I have a regular gift I give to new moms, easy to make. I made oversized recieving blankets, used double layer of flannel, square it up, serged the edges, stitched two lines of quilting up one way, two lines of quilting up the other way. I was given one of these as a gift when my son was born and it turned out to be so useful to have a lightweight blanket sized big enough for a toddler. We used it for years. If you don't have a serger you could choose another way to finish the edges, binding or whatever.
I also like to give a free photo session at a photographer. Mom can use it whenever she wants.