The baby registry was looted long ago and now you’re scratching your head about what to get those new parents in your life.

Leave the crying to the infant and treat the sleep-deprived grown-ups to these local gifts this holiday season.

Want more gift ideas? Check out the full 2024 Baltimore Banner gift guide.

Tintype family portrait

Where: Pentaxjane

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Price: Starting at $75

Baltimore photographer Marie Jane Machin works with the natural light to capture stunning maternity and family portraits in the tin type format.
Baltimore photographer Marie Jane Machin works with the natural light to capture stunning maternity and family portraits in the tintype format. (Marie Jane Machin)

Parenthood has an uncanny way of rendering some parents invisible. Moms and dads are often so busy snapping pics of their little one that they forget to include themselves in the photo albums and reels.

So get a professional involved and give parents the gift of a mini photo shoot with a timeless twist. Baltimore photographer Marie Jane Machin works with natural light to capture stunning maternity and family portraits.

No-water house plants

Where: B. Willow

Price: Starting at $10

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This moss terrarium can be found at B. Willow in Baltimore.
This moss terrarium can be found at B. Willow in Baltimore. (B. Willow)

Forget low-maintenance and go for no-maintenance plants. New parents have too much on their minds to remember the crispy croton in the corner.

B. Willow in Baltimore sells various sizes of moss terrariums, which are low-light-tolerant and corked, which means no watering is needed. The plant shop also has gift cards, workshops and a plant club membership for parents with a green thumb.

Ice cream delivery

Where: Cajou Creamery

Price: $12 per pint, plus shipping

Exotic ice cream flavors such as kulfi and horchata sit on display at Cajou Creamery in Baltimore. (Ronica Edwards/The Baltimore Banner)

The newborn phase is hard. Treat those parents with a pint of dairy-free ice cream made from cashew milk by Cajou Creamery. This Black-owned Baltimore creamery will ship its small-batch treats nationwide and even offers a monthly delivery service that arrives the first week of each month.

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Tool library membership

Where: Station North Tool Library

Price: Annual membership for $100

Gift someone a membership to the Station North Tool Library, where they can borrow what they need to get the job done. The library also offers a variety of useful classes, from tools and skills basics to wall repairs and painting.
Gift someone a membership to the Station North Tool Library, where they can borrow what they need to get the job done. The library also offers a variety of useful classes, from tools and skills basics to wall repairs and painting. (Station North Tool Library)

Babyproofing a home can get really expensive quickly. Installing safety gates, securing and assembling furniture and painting the baby’s room require tools and other items that new parents may not already have on hand.

Give them a membership to the Station North Tool Library, where they can simply borrow what they need to get the job done. This Baltimore organization also offers a variety of useful classes, from tool and skill basics to wall repairs and painting.

Special occasion kid clothes

Where: Pied Piper Kids

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Price: Varies

Kids grow like weeds. Everybody says so. If this is the first baby in the family, parents may not have access to the steady supply of hand-me-downs that help offset the enormous cost of children’s clothes.

So a gift card to Pied Piper Kids, which stocks a variety of special-occasion wear for little ones, could come in handy for parents, especially when that first kid-friendly wedding invitation inevitably arrives. This family-owned children’s clothing boutique is located in the Village of Cross Keys.

Grandparenting class

Where: The Womb Room

Price: $195

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Consider taking a proactive approach and enrolling in a class at the Womb Room.
Consider taking a proactive approach and enrolling in a class at the Womb Room. (The Womb Room)

Let’s assume for a second that you’re already planning to help out with child care when the baby arrives. For grandparents, a lot has changed since you were raising little ones — and that’s OK. So consider taking a proactive approach and enrolling in a grandparenting class with the Womb Room.

This virtual course goes over a variety of topics: current birth practices, postpartum support, changes in baby care, health and safety, safe sleep practices and car seat guidelines. The course facilitates conversations around positive grandparenting, healthy boundaries and communication.

Budget-friendly version: The American Red Cross also offers babysitting, child care and CPR courses, so you can have peace of mind while supporting the younger generations.

Aquarium membership

Where: The National Aquarium

Price: $95 for one adult and $185 for two

A family visits the National Aquarium at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to watch the fish in the tanks. (Kirk McKoy/The Baltimore Banner)

Sure, all kids ages 4 and under are admitted to Baltimore aquarium for free. For everyone else, the cost of entry can stack up pretty quickly. Give the gift of unlimited entry for a year with an aquarium membership. Little ones will enjoy watching the sea creatures and parents will enjoy the free entertainment for their kiddo.

Luxury postnatal retreat

Where: Sanu Postnatal Retreat

Price: $880/night, with a three-night minimum

This one’s a bougie splurge. For less than a two-hour drive from Baltimore, brand-new parents and their infant can stay at the Sanu Postnatal Retreat at the Watermark Hotel in Tysons, Virginia.

The retreat offers round-the-clock care for new parents, both birthing and adoptive, and their little ones that comes with access to lactation specialists, massage therapy, parenting classes and meals for mom. If you have the will and the means, the full 21-night package is inspired by the traditional Korean practice of confinement immediately following childbirth.