Did guests bring you precooked meals when you had a newborn?

[Redcargidan]

Not an AIBU but a question. We have a newborn baby. Multiple people have asked me if our friends/family/visitors have brought things like precooked meals in tupperware (that can just be put in the microwave) when they visit, that sort of thing.
Nobody has done this and nobody did when our eldest was a newborn. In truth, nothing would be more appreciated right now than a meal I did not have to cook. Is this a thing? Do other people generally do this, or are the people that have said it just expectant?

I am fighting the urge to spend a fortune on takeaways because we are way too tired to cook, and am VERY jealous if other people generally receive precooked meals from visitors!
YABU - this isn't really a done thing
YANBU - this is a thing

The temptation to ask people to bring these instead of clothes that will only fit baby for 1 week when they come round! (Joking but wish I had the balls to do this )

Nobody did it for us

Cook do a 'new parents' box of meals that you can just bung in the oven. Maybe worth a look.

People just wanted to come round and hold the baby while I made tea and coffee and biscuits. It wasn’t very helpful

Not a thing in my family.

Yes I have, every time (expecting number 4) but I have also provided meals for friends and family.

We had an occasional meal
from my mum who lived down the road. Nothing from in-laws who sat down and expected endless cups of tea. I remember months of bunging oven chops and something frozen and breadcrumbed in the oven one handed as I jiggled a grizzling baby.

No family live hours away, so we didn't see anyone. When they did turn up I had to cook for them

For my first, no.

I’ve just had my second and yes, we are getting pre cooked meals dropped off!

My aunty did me an Ocado order of ready meals etc which was lovely.

No. Had a few when we were on hospital for weeks but it died out quickly.

Why can't DH cook? You just brought life into the world. You are the reasons his genetics continue into the next generation. You literally bore his legacy for the future. Make him cook you dinner.

It’s a thing in my family.

My auntie and grandma cooked loads and would come round with meals that could go in the freezer too. My sister would come round with meals when I was pregnant with my second which was sooo appreciated.

I don’t think it’s a done thing though so don’t feel offended if no one does it. There was a thread on here on time where people said they found it offensive when visitors would come round with meals as they can look after themselves!

Two friends brought round huge things of food, yeah. Like 8 servings. That was good. Another friend got us credit at a local healthy food delivery service.

My ex-MIl did

My mum used to (for our first) but no one else.

Have a look and see if they're a cook near you. They do boxes and the meals are really nice x

I did a Cook new parents box, and a vegetarian mealbox delivery service for my two close friends who had babies as their ‘gift’, then a little something for the baby. I knew how valuable not needing to worry about cooking was from my own experience. Have also done Deliveroo vouchers etc. for friends in tough times. Much better than ‘stuff’ that people typically like to choose themselves in my opinion!

A Charlie Bigham meal, easy things like battered fish and microwave veg, jacket potatoes and so on would get you through a few weeks much cheaper than takeaways.

We sent one to our son and dil, they said it was the best present they got.

People just wanted to come round and hold the baby while I made tea and coffee and biscuits. It wasn’t very helpful

This is what people are doing with us and honestly I'd rather just not have visitors.

Cook do a 'new parents' box of meals that you can just bung in the oven. Maybe worth a look.

Thank-you, I will look at this. I've asked DH to do a "freezer shop" for things that are easy to throw in the oven, he is in charge of the shopping but keeps buying fresh meat and I don't have the energy.

My MIL did and it was amazing! Ever since my present for new parents is always food, and it is always very appreciated

Yep my mum, auntie and great auntie did (my mum does this anyway for us every now and then as I'm Indian, but not great at Indian cooking whereas her cooking is amazing). All she really does is make extra of what she's already cooking anyway, but when I had a newborn she did more of what she knows we love.

Also my mum, MIL, and ourselves separately made lots of batch cook meals beforehand and froze them so all we needed to do was get them out of the freezer and defrost in the microwave, then put some rice or pasta or whatever on. Again not much effort went into this, we simply made extra of whatever we were already making at that time, eg chilli, bolognese sauces etc.

Everyone raves about Cook meals, but I got a voucher given to me as a present and found them so underwhelming.

No but i wouldn't want anyone to either. I'm ridiculously independent. And never accept help. ( i know i should etc i just can't)

I have a family of excellent cooks who all love to cook for others (including one actual chef) and they all take food to new parents. I've done it for all my friends when they've had babies, it's such a great gift because standing in a kitchen cooking is just the last thing you want to be doing when dealing with a newborn.

Let me know where you are and I'll send you a hoard of mad aunties with trays and trays of lasagna, curry, pot roast, pies, casseroles, soups and stews 🤣

I've asked DH to do a "freezer shop" for things that are easy to throw in the oven, he is in charge of the shopping but keeps buying fresh meat and I don't have the energy.

What the hell? Why isn’t he doing all the cooking? His wife’s just had a baby for goodness sake.

I’ve never received home-cooked meals. I have cooked and dropped off meals for other people and I guess they might do the same for me if I were in a situation where it would help me. Then again, I suppose it would depend what was going on in their lives at that time.

No, it’s not the done thing in my circle, but we didn’t find it too difficult to cook to be honest, we just made easy meals for a while which was fine. Have you done it for others?