What would you put in a new parent's survival hamper?

[MagpieTree]

Friends of mine are expecting their first baby soon and I would like to put together a hamper for them. What would you include? Thinking useful things as well as treats.

I put lots of nice food for my friends. Lovely choc, tea, nice cheese, crackers. Maybe even a voucher for Cook or something. I think food is key.

Infacol
Cotton wool balls and baby sponges - things they might not have thought of.
some 3-6m vest. I had so much 0-3 but barely any 3-6
Chocolate and biscuits lovely idea especially for BFing mums.

The biggest tub of Sudocrem you can buy.

I really only wanted baby stuff at that stage, but nice food to eat at home would have been welcome. Things we were given and definitely didn't want were babysitting vouchers, champagne (I was tired enough without adding alcohol to the equation), pampering stuff (just no interest at all at that time), frozen food (very limited freezer space).

The best things really were practical baby clothes, cuddly toys (not much use at first but the DCs like knowing they had them from birth), other early stage toys.

Wtf is a nappy cake?

Also Infacol is, at best, a placebo.

A malt cake is a bunch of folded nappies that look like a cake.

Wow, it’s a thing

but, but, but... there's no cake!?! It's just a load of nappies!

My very best present when DD was born was an amazing (real!) cake from a posh cake shop. It was a huge, flat, rectangular chocolate and cherry cake which I think they normally sold by the slice, and my friends had the whole thing delivered. Whenever I was up in the night breastfeeding and starving, or couldn't manage to fix food in the day when DH wasn't there, I had some - and the world became a better place.

I’ve just given Cook vouchers - new parents get so much stuff for the baby but need things for themselves. My friends were very pleased to have the vouchers so they could have proper, easy but lovely food delivered.

Exactly Parker231 I want to give the something to make pn life a little easier. Definitely thinking cook vouchers and maybe a graze box delivery.

Is there a delivery charge with Cook? Or a minimum order? I'd check out how
much freezer space they have before giving vouchers. OTOH if there'a a stockist local
to them that they can pick up from that would be easier.

Uber eats or just eats vouchers. For the nights when they’re too tired to cook!

www.cookfood.net/vouchers/

Minimum voucher order £10. We love Cook meals and I order them when friends or family come for dinner.

Cook vouchers, tubs of luxury crisps, rice cakes, Graze snacks etc for keeping everyone’s strength up.

I loved getting gin as presents after the baby

Another friend gave me a selection of lush bath bombs and hand cream which were very welcome

Nice cosy socks for the new mum for time out of bed at night too maybe?

Ear plugs - not so they are deaf to the baby’s distress, but it does at least take the edge off.

If you are nearby, drop a decent homemade cake round. Even if they don’t eat it, they’ll have something to offer to visitors - of which there are likely to be many!

Ah my nan made me cakes best grab food ever

Haemorrhoid cream
Bottoms up spray www.boots.ie/natural-birthing-company-bottoms-up-soothing-bottom-spray-100ml-10248550
Nipple Compresses
Mama Mio nipple balm

Redbull and ibuprofen , I remember asking my mum to bring these over when my milk came in as my husband had gone back work that day.

Also , my friend sent over a lovely mini cake hamper that came with a toy for the baby. Great for night feeds.

Wine
Tea
Some really nice crisps
A salami
Blanket like a massive one for them
Extension cable
Room spray or a candle
Pack of writing paper and envelopes and stamps so they can write any obligatory thank you letters

The best things we've been given are Cook delivery, Chef on Board voucher, Gail's Bakery lunch delivery (including a MASSIVE and delicious chocolate cake).

I would have been weirded out had anyone given me lube!! And irritated with cluttery things like hand cream and herbal tea, or random baby stuff like cotton wool and nappy cream, which we're swimming in. Assume they're not completely unprepared!

Food, food, food. The easier the better. Brownies! Or offer to do a supermarket shop.

This is so thoughtful OP 😊 Another vote here for food! Vouchers or ready meals and some lovely snacks - chocolate biscuits are always a winner!

Personally I'd say don't get creams etc as a lot of people might have the same idea - I have seven bottles of posh shower gel, three shower oils (not entirely sure what that even is) and multiple moisturisers! I'm obviously very grateful that my lovely friends thought to get me gifts but would have been just as happy with a multipack of Jaffa Cakes

Takeaway vouchers or similar, but check what works for them. Just eat and the like are rubbish if you’re more rural.

Personally I love the American food train but I know MN hate American ideas like that.

Maybe a bit niche, but I wish I had more bedding for my bed. The milk sweats are horrific and a total surprise. More bedding would have made it easier to get the bed changed more frequently.

I’d happily accept flowers and booze, but don’t particularly care about luxury bathroom products (it’s not like I have the time to luxuriate in the tub).

If (and only if) you’re close and you know breastfeeding is going ok maybe a voucher for a decent feeding bra. I struggled to buy stuff like that that was solely for me given I wasn’t earning anything.

Newborn/family photo vouchers. Expensive but you may find a reasonable deal locally

I gave birth on Thursday. The best presents so far:

• the bottoms up spray linked up thread. My sister gave me the set for xmas and oh how I laughed. I wish I had several bottles now for each bathroom and one for the fridge for emergencies. Its amazing
• sleepy roll on oils from Neil's yard
• mini bottle of wine
• burts bees baby toiletries. Smell so good
• Mil holding him in the garden for an hour while I ate my breakfast leisurely and in silence
• not a present but our Amazon prime and ocado sunscriptions have been amazing. Realise we've run out of something or we didn't think of something - it can be delivered tomorrow.

We wouldn't have used cook vouchers or the like. No space in the freezer and we both enjoy cooking from scratch! We also already have Netflix, Amazon prime and now so do check if you do so.ething like this.

I would LOVE a few hours of a cleaner. I genuinely cannot think of anything I'd like better.

An actual cake would be far better than a nappy cake.
I needed sugary stuff I could snack on at night to keep me going.

I wouldn’t personally do babysitting vouchers as not everyone would want to leave a baby any time in the first months or longer and it might feel a bit like a hint of a judgement (ie you should be leaving the baby etc). Unless you know that they would appreciate that, that is.

Zagazoo by Quentin Blake

A brilliant book about family life and how children grow up. Hilarious and one their child will enjoy too.