What to buy a new mum??

[lindseyjane28]

Hi, i am new to Mumsnet and as I am not yet a parent I am after some advice on what to buy a new mum. My two best friends are both due to give birth in the next week and I would like to buy something nice for them as well as something for the baby? Any suggestions would be great.Thanks!

I am 34 weeks pregnant what I am hoping for most is a hamper of banned foods. All my favourite foods are on the banned lists: Brie, goats cheese, pâté, air cured meats. I would also love to receive a couple of nice books not just the baby ones that say look at the lion etc but old childhood favourites that dh and I can enjoy reading to the baby.

speaking as someone who has hayfever flowers are a really bad idea when you have stitches........... thinking about it still makes me wince 4 years later!

We put them in the dining room with the door shut to start with but they were so pollen-y (lillies) we ended up unceremoniously dumping them at the end of the garden

I keep reading this as 'Want to buy a new mum' and being shocked.

maybe someone who comes to her house for a manicure pedicure?

Loads of good ideas on here, so I thought I'd add things that aren't such great presents

1. Flowers - as well as the hay fever issue already mentioned, it is hard to appreciate something that requires you to find a vase, trim the stems, remove lily stamens to prevent the pollen staining everything in sight, and deal with smelly water and dropping petals when you are exhausted and have a baby that will not let you set him/her down.
2. Fancy outfits in newborn sizes. They are a pain to put on, will be puked on within minutes and most mums would prefer sleep suits. I have a whole stack of cute little two piece outfits that never made it out of the packet
3. Big pieces of baby equipment (unless you have asked first). Some things people want to choose themselves, and other things may be just too big for the amount of room they have.