Gifts for a pregnant wife (or partner)

Short answer: Give your pregnant wife something that makes the months easier (a maternity pillow, freezer meals, a massage) and something to keep (a pregnancy necklace with her stones or the due date). Avoid anything that comments on her body.

Start with how she feels right now

The best gift for a pregnant wife depends on the week. If she is sick and exhausted, a warm meal and a clear evening beat jewellery. If she is in her second trimester and glowing, a keepsake lands well. If she is in her last weeks, comfort and help are everything. Ask yourself what she has complained about most recently.

Gifts that help

• A maternity pillow

  A long pillow that supports bump and back. Buy one if she keeps stacking the sofa cushions in the night.

• A foot and back rub, with the oil

  Give her your time, and don’t keep checking the clock.

• Meals for the freezer

  Cooked by you or ordered in. They will be gone in a fortnight after the birth.

• A cleaner for a month

  Booked, paid and in the diary.

Gifts that feel special

• A pregnancy necklace

  A harmony ball is a keepsake for her. Add the baby’s due date, or choose the stones for the month. See the buyer’s guide.

  Order early, as every piece is made to order.

• A letter to read after the birth

  A few paragraphs from you, kept in a box with the scan picture.

• A maternity photoshoot

  A set of photos of the bump and the two of you.

• A weekend away

  A babymoon before the baby arrives, somewhere easy to get to.

Birthdays and Christmas

If her birthday or Christmas falls during the pregnancy, resist the urge to give her baby things as her main present. Give her something for her, with a smaller baby item on the side. See gifts for pregnant women by budget for ideas at every price.

What to avoid

• Fitness, diet and weight-loss items.
• Appliances, like a vacuum cleaner or a baby monitor, as her main present.
• Clothes in a smaller size than she is now.
• Anything that comments on how she looks.

What to write in the card

Say something specific: what you have noticed, what you are looking forward to, or what you are proud of. Our list of card messages gives you starting points.

Questions people ask