I’ve had some clients welcome new babies in the past couple of weeks. Some have told me that it’s been nice to be in isolation – they don’t have to worry about visitors coming by and wanting to see the baby while they’re trying to adjust to a new routine and are too tired to socialize. Then there are others who are desperate for the outside help and support. I’m sure you can imagine how difficult this time must be for new parents, as well as parents with a newborn PLUS older siblings at home right now.

Last week, I reached out to my Instagram community and asked for some gift ideas (preferably local to Toronto or based in Canada) that they’ve used or would recommend so all the links below are real-people’s recommendations (and a few of my own!). A lot of these would be wonderful gifts for families with newborns or young children, as well as for a Mother’s Day treat for those special mamas in your lives.

Oh, and of course, if you’ve had a session with me (or would like to do one in the future), why not gift YOURSELF something for Mother’s Day like a framed print, wall gallery, or album?! I’m always just a click or phone call away and would love to chat about a custom session or gift for you or someone you love 😉

General

Baskits-Purveyors of Fine Gifts Owned by a local Toronto mom, this company ships all over North America and has a large selection of beautiful products. They have it all – baby gifts, Mother’s Day gifts, foodie gifts, housewarming gifts, floral arrangements, and lots more. Same day delivery is available.

Present Day Gifts Curated, modern gift basket company based in Toronto. I can vouch for their beautiful packaging and thoughtful hand-picked items!

Gilded and Green Love this North Toronto shop at Avenue and Lawrence – they are delivering this week!

The Colour Field I especially love this North York shop for their modern minimal taste in planters and arrangements.

Tonic Blooms Gorgeous local flower delivery (including peonies and anemones right now!) service.

Jules Baskets Health and environmentally conscious gift basket company owned by a local Toronto mom.

The Rolling Pin One of favourite bake shops! They are currently selling DIY donut-decorating kits for curbside pickup (in addition to other goodies)!

Tonic Living My ALL TIME favourite pillow store (they also sell fabrics and a few other home decor items)!

Food

Woodward Meats Fill in the online form, choose a date for pickup, and they drop off the package in your trunk – totally contactless. Their meats are AMAZING and individually packaged for the freezer. Their 3 pickup locations are the main facility in Oakville, The Miller Tavern, and The

Mister Produce During the pandemic, this company has shifted its commercial focus to include residential product deliveries in Toronto three days per week.

The Box Donut Square donuts made with premium additive-free ingredients. They match the amount in your order and donate it to frontline workers

Greenhouse Juice (free delivery on orders over $65) Not just cold-pressed juices. Monthly subscriptions available! I think this would be such a great gift for a breast-feeding mama or parents who are sleep-deprived and not getting all the healthy nutrients from their meals at the moment

Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers You can’t go wrong with a gift of beautiful spirits – gin, vodka, rye, whiskey, and more. ($20 flat rate shipping)

The Healthy Butcher Organic, grassfeed meats, produce, and pantry items all delivered to your door!

Hale Coffee and Muskoka Roastery My two faves for coffee beans! Free shipping over $50 for Hale, and over $40 for Muskoka Roastery.

Services

Verb Salon For the ladies who are not enjoying their roots right now – this North Toronto salon is doing custom virtual consultations for colour-matching and will drop off your custom colour kit to your door. No more pandemic roots if you don’t want them!

Pikto This Toronto print lab is great for making and designing photo gifts including framed gifts, collages, and albums.

Gift Cards

(not local, but these are always great gift ideas for parents, and parents with kids!)

Netflix

iTunes/GooglePlay (for games, shows, movies, music, apps)

Disney+ (for shows and movies for kids and parents)

Spotify

Do you have a great gift idea to share? Please let me know in the comments! I know I’ve left out a few that I’ve personally used…I just can’t quite seem to remember everyone right now (my brain has not been working at top speed during this pandemic!)

Jessica Nip Photography specializes providing a full service experience that starts with booking your session through to the beautiful tangible heirloom products being displayed in your home. Her style of soft, natural and light-filled imagery can be seen in all her maternity, newborn, child and family portraits in Toronto, Canada. Her favourite images are highlighted on the blog, but if you’d like to see what a full gallery looks like, please send her a note and she’d be happy to show you!