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Something for her
The first weeks are short nights and long days. Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir is a face mist that takes three seconds. A good robe is worn every single day. Avène’s Cicalfate+ repairs everything that gets dry, including the mother.
The French baby gift
Propre Baby’s French Baby Gift is the French changing table in a box: liniment, cotton and the routine French parents use instead of wipes. Mustela’s hydrating cream and cleansing gel are the bottles every French maternity ward knows. The full list is in the French baby registry.
This or that
Do You Parent French or American?
Bedtime, snacks, the playground. Find out which side of the Atlantic you parent from.
Take the quizThe big gift
If several friends are giving together, the Babycook is the French present: it steams and blends purée in one bowl, and it gets used every day from about four to six months. More on how French babies start eating in why French kids eat what adults eat.
The gift nobody thinks of
A dinner, delivered, the second week. A visit that lasts twenty minutes. And for the mother, a candle for the evening, when the house is finally quiet.
Questions, answered
What is a good gift for a new mom?
Something for the baby and something for her: a French diaper-care set or the Babycook for the baby, a face mist, a rich cream or a good robe for her.
What do French new mothers get?
Since 2022, French maternity wards have handed out a free bag with a baby sleeping bag, a book, natural soap and a cream for the mother.
What is the Babycook?
A French baby-food maker by Béaba that steams and blends in one bowl, for homemade purée.
What is a French baby gift set?
A diaper-care set built around liniment, an olive-oil and lime-water lotion used with cotton instead of wipes.
Still wondering?
Ask my French husband.
A short ruling in a few seconds. Written by AI from our Journal, in his voice.
He judges America weekly on Instagram, and Le Bulletin collects the best of it.
Before you go
Do You Parent French or American?
Bedtime, snacks, the playground. Which side of the Atlantic are you on?
