Buying a tradional gift

I Japanese friend of mine here in Australia is about to have a baby and I would like to buy her a traditionalgift to make her feel more at home. WHat is tradionally given to new mothers in Japan?

Cash is usually given in a traditional envelope used for cash gifts. Seems appropriate in Japan, but may not be for you.

As a Japanese mom, I can't really recall many people giving cash in these kind of situations. Actually though, I can't recall anyone of any country giving "traditional" gifts for new mothers, be it traditionally Japanese or traditionally Western. Even if there was a traditional gift, I'm not sure if the mother will really feel at home just by receiving it; normally women are not familiar with baby items until she has her first baby.

That said, I can think of traditional toys such as den-den-taiko which is a special tiny drum that babies just a few weeks old may be able to respond to. But I'm not sure if they are available in Australia.

Typically, people here send things like tiny Teddy bears or light cloth balls or tiny wooden cars or cute little shirts or bibs, which all usually come in modern universal designs.

Maybe it's a Japanese countryside traditon. This information also comes from a Japanese mom living in Japan.

Thank you ladies for your help. Mum and baby care products are what my wife and I would normally give here in Australia. I will perhaps look for some care products and slip in an envelope with cash, hopefully this will cover both Australian and Japanese tradition. Again Thank you

At the risk of putting my 2 feet in my mouth I would suggest that you ask her what is it that she would really like. She might enjoy getting help around the house or moral support,especially if it is her first child (my mom told me that the first month she panicked both if a made a noise or if I had not made a noise for a while!)rather than a gift or she might like something for her rather than for the baby.

Moms usually stay with their own moms for a month after their child's birth. Some support might be appreciated.