Holiday Gift Guides
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! When putting together these gift guides, I really wanted to draw attention to some incredible Canadian small businesses. 2020 has been a particularly challenging year to be an entrepreneur, and people’s shopping habits have changed. If you’re able, I encourage you to shop small this holiday season and support small businesses that do a happy dance every time an order comes through.
It was also important to me to include business owners of colour, especially Black business owners. A lot of these businesses have conscious business models, supporting local charities with each purchase, adopting sustainable packaging, and more. Your dollars make an impact, and something as joyful as holiday gifting can really make a difference, no matter how big or small your budget is.
GIFTS FOR PREGNANT PEOPLE
These wooden milestone cards are adorable to document pregnancy as well as baby’s first year of life. They come as a part of the Hygge House: The First Trimester Box, who’s focus is all about comfort and celebration!
Quarantine season + pregnancy go hand in hand sometimes. Gifting loungewear is a gift well received, especially these maternity leggings from Core Maternity, that are moisture-wicking, 4-way stretch fabric and an over-the-bump panel.
The Bump Butter from Royal H Skincare is a product as decadent as the packaging suggests. Using organically grown ingredients, this bump butter is cocoa butter based, so its smells like a chocolate bar when you open the tin. From a sustainability perspective, I really love the plastic free container and can definitely see myself reusing the tin to store small items.
One of the most special moments in pregnancy is the first time someone refers to you as a mother. This mama t-shirt from Core Maternity is uber-soft and incredibly sentimental.
Diving deep into the Hygge Box, there are some amazing first trimester goodies. My favourite items in the box are the Ginger Spice tea blend from Clearview Tea and Meredith's Ginger Syrup (a local favourite!) to offer support and warmth for nausea and discomfort. Penny Lane Organics' massage oil was included to promote self care. This formula is also safe for baby and can be used on babe after their arrival.
Gift cards for prenatal education are a creative way to support your pregnant loved one through this transformational season. I’m offering gift cards to all my virtual classes & 1-on-1 sessions! Email me at info@thebirthboss.com to arrange.
A brand I’m obsessing over right now is THGHT (as seen in GOOP). Harnessing the magic of nature, they infuse organic and wildcrafted plant essences, crystal energetics and biodynamic jojoba oil in miron glass jars to create a super high-vibration oil. The VAGUS oil is infused with amazonite and a balanced blend of plant essences designed to help tone the vagus nerve (the longest cranial nerve in the body that connects the brain and gut. Toning the vagus nerve can help improve the body’s stress response and encourage relaxation). with any essential oils during pregnancy, consult your doctor/health practitioner before use.
Pregnancy skincare can be really overwhelming, as people tend to invest a lot in their skincare regimes only to find out they can no longer use many of their trusted products in pregnancy. Royal H’s New Mama Facial Serum is a lovely gift for any skin type, and is formulated with 100% natural and organic ingredients,
GIFTS FOR POSTPARTUM
The gift of healing is one of the best gifts you can give a new parent. Unfortunately, the Advil/Tylenol regime and granny diapers the hospital sends you home with just doesn’t cut it. Healing Mama Co. has worked with naturopathic doctors to develop the Ultimate Rejuvenation Postpartum System, with over 60 pieces. Some notable items are herbal sitz baths, probiotics, lactation coffee AND tea, full size essential oils, breast pads, and magnesium powder. From rebalancing your hormones to treating postpartum skin and hair, while also supporting your lactation journey, this system has you covered. Get 23% off the entire Healing Mama™ Home, with code CYBER HEALING; this code will expire at midnight on Monday.
Who doesn’t live a little bling for the holiday season? Motherhood themed jewellery makes from a great present. Gigimey was generous enough to gift me a disk necklace. You can get any initial printed on the disks - a popular option is printing baby names, family initials, and I even got mine printed with “mama” on the gold choker-length chain. Mama likey!
Another from Hygge House is The Hello Hygge Baby Box, made for the brand new parent and baby. I’m big on holistic healing, and this box includes various postpartum healing products including a nipple balm and gentle baby bar from Penny Lane and Stoeckli Organics Stinging Nettle Tea (nettle tea is a great restorative and soothing medicinal used to help with postpartum fatigue + anxiety).
Postpartum can be a really vulnerable and emotionally chaotic time, so there’s no better time for a reminder of self-love. THGHT’s SELF-LOVE oil infuses rose quartz with a compassionate blend of plant essences to help inspire that lovin’ feeling.
Give the gift of perineal healing this holiday season. Lifetime of Love Doula's sitz bath and postpartum spray is another hit from the Hygge Box.
The OVer Company's OVer Cover is technically a baby gift, but it’s also a great gift for new nursing parents who might feel a bit uncomfortable nursing in public/around friends and family over the holidays. While I’m all about dropping the cover and normalizing breastfeeding, I totally empathize with how emotional it can be until you get the hang of things. Once that happens, this works as a great car seat cover! And yes, the Hygge Box includes one!
A Calendula Salve from Stoeckli Organics that can be used on the perineum for healing is an amazingly nourishing way to round out the Hello Hygge Baby Box. Calendula is one of my favourite herbal remedies for postpartum!
Things on this list that I didn’t include in the graphic are a gift card to your local restaurant that does takeout. Meal support is a wonderful way to nourish your postpartum friend/famlly member, and the hospitality industry right now really appreciates all the support it can get.
GIFTS FOR NEWBORNS
Knickers are a totally adorable & gender neutral clothing gift. Petits Genoux creates handmade, minimalist baby clothing, sourcing the most natural materials for all of their pieces so that parents can shop with ease, knowing that they make products that love your children too.
Comfort & coziness is the vibe for the season, and babe’s love getting all cozy in their swaddles. Little Rituals sells some adorable muslin swaddles. Little Rituals is a collection of carefully curated clothing and accessories for the little folk. Passionately sourced locally and internationally.
I really love knotted gowns for sleep for easy diaper changes (a gift parents will be grateful for!) Little and Knotty’s gowns are made from a premium bamboo blend fabric that is so buttery soft, and breathable. The fabric is also Oeko-Tex certified and free from harmful chemicals. Their Knotted Gown features include an envelope neckline for stress free dressing, built in fold over mittens to prevent scratching and to also keep tiny hands warm. The knotted bottom feature makes those frequent diaper changes a breeze!
Wooden montessori style toys make for such timeless, heirloom gifts. The BBaby Co Fun Box includes a wooden camera toy & rattle for sustainable learning and infant development.
The Fun Box also comes with silicone goodies. First off, silicone bibs are incredible, since you can just wipe them off instead of throwing them in the wash every time they’re soiled. Basically, you’re gifting the gift of less laundry here. Next off, the box includes these adorable pastel stacking cups, which are a great toy to develop fine motor skills from 0-3 years.
Speaking of heirloom pieces, a traditional piece like a wicker moses basket is a gorgeous piece for any nursery. Keep Company Goods, a Vancouver-based company, imports these stunning bassinets that are handwoven from local artisans in Ghana. They meet Canadian standards and fit a normal bassinet mattress.
Your little one is born without fully developed retinas, so visual stimulation with high-contrast images can help improve their eyesight. A great development activity for you and your baby is to place these Black & White Contrast Cards from EmmyLou 20-30cm away from an alert baby. You can do this during diaper changes and tummy time too!
Bag and Bougie just launched these adorable diaper change mats, and I love how sleek the fold down to, making any tote a diaper bag. The mobile change pad is made of stylish and durable neoprene fabric to withstand a variety of messy situations.
Newborn skin is extremely delicate and prone to flakes, bumps, and redness. Royal H Skincare makes an array of beautiful cocoa butter based baby creams, but one that particularly stood out to me was the First Touch Only cream for the most sensitive of babes, free from any added fragrances. By making the First Touch butter a part of your daily routine and spending sweet bonding time with your baby, you are not only giving your little one loving memories an the much needed skin-to-skin contact that makes them feel secure and safe and allows their brain to grow and develop in healthy way, you are also setting them up for a lifetime of nourished and happy skin.
Baby wearing is a tremendous gift to give to any baby-caregiver relationship. The keep company baby wrap is compact, easy to use and has comfort written all over it, making it the perfect carrier. The wrap is designed with both your baby and the earth in mind, using earth-friendly dyes and a unique blend of organic cotton and bamboo - organic cotton for softness and stability and bamboo for breathability and a gentle stretch.
While I’ve tried to include an array of price points for these gifts, remember that shopping small doesn’t always have to mean spending more. If you’re not in the position to support small business financially this holiday season, consider introducing these wonderful Canadian companies to your loved ones. Share their content on social media, save/comment/like their posts, add them to your registry and wishlists, and get the word out!