To ask what new mum would like?

[OnThisHill]

Hi, new here and couldn't find anywhere else to post. Please bear with - or redirect?

So, my daughter is having her first baby soon. I would like to put together a box for her - I remember from 30 years ago (!) It was all about the baby. What lovely things can I put in a beautiful box, just for her?
Would love to hear what you women think....

Thank you!

Chocolate and champagne!

Chocolate, take away vouchers, one of those travel mugs that will give a fighting chance of having a hot cuppa, babysitting/watch the baby long enough for a long shower vouchers. ☺

Some luxurious shower gel [e.g Molton Brown], fluffy socks, a hairdressing voucher for her favourite salon.

A nice hand cream & a body moisturiser. Even better if they come in a pump type bottle so no fiddling with caps/lids.

The best thing my mum did for me was come and do practical stuff like the ironing so I could get on with working out how to be a mum.

She also brought me nice smelly stuff and made me tea.

That's so lovely. A box set of dvds, I watched loads of tv when I was feeding my first baby. Nice smellies, pyjamas, chocolate

My parents bought me a teddy bear charm to represent the baby which was lovely. I had a section so they brought me dinner to the hospital so I’d actually eat and big pants cause I overestimated how much my stomach would go down . They also took away washing etc once we were back home which we were very grateful for!

As above chocolates would go down well, maybe nice pjs? Handcream? My hands were a mess with washing every nappy change/feed/ practically every time I touched the baby (PFB!)

Lansinoh nipple cream! She'll love you forever!

A Merci Maman necklace with the baby's name on it?

Food. Alllllll the food.

My mum filled my freezer with lots of home cooked meals for me without which I probably just wouldn't have eaten. Chocolate and baked goods were also appreciated. Maybe a water bottle? I have one with a little loop so I can just carry it on one finger whilst also carrying the baby and associates paraphernalia.

Chocolate & cake, always!

Champagne or a nice English sparkling wine

These were honestly the best gifts I got after my dc 😃

Hand cream, all the washing wrecks your hands. Maybe a voucher/card for a baby-friendly coffee shop nearby. Hairdressing voucher also good, especially if she has difficult to style hair - an occasional wash and blow dry can make you feel a lot better.

Most of all - practical help like doing the washing, drying and sorting (very little ironing except maybe work shirts). Batch cooking and freezing meals. Helping out to allow her to get some solid hours sleep once baby arrives.

Lots of food (all in one meals that just need heating), an insulated bottle so the tea you made 3 hours ago is still hot when you get round to drinking it(!), some wonderful smelling hand/body cream, chocolate, home made vouchers of your time so she can 'cash them in' for you to help with either taking the baby out for a walk, or pushing the vacuum round, or cleaning the bathroom etc.

My mum sent me a box of snacks and magazines. It was amazing when I was exhausted and hungry and needed something easy and comforting to eat.

Oooh what a lovely mum you are! I wish someone had done this for me! Anything pampery will go down a treat, some chocs, a bottle of something alcohol and fizzy, a nice body cream maybe a nice makeup item, some nice socks, a new pair of pj's or nightie? Some lavender essential oil and a little burner, it will help relax her and baby!

Oh and some nice loungewear maybe? I got fed up of the looks from the postman when I was in my pyjamas, so requested lounge pants for Christmas.

Hello

Thanks everyone for your recommendations! They're excellent and some I really wouldn't have thought of! Do you think I should give her the box a week or two so that she knows she has the little treats beforehand? I'm thinking that when baby comes she will be in a fuddle?

@Kitkatsky - thanks for the very specific recommendation. Also, I remember the glamour of nipple pads, to stop leakage... is there a specific brand or just from Boots or somewhere.

I hadn't thought of hairdresser voucher, that's brilliant, thanks all. Plus, hopefully I get to look after baby while she's getting her do!

Snacks and daft mags that don't take any concentration sounds fun too.

Brilliant Mumsnetters, I've been lurking a while and knew this was the place!

I want to make it very special, this is her first baby. We also got the news last year that I have a serious illness and we really don't know how long I'll be around. I am also struggling to come to terms with that. I'd like t do some sort of box for baby girl to have as she grows up. I have a few ideas but if anyone has any suggestions, these too would be gratefully heard. Sorry, that just came out. Please forgive me for dropping that bomb. This is still a happy thread for me, thank you. .... Smiley hopeful face .....

Really nice chocolates.
Some cheaper chocolate bars for binging.
A small inflatable kids pool ring £1 at Asda! (to sit on - life saver!!!).
5 vouchers for "one day/night of sleep" redeemable over the next 12 months.
Her own little teddy that matches one you might get the baby, like a mini jellycat bunny to go with a bigger one for when baby is older.
Some store vouchers for new clothes for summer (loose vest tops/comfy shorts etc) as last years summer gear probably wont fit this year.

Oh OnThisHill you sound like a lovely mother. Sorry to hear you've had such sad news.

My friends mother passed away when she was young. For each milestone (starting school, her first disco, starting secondary, getting her first period, exams, date / first boyfriend etc) her mum wrote a letter and included pictures, books she thought would be good and a couple of keepsakes. You could do something similar?

When my niece and nephews arrived I think the greatest gift I gave was time; coming over to do washes, cook and tidy and then slip off again to leave them to themselves.

Also I don't know if you remember OP that the first few weeks were hard, but it was around week 6-12 that things generally feel impossible and totally overwhelming and everyone has kind of faded in to the background. So maybe make her a few boxes if you have time/the money, with a nice day out for a walk and tea somewhere planned with you to make some happy memories? Or even just afternoon tea/picnic in your garden etc :)

onthishill would you like working on a scrapbook type of gift for her saying about when you were little, what her Mum was like when little and bits and pieces that she might ask you. Like what was it like when you started school, what was your favourite bit about Christmas, your favourite book, up until whatever age. Something for her that she can have and look back on.

Now, I really am hoping you will be telling her yourself but it will still be a lovely thing to have.

It's very specific but it's the only nipple cream that provided any relief to me when feeding. I hated nipple pads as they chafed, but I suppose they're useful? Sounds like you're trying to create a basket of luxury rather than useful tho and while nipple cream isn't glam, it's probably the best item I bought myself in those early days

That's a lovely idea. New mum gifts I have bought are Hollie Mcnish book 'Nobody Told Me' perfect book to read while breastfeeding. I've also bought thermal mugs or those China travel mugs with silicone lids, I love those when mine were tiny so I didn't worry about spilling hot drinks on their head.

Asda and Boots do new mum gift packs of toiletries etc which I have bought for teachers going on maternity leave.

A little food hamper, flapjacks etc. Food vouchers either for Just Eat or there is a company that delivers home cooked meals.

Sorry to hear your health news, I hope you have many years left, but for granddaughter, how about a charm bracelet, you could buy 16/18 charms in advance and then she could have one every birthday, even if you aren't around.

I vote for washable nipple pads. I couldn't tolerate disposable. You can buy them on Etsy.

Sorry to hear your news. Your idea is lovely and I'm sure will be treasured. There are so many things I wished I'd asked my grandfather, how he met my grandmother, why he decided on that job etc. I wonder if you could do a journal with a page on those sorts of things, any info about your side of the family that others might not be aware of, photos of your first house etc... too.

Back to the box - I had a lot of baths post-baby, due to pain etc. Neal's Yard bath oils are absolutely lovely.