To ask what you would have loved someone to buy you after having a baby.

[mrswhiskerson]

My best friend is ready tomgive birth any
minute and since she has everything for the baby I want to put a big survival box together for her with loads of treats and anything you can think you would have loved someone to get you after you had your baby.

I don't have the biggest budget btw.

A couple of really nice ready meals for the fridge!

I mean, the meals would be for me, I would put them in the fridge....

An all-in-one foundation type thingy. I know that sounds really shallow but we'd already bought a lot we needed and yet no one mentioned the fact that the world and their dogs would want to come and takes photos of glowing mum and shiny new baby. When I managed to shower about once a week some quick, thought-free makeup would have led to far less cringes now that I look bat at pictures. Although post-birth hormones might have led me to thump someone who gave me it! :o

A homemade voucher for a few hours a week of babysitting!

My best present was a cleaner for two hours a week for six weeks .

Can you do something practical for your friend - as others have said, cook some nice meals, do some cleaning .

I had loads of 'stuff' given to me .......... too much to be honest.

my freind made me an IOU card , 2 hours baby sitting so I could have a long soak in the bath and do my hair, she sat downstairs with her, it was bliss :)

Home cooked meals :D

Lavender oil for the bath.
Posh, extra soft toilet paper.
Selection of cakes and biscuits.
Spare sky box (if she's got sky tv). I lost count of the number of times DP put the sport on then buggered off out of earshot when I was breastfeeding. Many tears!
Magazines.
Palmers Cocoa Butter cream.

A hamper of indulgent drinks and snacks to keep my strength up whilst establishing feeding.

My friend made me a home made shepherd pie (sweet potato mash) with bag of leaf, cold Pinot grigio! Delivered it and it was amazing! Can
Still taste in now 9 years later!

Yes, meals

A cleaner - even one session would be nice

A bidet

Nice smellies - shower gel

A voucher entitling her to ask you to take the baby out for a walk at the time of her choosing

One of those sticks to pick stuff up of the floor (I had a c-section, and it was horrendous for a couple of weeks if I dropped anything on the floor!)

Also some nutritious homemade meals for the freezer, so that there was something tasty to eat even when I hadn't had time to have a wee in the day!

Yy to babysitting for bath or haircut or whatever. Best thing ever was MIL taking DS out for walk in pram in morning after first feed so I got another hour of sleep. Lifesaver for me.

I made a baby survival kit for my friend and she loved it. I cut pictures of her, dp and her kids out, stuck them on the box. I made a keep out sign too.

I put mini toiletries in things like deodorant, shampoo, face pack
small bottle of cava and chocs
biscuits
eye mask
scented candle
paracetemol
a pic of me and her on a mug with a tea bag
a compilation of her fave songs
the latest book by her fave author

My sister bought me blue cheese, pate and champagne! Was bliss!

Diorskin nude foundation is a good all-in-one and comes with a sponge in a mirror compact. Takes no time at all to apply.

Lansinoh nipple cream is a lifesaver and could probably double up as a moisturiser

Mini- bottles of wine.

Aw, lovely present.

Really lovely shower/bath stuff. Washing was one of the only times I wasn't clamped to DS, so became a genuine luxury.

Yes, meals. Lovely, warm meals with lots of meat, ready to be defrosted.

A voucher for somewhere that sells baby stuff - Mamas and Papas or the like. A friend got us these and they were great - there is always something you never thought you'd need. Plus, having vouchers to spend gets you out of the house with the little one.

Nice pyjamas/dressing gown. Because chances are she'll be wearing them more than she usually does.

Home cooked dinners would be good - cottage pie type stuff which you can just lift out of the freezer bung in the oven and forget about.

Anything which allows her to have a break - a few vouchers for baby walking, ironing and housework.

Nice liquid hand wash and / or hand cream. You wash your hands a million times a day with a newborn. Space NK do lovely SLS free ones which don't itch / dry your skin or the Body Shop Almond Hand rescue and Almond Conditioning Hand wash.

On the practical side I'm told you can never have enough mulsins.

Other than that I so agree with the baby sitting vouchers and ready meals. Maybe a cake cos you know how many visitors she'll be getting in the first few days/weeks (make it cut-and-come-again cake so it improves with age! :)).

Not knowing what DP/M/MIL are like a voucher for you to get them out of the house with newborn for an hour or so so your friend can have an hour to bath/nap/breath...

You could make a chequebook of favours due, maybe have a word with the DP to include some bits that he can offer her, back massage etc..

Tranquillisers

If I had friends like you guys I would be pregnant every nine months! Btw I too would go with the Body Shop Almond Hand rescue/Conditioning Hand wash. Great stuff. Does she love any foods she couldn't eat while pregnant?

A gift voucher for approximately £50,000 worth of cosmetic surgery and a note that says "it will be okay, one day...maybe"