New Mum Gifts

Nobody warns you that bedtime can take 47 years, or that a toddler can bully a grown adult. These new mum gifts are for the parents in the thick of it: the ones surviving on cold tea, running on four hours' sleep and still doing an amazing job. Each one is a scented candle with an honest, funny message on the front, so it gets a laugh when it's opened and gives her a few calm minutes once it's lit.

Gifts that tell the truth about parenting

Baby showers are full of tiny socks and muslins. What a new mum actually needs is someone to admit it's hard. Messages like "Mummy needs five minutes", "Bullied by a toddler" and "Sorry about your pelvic floor" say that out loud, with a wink. They're the kind of gift a best friend gives, and they tend to stay on the windowsill long after the flowers have gone.

For mums of babies, toddlers and school starters

The range isn't only for the newborn stage. "In my school run era" and "Brilliant mum, feral days" suit mums of toddlers and primary school children too, and "You're doing amazing, mum" works at any age, including for a friend who's having a tough week.

When to give a new mum gift

Good moments are a few weeks after the birth, when the visitors have slowed down, on her first Mother's Day, at the end of maternity leave, or just because. A candle is light to post, so it's an easy surprise to send to a friend who lives miles away.

Thoughtful extras

If she's breastfeeding or the baby is in the same room, she may prefer to light it after bedtime with a window open. Pair it with a takeaway voucher or an offer to hold the baby while she has a bath, and you've given the two things new parents value most: rest and a laugh.

Some messages contain swearing, so read the wording before picking one for a relative who might not see the funny side.

Make it a complete present with new baby cards, Mother's Day cards for new mums, all posted from the UK.