What was the best present you got as a new mum?

[silverstraw]

My lovely friend just had her baby and I want to send something for the baby and for her. My two are teenagers now so I am out of touch with what would make a good gift these days. I'd love to hear what gifts other people received that they really loved so I can steal an idea!

Contigo cup, Cook vouchers and luxury button up pyjamas

Oh and a fruit cake! Some distant neighbours we hadn't really met brought us the most delicious home-made fruit cake. I've never been all that keen on it, but something about how iron and sugar packed all the dried fruit is pp was just perfect. I demolished the whole thing in about a week.

Cook vouchers were my worst present. I didn’t have any freezer space! Ended up using them a year later and wasn’t that impressed. Deliveroo/Uber eats are good depending on where they live and choice - no need for freezer space and can have exactly what you want - I ended up having a lot of Gail’s Bakery deliveries! A bottle of champagne with deli meats and cheeses was one of my favourite presents! White Company sleepsuits (pure white) were soft and well used. I didn’t use sleeping bags until after 6m, but have since invested in a merino wool one and it’s amazing - if your budget stretches to that I would recommend!

Large box of chocolates. Loved it.

My friend sent me some home made chocolate brownies, it was by far my best present and we needed the sugar rush! I was so grateful!

When I was first home from hospital after having DC2 we were watching dragons den and “love keep create” was on, so I ordered a teddy for both children with their first and cutest baby grows with name - dob - and the teddies are the baby weights - since then I have bought vouchers from there for friends.

I got bought a big box of hotel chocolate- which boosted the breast feeding/ heeling !

Don’t know why you’d need a £70 nappy bin when the Tommy tippee £20 ones do exactly the same. The refills are expensive mind you so mine sits unused back to good old nappy sacks.

ds1 is 7 months so still quite a fresh memory.

only my mum brought me food but meals would have been appreciated. Biscuits and doughnuts etc were appreciated for all the visitors (I went early so not prepared!) love the friend who bought 2 hr cleaner wow can you be my friend.

we got so much clothes, blankets and jellycats so I wouldn’t buy too much of those. Plain white vests in all the sizes would have been useful. Also baby didn’t really get many toys and April baby so a while till Xmas so some toys to grow into. If baby due just before Xmas that’s maybe less useful.

hated flowers. No time to change water or see to them, waste of money. Find out what Brand of nappies she uses and bring her a pack instead.

Dry shampoo!

A massive bottle of gin.

I second this, they were an absolute life saver in the first few weeks and ensured I wasn’t consisting on a diet of chocolate digestives.

Honestly? An iPad, DP had noticed me trying to balance my laptop while breastfeeding at all hours of the night, and came home with one. It was brilliant.

I would have also appreciated ready meals - store bought or homemade, whatever!

My friend bought me several of the M&S tubs of rice crispie bites/brownies/millionaires shortbread. They were a lifesaver in the first couple of weeks for an easy to grab sugar boost while breastfeeding in the middle of the night. A good water bottle with a straw helps as well as I had the one from giving birth but I wish I'd had a couple to keep swapping out as it was difficult to do washing up.

3 to 6 month or 6 to 9 month clothes were fab. I've barely had to buy any clothes so far!

Best present for baby is quite boring but it was a a Braun forehead thermometer. I didn't know that existed beforehand and has been very useful (the whole family uses it).

Also very much cherish the hand knitted cardigans my elderly neighbour made (she passed away two weeks after my DD was born).

Best for me was a small hamper with really nice pate, crackers, gin and Pimms in a can (my friend basically bought me all the stuff I missed consuming whilst pregnant so it was very thoughtful).

Practical baby clothes like babygros without legs in a pattern not plain white, or blue or pink, that fit the baby.
A friend got the most gorgeous baby blanket from her MIL who had crocheted it.

My best gift was a packet of chocolate biscuits!

At this time of year I’d get the Harrods or Hamleys teddy with the year on its foot. Plus chocolates, fruit cake or Cook vouchers for the mum

I got some rituals products. It was lovely to have a luxurious shower gel to use for that 5 minutes I got for myself each day.

I also got other rituals bits but it was the shower gel that was enough for me!

My friend sent a box of lovely biscuits! Perfect! Nibbles and lovely treats to get you through the early weeks. My in laws sent me bath stuff and pampering stuff. I never ever used it. Who the heck has time for a bath with a newborn?! Two years later and I still don't.

A slow cooker.
I'm not even joking.
18 years later its still going strong and is used at least twice a week!

The biggest bottle of Baileys you can find

Honesty?! The best gift was the friend who drove a 2 hour round trip to make me a lovely lunch. She brought all lovely things to eat & came & cooked for me. Will never forget that, I was so lonely on mat leave I really appreciated it.

A diaper bag with wipes, a few receiving blankets, Diaper cream and a few other essentials inside. This works well as a group gift as you can then stock it quite well.

A friend of my mums made us 2 gorgeous pies (one steak, one cheese and onion) and a massive iced fruit cake.

They were honestly the gifts I appreciated the most at the time. I still remember how much we enjoyed them 13 years later

Best gifts:
Box of size 2 nappies for baby and a Starbucks insulated cup for mama (bonus points for the mug already having coffee in it or a gift card along side it)

I got a Starbucks/ Herschel collab one that literally keeps my tea hot all day- a blessing with a new baby.

worst gifts;
anything in first size/ new baby- baby was born a little chunk and never got to wear any of it
stuffed toys- we have SO MANY, DS is 5 months and is yet to even cast a glance in their direction

Cook vouchers and I hate ironing vouchers were the best presents ever for me