Perfect Gifts for Foodie Parents & Their Foodie Babies
Looking for the perfect gift for your foodie friend or family member who is having a baby? Here are a few of my favorite items that new foodie momma and poppas-to-be will love!
The best foodie gifts for babies!
Table of Contents
My wife and I had our first baby in January, 2021, and most of the items here are gifts we have actually received!
For Foodie Parents That Like to Cook
80 Purees Around the World
Baby food should be much more exciting than just mashed peas or blended carrots! 80 Purees Around the World by Leena Saini gives new parents guidance and inspiration for introducing a variety of flavors and spices into even baby’s earliest meals. Recipes are easy to follow, involve minimal preparation and include spices and seasonings from many different countries.
Some of the recipes are purees. Some are not, but with the suggestion to just puree after making. I actually appreciate this because my son is 9 months old and often joins in the family meal with solids. But, daycare still requires we only send pureed meals until he is 1, so I use this book for inspiration for his lunches.
The Foodie Baby Cookbook
This is another delicious cookbook that makes a perfect addition to any foodie parent’s bookshelf! Foodie Baby also focuses on introducing more complex flavors and spices to babies and young children, starting as early as 6 months. Recipes in Foodie Baby extend past the early days of first introducing solids, also covering healthy and flavorful meals for toddlers and young kids.
The first recipe I tried from Foodie Baby was a Red Pepper + Olive Oil puree. The recipe primarily features veggies, but also olive oil for a smooth texture and healthy fat. Many of the recipes in this book sound delicious for adults, too. Use it as inspiration to plan family meals that are friendly for even your newest addition. Note that you may want to add more salt, sugar or seasoning to the adult servings.
For Those That Like To Give Books
Even before a baby starts eating solids, they can always start reading about food! Here is our favorite food-themed book series for babies: World Snacks Books by Amy Wilson Sanger. This series come in either board book or paperback form.
World Snack Series by Amy Wilson Sanger
Instead of reading about mama llamas and searching for Spot, storytime can include tamales made of a “masa dough surprise” or “sweet jumbles of jalebi and one coconut cham-cham please.” Each book focuses on a different cuisine, featuring iconic dishes from around the world. I especially love the high-contract, collage-style imagery. There are currently 7 different titles. We especially love Chaat and Sweets, Yum Yum Dim Sum and ¡Hola! Jalapeño.
Have favorite food-related baby books that you love? Please share your recommendations in the comments or post them on Instagram and tag @courtneyinthemiddleseat !
For Future Foodie Fashionitas
Personally, I aspire to having no less than 50% of my child’s wardrobe be food-themed. I haven’t quite made it, but here are a few adorable (and punny!) gifts that foodie parents will love when getting their baby dressed!
Avery & Me - Instant Love
Topping my list for foodie baby fashion is Avery & Me! Offering a wide selection of baby apparel inspired by Asian cuisine, Avery & Me’s onesies are (in their words) adora-bao. The pairing of cute graphics with witty food puns is a winning combination. They just released a new dim sum-themed collection, and it’s cute!
Avery & Me also sells mommy and daddy matching shirts and onesies and gift boxes, perfect for baby showers, birthdays or any other holiday. I also love that Avery & Me is a female-owned small business!
PiccoliNY - for Foodie Babies in NYC
Nothing says ‘I love food’ and ‘I love New York’ more adorably than PiccoliNY’s onesies! PiccoliNY’s designs combine iconic NYC eats to spell “I <3 NY”! Classic takeout, pickles and bagels, hotdogs and pretzels! This is the perfect option for any New York-based gifting.
PiccoliNY is another female-owned small business on this list! Owner Alex Zagami Ng comes from a family of small business owners, and has NYC-roots herself.
Hats So Cute You Could Eat Them Up!
I’m not sure if ‘foodie fashion’ is a thing, but it should be! Food-themed baseball hats are a perfect gift for a new little one. Here are a few different brands that specialize in hats for babies and toddlers. Availability of designs vary, but there are always a few food-themed options to choose from!
Jack & Winn
Jack & Winn is a personal favorite brand. They make hats for babies from 3 months + up to big kids. They even make select styles in matching adult sizes! Bonus points for not gendering their hat selection – no having to navigate through ‘boys’ or ‘girls’ hats on this site!
George Hats
George Hats specializes in truckers for babies and toddlers. This company has a huge selection (although most are not food-related) and sells other types of baby-fashion items, too.
Cash & Co.
Cash & Co.’s hats offer many fun designs for both kids and adults. Note that Cash & Co.’s smallest size is made for 6 months to 2T. Great for a first birthday, not ideal for a newborn.
Burrito Baby Wrap
Every new parent learns how to wrap their baby up like a warm, snug little burrito. Take it to the next level of baby burrito-dom: a tortilla-themed blanket and hat! Note that I didn’t actually swaddle our baby with this blanket for sleeping, but it made for really fun photo shoots and a great gift item! Would also make for a fun Halloween costume. Maybe wait until your baby is a bit sleepier to capture the cute burrito photo… We had some room for improvement.
Monica + Andy and Angel Dear Quality Baby Clothing Brands with Food-themed Styles
Finding food-themed baby clothing is easy. Narrowing your search is hard! Two companies I recommend for good quality, foodie baby basics are Monica + Andy and Angel Dear. We love the gifts we’ve received from these two brands! (Thank you, Auntie Jenna!)
Angel Dear onesies are made from super-soft material, perfect for snuggling! Their website even has a “Fun Foods” themed section.
Have other Foodie-friendly baby gifts to recommend?
Let us know in the comments below!
Play With Your Food
Handmade, Organic Baby Rattles from Estella
Not your average rattle, Estella carries many food-themed rattles that are handmade from organic cotton and eco-friendly dyes. The hotdog rattle is a person favorite, but the foodie in your life will appreciate the hot sauce, cold brew or firecracker popsicle shapes! Estella’s rattles do come with a higher price point, but the quality is great.
Snuggle with Sushi from LOULOU LOLLIPOP
Snuggle, sleep and even suck on sushi-themed gifts from LOULOU LOLLIPOP’s sushi collection! Choose from teethers, blankets, baby towels and even crib sheets covered in an adorable pattern of cartoon sushi rolls, sashimi, tempora and onigiri! We received the baby security blanket, and you actually get two blankets in a pack! No need to worry about your toddler losing their favorite blanket – the set already comes with a back-up!
LOULOU LOLLIPOP has other food-related collections, too.
Catering or Meal Delivery Gift Cards
It’s a month out from the due date, and the expecting parents are starting to fill the fridge with frozen meals, snacks, and copious amounts of backup coffee beans. But, if you’re living in a city or an apartment there is only so much room to store pre-made meals. And it is definitely true that cooking and meal prep right after the baby is born is practically unfathomable. I HIGHLY recommend considering gift cards to either local restaurants or for catering.
Gift cards allow the new parents to order pre-made food or takeout at the time they really need it. If family and friends are around to support in the first couple weeks, a new parents may benefit the most from no meal prep in month 2 or 3, especially if part of the family is making a transition back to work.
Poppy's Fill Your Fridge
If you are NYC-based, we ordered catering from Poppy’s in Brooklyn. Their Fill Your Fridge option included plenty of delicious, healthy foods for 2 people for a week, plus dessert. This is a pricier gift option, but having prepared, healthy food in at home made a world of difference for my wife and I. This was especially helpful since our son was born during a COVID surge in January 2021, and we were not seeing many people.
Customized Baby Carrier Suck Pads
If you’re looking for a gift for someone who is into baby wearing, consider making or ordering customized, food-themed baby carrier suck pads! Suck pads are a simple fabric layer that goes over the straps of a carrier where the baby is likely to suck or chew on the fabric. Suck pads help keep the baby carrier in good condition and also allow you to easily wash off globs of drool (or anything in baby’s mouth!) much more easily than washing the whole carrier.
There are plenty of individual sellers on Etsy that allow you to choose custom fabric. At first glance there are not many food-related options, but many vendors take custom orders. How cute would it be to taco or ramen-themed suck pads? So many options! Note that when shopping on Etsy you will need to know the brand and model of baby carrier the suck pads will be used on.
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