the first 6 months of life. But in reality, he played a huge part in changing a bunch of diapers, even in the middle of the night with our first child.
And as much as he plays a role and has his life turned upside-down from the addition of a tiny human, no one seems to focus on the dad-to-be at baby showers or when celebrating the newborn stage. And so many forget that dad is a part of the postpartum journey too.
I always see unique ideas for wedding gifts that include the groom like tools and camping gear; however, it doesn’t seem to be a topic of conversation when the family starts to expand. 
Thoughtful gifts buy for a new dad to survive the newborn weeks
Even for the moms that are breastfeeding, it’s likely that dads will have long nights too, they’re have challenging days as well, and yes… they’ll get alone time with the baby at some point.
And they’re losing sleep if for no other reason, they’re the support system for mom.
Because it takes a team!
So I believe it’s just as important to celebrate dads as it is to shower moms and babies with gifts.
Television, movie, or subscriptions/gift cards.
Pick up some gift cards to the subscription service they already have or some vouchers for free movies to pick up and watch at home.
My husband watched lots of movies while rocking our kids at night and we even binge watched shows and spent lots of time on Facebook in those first few months of having a newborn in the house.
And if he gets the pleasure of having baby sleep on his chest, a gift card to buy some new reading material from home improvement magazines to novels… he’s set!
Get Coffee. Lots of it.
Let’s be honest. It’s for mom AND dad.
But for him, a strong cup of joe might be the difference between a great day heading out to work or a really, really long one from the sleepless nights. And in those very early weeks he may be pouring cups of coffee for the glowing new mom in his life. 
Pick up a variety of packages like New England Coffee’s Centennial Reserve. With 100 years of making great coffee, they’ve been fueling extraordinary people, especially new parents for a very long time.
Made from 100% Arabica coffee beans, it sure to keep dad awake even through the dreaded 2:00 hour. Check out their newly designed New England Coffee Shop website or pick some up at your local grocery store!
Gift Cards for lunch and dinner take out.
Once dad goes back to work, he needs to eat lunch. Many families pack lunches at least a few days a week and even if they don’t, babies cost money. So help offset the costs by making sure he’s loaded up on gift cards to lunch spots around his place of employment.
And while meal trains are wonderful for the whole family, they die off eventually. Give dad some great gift cards to pick up a to-go order.
Because life happens too and there are days in raising kids that are just harder than others. So when mom calls him in desperation at work and let’s him know she can’t get dinner done, he has a plan!
A masculine diaper bag and/or baby carrier.
While some guys are fine with toting around swirls of colors and paisley prints, there is still a sense of ownership that he can have knowing that he has his own go-to diaper bag or that when it’s his turn to babywear he’s not sporting a brihgt pink array of flowers and frills.
So when he goes out for the midnight walk to get the baby to fall back asleep or he’s giving mom a little break, he knows he has his essentials to care for his child. 
Dry cleaning or laundry service for a month.
Laundry is a pretty critical part of dad having everything he needs to go back to work. And maybe it’s a hard adjustment for the family in trying to get it done. This is a thoughtful way of saying “your chores are done for you” spend your time together as a family.
What ideas do you have help fuel the parents of the next generation?
Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 6 children living on a farm in New England. She believes in creative educational approaches to help kids dive deeper into a rich learning experience and has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
My son is a soldier, and for Christmas, after he and his wife learned they were expecting, his father-in-law gave him THE most awesome “manly” diaper bag: camouflage, loads of pockets, straps and buckles, diapers/wipes, binkies, etc. inside, and a parenting book about how to properly spoil your kid. He was THRILLED!