‘Everything you didn’t know you needed hamper’ for new parents

[Giftser]

Some very dear friends are having a baby soon. I am sure they have the big items and everyone will obviously buy the clothes and nice bits. So thinking of putting together a small hamper of useful ‘everything you didn’t know you needed’ items to save the obligatory new parent dash to the 24hr supermarket 😅

So far the draft list is…
Infacol
Gripe water
Metanium
Milton wipes
Scratch mittens
Mam Air Dummy
Raspberry tea (to promote labour)
Lactation tea
Peppermint tea (for oversupply)
Ibruprofen
Paracetamol
Movicol stool softeners

Any other essential must haves that you cherished pre or post partum?

I’ve never used anything from your list. I’ve done afew of these for people and this is what I put in…,,

baby brush & comb set
baby toothbrush
ear Thermometer
teething rings
bonjela
calpol and ibuprofen
dry shampoo
baby toothpaste (with the correct fluoride in)

The best things I got bought for me and not the baby postpartum were hand cream, an uber eats vouchers and easy to eat snacks.

I was incredibly disappointed that I couldn’t breastfeed and despite trying was not getting support at the hospital so any breastfeeding related items would have upset me.
I would have also like fluffy socks/more snacks and stuff I liked pre baby not generic.

Infacol was probably the only thing I needed a constant supply of
and chocolate

The only one item of your list which I ever used was Metanium which I believe you can't buy any more. Many things on your list are things I would avoid giving to a small baby unless recommended by a medical professional. If you want to make a hamper I would stick to more personal items for the mum and avoid baby medicines - or do as I often do and buy some favourite books for the baby - a foundation for its future library.

See these things to me are handy, but obvious, I thought this was about the stuff you didn't know you needed. The items I suggested were the things that the new mums from my antenatal group were talking about afterwards. Eg because our boobs were hurting from breastfeeding and most of us were having issues with that, or tears from labour, those iced pads were amazing. The laxatives are another thing, we didn't realise how scary it is to go to the loo when you have stitches. I'm not sure I would have known about most of these things if it wasn't for that group.

I also think this is a weird idea. I didn't use most of the stuff on your list and would have found it a hassle being given a load of stuff I didn't want or need. Plus it comes across as really patronising.

infaco, dummies and gripe water are all parenting choices not essentials so I’d leave those off. I ever used any of these items. Or scratch mittens actually, just bit my babies nails whilst they were feeding

I think these things tend to reflect the experience of the giver, which is often not universal. I remember my work colleagues getting me an expensive dressing gown because my work bestie didn't have one when her son was born and wished she had. Which was a nice idea, but I had two already that I really liked, and still have.i never wore the one from work and charity shopped it a few years later.

My go to gift for new parents is the m&s dine in meals.

Plus a Sophie le giraffe and the giant Muslins (Anais or something).

I didn't use anything on that list except Metanium which pp have said is no longer available.
I think a thermos lidded mug is a great idea.

Earplugs were my absolute favourite thing bought for me. It meant I could have a nap while DH looked after the baby for an hour during the day. I would try and sleep while the baby slept in the day but was kept awake by noises outside the house earplugs. And with dc2 and dc3 they were a godsend. Especially as DC3 slept through into 7.30 by 5 weeks but her brothers were awake by 6.30 so DH and I would alternate who got up with them when he wasn't working. No way would I have slept in without them!

Wine - I expressed/used formula from day 4 and so would do one bottle feed at night this meant I could bf at 6pm, have a glass of wine at 6.30ish after the feed, then bottle feed at 9ish and BF again at around 11ish. This gave a clear 4 hours for a glass of wine to pass. It also meant the babies took a bottle and so I could go out at any time and DH wouldn't be left with a distraught baby. BF them all to about 16 months.

Agree, and infacol and gripe water are snake oil I’d have had to bin. Ditto the dummy – really odd thing to get someone! I wouldn’t have wanted scratch mitts either. And movicol from a friend, aaargh!

The more I look at the list the worse it gets, sorry OP – it’s like you’re making her birth choices and parenting choices for her. Just be normal and get some clothes a few sizes on (everyone buys tiny newborn gear). The best thing I was given was a voucher for frozen meals so once my freezerful of batch meals and COOK was gone, I could top up; vs the person who gave me freezer meals on day one and we had nowhere to put them!

The problem is that is very personal. I would never give a dummy without asking for starters, i didn’t want them even in the house and was pretty insulted when a relative bought me one, it was implying my opinion didn’t matter. Medications are not always needed and allergies etc - avoid. Stick to muslins, wipes etc. I can honestly say from your list I used none of them.

I wouldn’t have used any of the things you’ve suggested. I hate herbal tea, didn’t use gripe water, didn’t use mitts, hospital sent me home with a massive bottle of stool
softener & Epsom salts are no longer recommended for mastitis.

A Braun Thermoscan 7 ear thermometer is handy (and a bit of an outlay), so is a water bottle you can drink lying down, an insulated coffee mug with a leak proof lid and an extra long charging cable.

Cook/M&S/Charlie Bingham meals are handy too.

I didn't need any of the items on your list (so maybe it's not that easy to pinpoint essentials for someone else?).
For the mother, I agree with the lidded insulated mug; also her favourite snacks. I found really handy a pack of individually patterned muslins so you can keep track of which ones are ready for the wash. Maternity pads and nipple pads - i remember queuing up to buy them from Boots for weeks and weeks post partum.

I think you’re better off getting them an Amazon/ M&S/ Tesco voucher (wherever you’ll think they’ll actually use it). I breastfed for years and didn’t need or use half of this stuff.

Or if you’re really close to them and they tell you about constipation, nipple issues etc give advice on what might help and offer to get stuff they need at the time.

Takeaway/cook voucher
M&s voucher for nice ready meals
cheap wireless headphones - for when your trapped under baby
a nice insulated cup with straw (like a Stanley dupe)
nice biscuits or chocolate (or even better homemade flapjacks or cake etc)
dry shampoo

I would avoid any of the more medically stuff that you mentioned, it can scare a new mum or come across as really patronising. Honestly I didn’t use 99% of the stuff with any of my children, and I’d already bought it all myself anyway after a mumsnet/google search trying to be overly prepared.

This would have been useless for me and likely alot of it binned.

But things i did actually use
sockons
If planning on breastfeeding a list of l
good local lactation consultants and breastfeeding support groups.
A water bottle with a sports cap for easy drinking while feeding/holding a newborn
A non spill insultated cup to keep a cup of tea warm (klean kanteen do good ones)

I would find this a bit too much personally especially if I wouldnt use half of it then would have to have the stuff around and another thing I would have to work out what to do with it

I don’t think I used any of the things on your list!

I think everyone is different, so it’s hard! Some of the lists above aren’t things I’d want at all. I had stitches but I never used or needed an ice pack, I also breastfed but my boobs weren’t sore, my nipples we’re destroyed, so silver cups were an absolute life saver- I’d never even heard of them before they were recommended!

I did something similar, but smaller, and I bought my friends a calpol plugin, calpol/ibuprofen, a thermometer and some parsons teething powder - things I knew she wouldn’t have yet, but would come in useful down the line.

Yes I have done this once or twice too, and added most of the above, no scratch mitts, dummies or medication though.

I also put it in one of those drawstring sponge bags that you can spread out to find things quickly then pack them all away instantly.

Extra long phone charger cable
Eye mask
hand cream

I also wouldn’t really have appreciated much on the list and would have felt like you were judging my parenting - the fact that you made an automatic assumption that I would be/would be able to breastfeed for example.

Frankly, I had so much baby shit that I didn’t need more stuff. All I wanted people to bring me was chocolate.

Can you add some nicer stuff in there too like a pack of pretty muslins (you always need more than you think)
Don't know if they still make them but I found the little baby gap socks the only ones that didn't fall off!