HE'S HERE

[Gooseygoosey12345]

My lovely friend had her beautiful baby boy last night. They've not put anything on social media yet so I thought I'd ask here! I want to get her a few little bits that I can leave on the doorstep. I made her a hamper a month back but I'd like to get some little bits for baby now we know he's a boy.

So, what did somebody buy for your baby that you absolutely loved?
And also, what would have loved to/did you receive that was useful/thoughtful/unexpected but loved?

I'm so excited for them and also so disappointed that I can't offer more support thanks to bloody Covid! Not that I'd push it on them anyway of course! But I just want her to know I'm here and thinking of her if she needs anything

These are all excellent ideas. I'm getting a list going

Haven’t RTFT though I have skimmed so sorry if already suggested. If she had a vaginal birth then I highly recommend Spritz for Bitz by the Expert Midwife. I had a second degree tear and I didn’t have to take a single pain killer when I got home. It’s a bit pricey so maybe she wouldn’t think to buy it for herself. The baby bum balm they do is also amazing, I find sudocrem stings my DD when she has a proper sore bum, but that doesn’t.

Warm button front PJs for Mum if she is breastfeeding. And slipper boots. F’ing freezing being up half the night at this time of year.

A lovely blanket. I only ever bought very practical boring ones so loves receiving a couple of nicer ones.

We had our second 6 weeks ago and were given a voucher for cook (home made ready meals delivered) and it was a lifesaver! They do a new parents gift voucher I believe.

[quote TisTheSeasonToEatLots]@Salapandas who on earth buys ready meals when they’ve had a baby? I couldn’t think of anything worse than eating processed crap, very strange logic. If you can’t afford to eat you can’t afford to have a baby besides![/quote]
Haha yes that's exactly how it goes. No one ever has a baby if they can't afford to buy fresh ingredients and cook from scratch.

@peanacat

Haven’t RTFT though I have skimmed so sorry if already suggested. If she had a vaginal birth then I highly recommend Spritz for Bitz by the Expert Midwife. I had a second degree tear and I didn’t have to take a single pain killer when I got home. It’s a bit pricey so maybe she wouldn’t think to buy it for herself. The baby bum balm they do is also amazing, I find sudocrem stings my DD when she has a proper sore bum, but that doesn’t.

Ooh yes, great idea! Think that'll be appreciated a lot!

@BlairCorneliaWaldorf

Warm button front PJs for Mum if she is breastfeeding. And slipper boots. F’ing freezing being up half the night at this time of year.

A lovely blanket. I only ever bought very practical boring ones so loves receiving a couple of nicer ones.

I just bought her a set and I made her a fancy blanket, tempted to make another larger one though!

Ready meals. Not ashamed to say my favourite gift was two Charlie Bigham ready meals. About five days in my euphoria crashed and I needed FOOD!

A hooded towel. Super cute, super useful, can be used for a long(Ish) time.

A sensory box for the baby filled with sensory toys!

It sounds really boring but one of the best presents I've had for both of mine was a pack of nappies. That and wipes /cotton wool. Not so much baby toiletries as I got loads of that and still have it 3 years later but the other things were very much appreciated. Also 2nd what a pp said about buying clothes in bigger sizes, but remember to think about what the season will be when baby is that age before choosing

Meals. We invested in some healthy-ish ready made meals with lots of green salads and fresh fruits . No family near by to cook for us sadly we were so sleep deprived to cook.

A Molton Brown shower gel and moisturiser. Books for when the baby is older - Oliver Jeffers does some lovely ones.
Snacks - chocolate, nice coffee, good teabags. An insulated mug.

Don’t get anything that involves more effort like plaster of Paris footprints or anything like that.

Cook a couple of lasagne for her to freeze and some cakes too. Nice coffee for Mum.

If you’re going to get flowers then the best ones in my opinion are the flowers already arranged and set in oasis so that there is no prep needed.

This is such a silly thing but all I ever wanted was a helium balloon so that I could keep it to put in the baby books. Not one person bought one for us.

These star wraps are fantastic and lots of different colours tuppenceandcrumble.com/shop/

When I had my first my friend turned up with food (snacks), meals, magazines, chocolates and a little teddy for the baby. I thought that was wonderfully kind. She’s thought of baby and me. If you’re buying baby clothes then get a size up as newborns tend to get loads of stuff then once they are 6 months old the clothes giving dries up. I was always grateful for 1year + on clothes front as had so many newborn baby grows and clothes many were not used. You sound a lovely friend btw!

I always buy friends a month subscription to Gusto or Hello Fresh, and nice ready meals from M&S etc with small packs of veg for the freezer. Anything to make life easier for mummy. Maybe a nice drinks bottle like a Chilly bottle?

COOK does some fantastic new parent meal boxes. I think a great idea as after a month or so after baby has arrived the new parent is kind of forgotten about so could you organise for one to turn up in a month or so time?

@Frazzlefrazle

This is such a silly thing but all I ever wanted was a helium balloon so that I could keep it to put in the baby books. Not one person bought one for us.

DH said helium balloon, I have to agree with you both. I never got one either!

Oh this is so lovely. You are such a good friend

Looking back the gift I remember most was some really nice biscuits.

DS got a musical rabbit that he still plays with years later. It’s just a plain looking sweet bunny and when you pull the string it plays a lullaby.
My best present was a friend who delivered a massive box of pastries from our favourite bakery. I pinched this idea and took a big cake to another friend. Just try to choose something that will last a few days.

I would ditch the flowers- last thing a tired new mum needs is finding a vase, cutting and arranging yet another bunch of flowers then disposing of them later.

I found that everyone gave me cute season appropriate clothing in bigger sizes but DD was quite small and by the time she fitted them they were actually not season appropriate at all. I had no ‘girl’ newborn baby grows as we didn’t know what she was so she spent most of her first few weeks on earth in whites and greys as it seemed a waste to go buy things that indicated she was a girl so maybe some blue newborn clothes would be appreciated.