Mum-to-be hamper: a gentle handmade candle chest for the godh bharai or baby shower, with no strong scentsMum-to-be hamper: a gentle handmade candle chest for the godh bharai or baby shower, with no strong scents

A hamper for her, while everyone else buys for the baby

At a godh bharai or baby shower, most gifts are for the baby: clothes, toys, a silver bowl. The mother-to-be gets the blessings and the bangles, and very little that is just for her. A mum-to-be hamper fixes that. It should be soft, calm and pretty, and it should not ask anything of her.

Raajkosh makes candles by hand in pure soy wax in Jalandhar. With the gift chest builder you choose 3 to 6 pieces, then a chest style, a ribbon and a personal message, and we deliver it across India. Each piece is charged at its listed price, plus the chest style; 4 or more pieces get 10% off the pieces. The builder shows the full price before checkout.

Why we would leave scent out of this one

Many women find smells harder to bear during pregnancy; a fragrance she loved last year may make her feel sick now. So for this hamper we suggest our shaped candles, which have no fragrance stated, and leaving out Vanilla Reverie, our one scented candle, unless you know she wants it. That is a gifting choice, not medical advice. If she has been told to avoid candles or smoke, skip candles altogether and choose from the list further down.

Soft pieces for a mother-to-be

• Bonnet Teddy Candle, Rs 449: an ivory teddy in a ruffled blue bonnet and buttoned coat. It looks like a nursery toy, and it is the piece she will photograph.
• Daisy Tealights, Rs 449 for 10, mint and ivory or purple and ivory.
• Blossom Candle, Rs 299: ivory, ringed with pink and yellow wax blossoms.
• Heart Bubble Candle, Rs 249 in white or light blue.
• Floral Candle Duo, Rs 649: two peony candles in rose pink and ivory.

Add the chest style to each. All three cross Rs 999 on the pieces and ship free. The last one suits families where the godh bharai includes a small pooja: the lotus and diyas go on the thali, and the blossom is for her room.

Unlit decor until the baby is older

One honest point about the teddy: it looks made for a nursery, but a lit candle does not belong in a baby's room. Tell her it is decor for the nursery shelf and a candle for her own room or the living room, lit only when she is there. Our page Are candles safe in a baby's nursery? explains where a candle can and cannot go once the baby arrives.

What else goes in a mum-to-be hamper

We make candles only. The other things people tuck in: a soft cotton nightwear set or a feeding-friendly kurta, a stretch-mark oil or body butter from a brand she trusts, dry fruits and ladoos from the family kitchen, a pregnancy journal, a pair of soft socks, a pillow for her back. Buy those from clothing and baby-care stores and pack them beside the chest. If you would rather buy one ready mixed box, a gifting site's maternity hamper will be easier.

Once the baby is here, the gift question changes; our page on a gift for a new mother that is not for the baby covers that stage.

Delivery and payment

We dispatch in 24 to 48 hours; delivery is 2 to 7 days after dispatch across India. We cannot promise a date, so order well before the godh bharai and check the estimate for the pincode, or have it sent to you and carry it to the function. Payment is prepaid only; no cash on delivery. Damage reported within 24 hours of delivery is replaced or refunded.

For the card: trim the wick to about 5 mm, keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours, keep it away from where she rests, and never leave it unattended.