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Original poster

I need some ideas for some USEFUL presents for a friend with a brand new baby.

19 replies

Olihan · 16/09/2006 12:19

I'm hoping all you clever people can give me some fantastic ideas for bits and bobs to put in a box for my bf who had her baby this am.

I want to make a little hamper of stuff that you really NEED in the first few weeks, rather than just give her some clothes or a teddy or something.

I've already thought of jokey things like prune juice, weetabix, a dvd, lavender oil, tea tree oil, but I need more. Nothing too expensive but stuff that new mums have found absolutely life saving in the early days.

TIA!!

OP posts:
Sophiev73 · 16/09/2006 12:21

I know some people on here don't agree but I found arnica really great. Also forbidden pregnancy foodstuffs, such as brie, stilton, small bottle of wine, pate etc??

Sophiev73 · 16/09/2006 12:22

Condoms ha ha

Tommy · 16/09/2006 12:24

someone to come and sit with the baby for an hour or so while I took a bath or went for a sleep - that's what I really appreciated when DS1 was born.

nikkie · 17/09/2006 17:45

takeaway menus

motherinferior · 17/09/2006 17:46

Gin.

I'm quite serious.

Also chocolate.

cece · 17/09/2006 17:48

Cake

Hours babysitting while have a lie down/pedicure/haircut/shopping trip...

Friends videos/DVDs for middle of night feeds

Enid · 17/09/2006 17:50

lansinoh if she is breastfeeding
a homemade cake
little baby socks (I always forgot to get these with my three babies )
newborn bath pad thing
trashy book

livelife · 17/09/2006 17:54

ear plugs & eye patch thing from aeroplane and kids rubber ring as jokes. enya cd for relaxation. yep & def cheque book of promises like doing her shopping, looking after baby for an hour as already mentioned. i def gorged on brie, pate n wine 1st day home.

alison222 · 17/09/2006 18:46

Hand cream for after all those nappy changes
something to read while sitting feeding endlessly

wanderingstar · 17/09/2006 20:10

A homemade meal she just needs to heat up; present it to her chilled so she needn't eat it same day if plans have already been made. OK it won't fit in the basket but I'm sure it will be appreciated. One friend gave me some lovely pampering things from Neal's Yard last time around...it was a while before I got the time to use them but the thought was kind.
A subscription for a magazine ?
A gift voucher for her nearest dept store, so she can add on bits for baby/self as the next few weeks unfold ?

Original poster
Olihan · 17/09/2006 20:15

Thank you, some great ideas here. Will be going shopping tomorrow for lots of bits!!

OP posts:
Bucketsofdinosaurs · 17/09/2006 20:18

Just lovely yummy quick food - fresh pasta and fresh sauces for convenience, fruit smoothies and juice for vitamins, hijuice sugary squash to keep her fluids up, chocolate to combat baby blues and boost energy levels if she's breastfeeding, chamomile tea, posh cereal bars (the ones that taste nice), milk to go in the freezer, crisps (mmmm.) My mum and sister filled up my fridge before I came home with my first, it was WONDERFUL.

MuddyMum · 17/09/2006 20:41

I got really thirsty and never found the energy for making tea or a glass or water never enough: fruity water or just fruit juice was a godsend.

helsy · 17/09/2006 20:53

A bag of food from M and S (ready sauces/pizzas)
A voucher from you for two hours' babysitting

mazzystar · 17/09/2006 20:54

touche eclat

pollydoodle · 17/09/2006 21:34

How about making up a single page with all the useful numbers/urls on that you might need when you first come home with a new baby. Thing that made me think of this is that I had real problems breastfeeding the first few days and had no support from midwives. Was getting so worried about ds getting so scrawny that I ended up calling the nct breastfeeding help line - who were great and helped a lot. But it took me ages to find their number. Could you have things like breast feeding help lines, nhs direct, their doc's number, health visitor, local sure start scheme, any mother and toddler group info, chinese take away, food delivery, etc etc. And if you don't know something that is specific to them but you know would be useful, then list it but put a space next to it for them to fill in.

Also:

  • a dummy and a dummy saver clip - I know lots of people are against dummies but if you have a screaming baby at 3am and you don't know what to do, it does help some babies (I'm a convert!). Dummy saver clips are great if they do end up using the dummy - and if not they hold other stuff close too which can be handy.

  • hooks to go over pram to carry shopping. - thebabycatalogue.com/co.uk (sorry, can't remember which) do some good ones.

  • mothercare do a bottle that you can sterilise by itself in the microwave. it's ready in about 90 seconds if I remember correctly, no need for a big steriliser and waiting around. I know they only take a few minutes but again, when there is a screaming baby they are very quick and easy. They are also very handy if you go out and about or to stay with people - you can just take a bottle with you and not have to worry about lugging a steriliser around. And even if people are planning on breastfeeding, very handy to have a bottle around in case of expressing milk (oh yes, how about expressing bags to freeze extra milk?) or later on for water.

  • one of those small syringes you get from the chemist to give medicine rather than having to use a spoon

  • list of all those little things you pick up from other people with babies but never read about, different things to stop a screaming baby, things to check you have with you when you start to leave the house, things to do with a colic-y baby, how you know baby still has wind etc

  • small tube of stuff to stop really strong nappy rash, rather than the usual nappy cream

  • small tube of boots basic aqueous cream, useful if baby has dry skin (or mother!)

oops, looks like I got a bit carried away there. let us know what else you put in there in the end!

Original poster
Olihan · 17/09/2006 21:39

Fantastic idea with the phone nos Polly. Was going to put a huge label on the top with WWW.MUMSNET.COM on it cos I really wish I'd known about it when I had ds and dd but all the numbers are a great idea.

Am going to print this thread and take it to the shops with me!!

OP posts:
Pruni · 17/09/2006 21:42

Message withdrawn

pollydoodle · 17/09/2006 22:02

Seeing Pruni's post just made me think of a couple more things...

  • a forehead thermometer (somebody on mumsnet once posted a link to a place that was a dr's supply website that did good ones very cheaply, much more cheaply than boots/tesco etc but I have lost it. and am now stuck with an ear thermometer that ds really doesn't like, hoping that he won't get a temperature until he is a bit older and understands 'hold you head still!)

  • a calendar that starts on the month the baby is born (and that goes through to the same month the next year, to get in the baby's first year) to make it easy to mark in milestones (and include ideas! - eg changing nappy size, down to 5 feeds a night, slept for 4 / 5/ 6 etc hours in a stretch, first smile, first tooth etc). I never managed it with ds but a few months after he was born one of the baby mags had a free one of these they gave away with the mag, which I gave to a friend and once it was hung up it was really easy to keep updated. It came with stickers which made it even easier and i think that some specialist baby shops might do them, but it's pretty easy to print off a basic month per page calendar from the computer.

  • look at the newsagents to see if there are any good baby magazines - sometimes they have handy little giveaways on the front.

  • match sticks to prop tired eyelids open

ok I really am stopping now!

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