To ask what's the best gift you've received as a new parent?

[Evaka]

Posting here for traffic. I don't want to add to the heap of tiny clothes for my friends' babies (a couple of new arrivals in the past month).

What's the most genuinely useful gift you've received as a knackered new mum or dad? I'm thinking a voucher for Cook frozen meals. Any better ideas?

It's a bit controversial, but a friend gave us a sleepyhead and we used that for every daytime nap until DD was a few months old (always in the same room as us).

Cook is good or I loved it when a friend came for a visit and brought lunch for us (and sometimes a home cooked meal for dinner for me and husband.) You can get a bit tired of living on toast and sandwiches and something fresh is a treat. I always give a tuppence and crumble star wrap- so easy to get baby in and out of, we used ours constantly.

Cook frozen meals, hands down

An non-tippable, thermal mug that kept coffee hot for 12 hours at a time. At the time I was a bit underwhelmed but once I realised how (a) fearful I was of the baby getting near hot drinks and (b) how often I was reheating them cause I never got to drink one I realised the genius.

The friend that gave me that also sent me a cheese box of all the stuff I missed during pregnancy along with biscuits and chutney and whatnot. Easy to eat without worrying about cooking and really thoughtful.

Insulated and leakprook (so not the fashionable Stanley, something actually useful) mug with a wide base?

There's a good chance that every meal will be eaten onehanded for the next few months, but it's a constant cause of irritation/disppointment that your lovely cup of tea/coffee is sitting just within reach with you unable to drink it because it's not safe to risk a sip with a sleeping, feeding or just prone to flailing limbs around baby in your arms. It also makes carrying a drink at the same time as holding a baby safe.

A kindle paperwhite. It meant I could read in the dark in my bed next to her next to me.

Beautiful flowers. Honestly it was such a lift to look at them when I was exhausted and stuck feeding.

If anyone has given me a thermal coffee cup I would have been delighted!

Vouchers for anything that would have made my life easier - if that was now, Deliveroo would have been a godsend 😂

My friend filled my freezer with homemade curries. That was by far the best present when I had my twins.

A room thermometer. Twins born in December and the house didn't have central heating so it was useful to know to put a heater in the bedroom.

A home made chocolate cake

You all have lovely friends! Thanks for all the great inspo :)

Best gift we received (we lived abroad, away from friends and family) was a chocolate cake delivery - it was huge! So always food!!

Cakes

A large pot of beef casserole. Enough to feed us twice and still freeze more portions. Absolutely hands down the best gift ever.

We had a cook voucher and then another friend sent us a box of brownies. They were incredible and such a treat.