What was the best gift you received as a new parent?

[FairyFavour]

Just trying to come up with something useful rather than cute clothes. It’s been a long time since I had a baby so any ideas welcome.

Definitely not buying a sleepy head or perfect prep machine.

But the best was a voucher for an at-home photo session. My big bear was that we didn't have many family photos of the three of us. Everyone takes photos of the baby but having a session together was lovely.

Bug bear!

For DS - lovely blankets, baby books with black and white faces/patterns, food for us. No to soft toys, newborn size clothes and flowers.

For DD - gro-bags, bigger sized clothes, blankets again, nice baby cream/bath stuff.

Things we used a lot when DS was tiny:
Play gym
Bouncy chair
Blankets
Sling
Sleeping bags
White noise (although we find a laptop or phone more effective than a machine tbh)

Things we never used:
Any kind of bath or room thermometer
Toiletries
Comforters
Wipes and nappies (I had to give away boxes of newborn nappies and wipes from a ‘nappy cake’ from a well meaning well wisher as we used all cloth)
Baby bath

And lovely books! I wish more people had bought him books. He’s nearly one and loves colourful rhyming books.

We also took a massive bag-for-life round to our mates who had just had the first baby in the group, filled with tea bags, chocolate biccies, some nice ready meals, crisps, desserts, etc and they still rave about it to this day (sadly no one did same for us! )

Home made freezer meals from my SIL and shopping delivered from my mum.

Thermal mug!

Food. Sorry and I know it sounds majorly twatty, but I've never had anything useful as a gift. The only useful things we've had are things we've chosen ourselves. People's tastes and preferences just vary so much.

A homemade lasagna - I was so grateful I cried!

I agree food is the best thing. Homemade or really nice quality ready meals, cakes, biscuits. There was a thread on here a while ago about a new mum eating apple pie for breakfast. That's the kind of stuff 👌

The jellyfish is a bit better than bunnies because small babies do like to grip onto the tentacles. I’ve seen it in a shop and it is soft.!

But I still say food!

48 hours worth of decent, pre prepped, hearty food. Veggie for me, meaty for DH, toddler size for DS who was 3; puddings, custard; good tea bags, good coffee and posh biscuits.

A 'New Mum Survival Kit' that my friends had put together. It had nice coffee, oodles of biscuits, hand cream, puzzle books, lip balm, snuggly socks (winter baby)... It was all stuff to help me through the first few weeks. It was so nice amongst all the (beautiful, and very much appreciated) stuff for DS to have someone think of the bruised, exhausted, hanging-on-by-a-thread me!

Grobag and a huge box filled with socks bibs and muslin clothes, was used for storing nappies and creams etc, now is full of toys.

The sweetest was probably a little blue jellycat rabbit that ds still sleeps with at nearly six years old

Cup holder for the pram. It’s the one thing I still use every day 3 years later.

For baby, a thermometre - a Brother Max one to be precise. Was an extra that we couldn't really afford and didn't realise we needed, but we used it so much in that first year

For us, an M&S gift voucher to get some nice food! We were broke and tired when dc1 was born, so this was a real treat

Best thing I had when ds1 (now 14!) was born was a packet of old fashioned terry towelling nappies. They were so useful - like big extra absorbent muslins - mopping up sick, extra towels or blankets, rolling up to ‘snuggle’ alongside ds2 when he was in his Moses basket, protecting furniture, putting on the floor when out... and so much more. In fact the only thing they never got used for was as nappies 😂

I bought another pack when ds2 came along and they’re all still in use now! They still have a multitude of uses - emergency hand towels, hair towels, steering wheel cover in the sun to stop it burning up, old bits of towel to rub down sandy legs after paddling at the beach, protecting beds/etc when sick bugs strike and so on. And as they’re old and have been washed so many times they’re really soft. I had plenty of muslins too - and a giant muslin made of brushed cotton that was also brilliant but while everyone talks about muslins nobody seems to mention the towelling option anymore.

My sister’s mil made me a fleece papoose thing that you could wrap the baby in but still pop him in the pram or car seat without disturbing him, particularly if asleep but I’ve never seen commercial versions so that’s not much help!

There was also a toy called something like Mr Whoosit that had lots of different things to do on for a newborn that carried on being used for years just as a cuddly toy.

We loved:
A large hooded bath towel
Nice muslin cloths
Travel blackout curtains curtains
Gro clock
Lamaze toys

My son loved:
A non-washable, large, garishly coloured cuddly toy a neighbour had won at a fun fair. Out of a zoo of cuddly toys, this was chosen as the favourite bedtime companion and has had to go on every trip. 8 years on: It’s threadbare and whiffy but what can you do...

Cake! Was super handy at 3am. Also some coffee (self explanatory...)

My best friend brought me two massive bags of stuff (including the above) and I was so grateful.

Also a little kit with baby olbas oil, baby calpol or neurofen with a syringe suitable for a baby, an emergency dummy (another who swore they would never use them but then had a baby that didn’t settle and the dummy was brilliant), straws and/or a cup with a lid that can be drunk from single handed lay without worrying about the drink leaking or spilling - whether bf or bottle feeding you end up sitting for ages and being able to drink without disturbing the baby was a godsend.
Lanisoh lanolin nipple ointment if they are planning on bf - amazing stuff that I still use today as the best lip ointment and for bits of rough or dry skin. It’s expensive but you need the tiniest little dib of it to go a long way, so each tube lasts for years.
A good box set or Netflix or similar subscription for a few months as you end up feeding and sitting for a long time - so watching tv a lot while you do (or listening to music or podcasts or so on) is a way to pass time without getting too bored when you can’t do anything else.

Star wrap for definite
Also food...meals, snacks etc

For dd1 (born in the July) my cousin gave us a lightweight summer raincoat aged 18-24 months. She said it would seem ridiculous but she knew lots of people would give us baby clothes and she hoped it would be useful. Dd got use out of it for a full 12 months from age 1-2 and it proved itself to be such a thoughtful gift!

My mum got me about 4 months worth of nappies, wipes and wine. The best gifts definitely include a little something for mama

A morrck blanket! dD was born in December so it was freezing, this thing fitted in her car seat and she was snug as a bug in a rug. It was the best present we got and we used it every day for months.