If you have just had a baby, would you rather…

[SoLuckyToHaveYou]

receive a bouquet of flowers or a plant? I intend to get another gift for the baby as well. Please help me out because I am a chronic ditherer 🤷🏼‍♀️

I received numerous bouquets when I had my first - all were lovely. The gifts that brought tears to my eyes in gratitude were meals. A homemade, one-pan dinner for the family or any sort of frozen meal was the real treat. I received one cake and it was enormously appreciated.

We are all different I guess ! It's quite a few years since I had my last baby so maybe I've blanked this out. I remember not liking people bringing meals though, as I wanted to cook myself, and meals are always suggested on here.
Same with a bereavement, yes you get a lot of flowers, but I just went out and bought a load of vases 😂

Neither. I normally love flowers and plants.
When we'd just had DD, DH's employer sent us a (very big and very fancy and very beautiful) bouquet of flowers - I hated it because it was more stuff to do - finding a vase, cutting down the branches, putting it in the vase. It's not a lot of work but after zero sleep for several days it was really the last thing I wanted to do.

I would have appreciated eg vouchers for meals (ready made ones, not ones that involved prep) or other practical gifts. Even toiletries, unless sprits for bits or some such, would have been pointless as I didn't even have time for a shower most days (maybe a 5min one with DD screaming the entire time).

If those are the only options, I'd go for an easy-to-care-for plant. But personally I'd rather have chocolates or sweets or a box of biscuits.

Oh god if it was me I would just want things that would help me and/or make me feel better - my list would have been a ton of homemade food and meals to stuff in the freezer, someone to come and tidy and clean the house, someone to do laundry, change bedding... I was an absolute wreck for a whole year afterwards and although flowers are very nice they don't help your life much. Some pampering like body lotions, oils etc are also nice but if that had been me they'd have been left in a drawer and forgotten about for the whole year. If you can, just offer your time - to help and support. That means more than anything else!

Neither. I wouldn't really have noticed they were there.

I recommend Biscuiteers delivery by post of a baby-themed tin of biscuits.

Yeah each to their own. I don’t think many people want loads of vases or have room, or want to spend money on them. And i certainly didn’t want to cook my own meals after not sleeping for several days and recovering from c sections lol.

A bunch of flowers is fine if you get one or two max, but it seems to be many people’s first thought.

Well yes, not straight away after a c section; I could barely stand up! Maybe a just eat voucher is the winner.

Omg yes. My best gift in my first mat leave was my friend bringing her home-made vegetarian indian food round for me. So tasty. This time, I was lucky enough to be gifted the Cook new mum ready meals. They were so useful.

Definitely neither !!! Chocolate or biscuits or a take away or coffee voucher

I am a great believer in Meg rivers biscuits

I think graze do snack pack thing

Or a cook voucher (as in frozen ready meals)

thermos suggested above sounds good

flowers really are annoying (sorry op!) and even a plant is a thing you gotta do

Neither , I’d rather have a nice box of biscuits .

I’m with the “neither” crowd, but have hayfever so generally don’t want either in my house.

Also your house becomes full over baby stuff all over the place and flowers/plants just add to the clutter.

Food is always a winner.

Neither :-/ I was given a potted plant when I had my most recent baby. I really appreciated the sentiment and thought it was very kind but it blended into the furniture about 0.01 seconds after I saw it. I was struggling so much with breastfeeding and recovering from a c section that I sadly feel like it was a total waste. The next time I looked at it , the leaves were all wilting and sad and I felt bad, which was something else for me to struggle with! So while it was a lovely thought, it was gobbled up into the ether very quickly.

This.

Neither.
I’d appreciate something that requires no work my side ( food?)
And I usually love flowers ( keen gardner!) but not when I’ve just had a baby

I’d love a voucher to order a takeaway! Is that a thing?

Plant, but ideally I'd prefer snacks or chocolates (if you know they don't have any dietary restrictions) or a nice box of herbal teas etc. Something consumable!

Neither 😬

Nah, you’d appreciate it but you’d be annoyed at flowers. Well I was.

Flapjack - amazing if she’s breast feeding.

The best gift I had was my best friend coming over, making me lunch, holding the baby whilst I ate it, clearing up and then plated my dinner and left it in the fridge before she left. DH was in the forces, so was back working away after 2 weeks, this was so helpful and thoughtful.

Omg were the people who sent you those rose plants parents themselves? Can't imagine a worse gift to new parents...

Neither. No extra things to look after. I'd like handcream or bath oil or chocolate.

I had flowers sent when I had a new baby and they were wasted on me tbh. It was another thing to care for. I'd send something pampering or edible like yummy chocolates or bath stuff.

Really though surely you would. You'd think 'how nice of them to send a gift'.

It was my mum and I thought "Great, another bloody thing for me to look after."

Send food. Food that requires no prep.