Christmas Gifts for New Parents

New parents at Christmas are running on four hours of sleep and a lot of love. The best Christmas gift for new parents either gives them time back or holds on to this first year, which goes faster than anyone warns them. Here are 12 ideas that do one or the other, and our top pick is a song made for their baby, with the baby's name in it.

Listen to a real Songbond song

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry the baby's name and their stories.

12 Christmas gift ideas for new parents

1. A song for their baby ($39.90). Share the baby's name, the story of the birth, who the baby is named after and the silly nickname the parents use at 3 a.m. Songbond turns it into an original song they can play at bath time now and keep for the child's whole life.
2. Freezer meals, labeled and ready. Cook four or five dinners in foil trays and write the reheating steps on each lid. Usually $40 to $80 in groceries, and it feeds them for a week.
3. A night off. Give a card promising you will babysit on an evening they choose. Tuck in a gift card for the restaurant they used to go to before the baby.
4. A house cleaning visit. One deep clean in January, when the visitors have gone home and the laundry has won. Usually $100 to $200 a visit.
5. Baby's first Christmas ornament. One with the baby's name and the year, so it goes on the tree every December from now on. Usually $15 to $40.
6. A family photo session. New parents take a thousand phone photos and almost none of themselves with the baby. A session fixes that. Usually $150 to $400.
7. An insulated mug that keeps coffee hot for hours. Every cup goes cold during a feed. One of these per parent, around $25 to $45 each.
8. Warm slippers for the night shifts. Soft, with a proper sole, for the walk to the nursery at 2 a.m. Usually $30 to $80 a pair.
9. A baby memory book with the first page done. Most of these stay blank because nobody has time. Fill in the first page yourself so they have a head start.
10. A hand and footprint kit. Clay or ink, done at the kitchen table in five minutes. Those feet will never be this small again. Usually $15 to $35.
11. A stocking for the parents. Fill it with snacks they can eat one-handed, good lip balm, dry shampoo and a note that says they are doing well.
12. A book of chore coupons. Laundry, a grocery run, a dog walk, one hour of holding the baby while they shower. Only give this if you will honor every one.

How to choose for new parents

Ask yourself two things: how close do you live, and how much baby gear do they already have. If you are nearby, your time is worth more than anything you could buy. If you are far away, send something that helps or something that lasts.

• If they live close to you: the freezer meals, the night off or the chore coupons.
• If they live far away: the song, the cleaning visit or the ornament.
• If they are buried in baby things: gifts for the parents themselves, like the mugs, the slippers or the photo session.

How to give a gift to people who have no time

New parents are grateful for visitors and exhausted by them. Text before you come, drop the gift at the door if they seem tired, and do not stay longer than an hour unless they ask you to. Skip anything that needs building, washing or a long thank-you note. If you are giving the song, send it on Christmas morning and suggest they play it during the first quiet feed of the day. It is one of the few gifts they can enjoy without putting the baby down.

Make a song for their baby

Create a song for the new baby. Share the name and a few stories, and the song is ready within 24 hours. If Christmas is already here, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour, with nothing to wrap or ship.

Also in the Journal: songs for a new baby and songs for a new mom.