Postpartum Survival Gift Basket

[suzygirlbull]

Hi. I am putting together postnatal survival gift baskets. Is this something you would buy for yourself or a friend? In my baskets are lansinoh lanolin nipple cream, breast pads, tissues, tea tree oil, arnica tablets, hand gel, hand cream, vaselin Lip balm, shoulder cushion, biscuits and Juice cartons. I would put this altogether in a pretty handled basket so you can keep everything close to hand when spending long days and nights feeding! What do you think, anything I have missed? Thanks x

Maternity pads

Chocolate!

My stock answer on these sort of threads. An unbreakable, lidded, insulated hot drinks cup. Also a refillable water bottle with a lid that can be opened one-handed.

Some sort of high energy snack (as well as a box of chocolates!), magazine, refillable water bottle with filter (camelbak style), thin but warm blanket, lidded thermos, mini makeup set (all in one basic number, small with mirror), hair brush

Ps realise makeup isn't survival as such, but being able to check how you look when people descend with no notice is a nice extra. Oh and tissues

Much too personal to give to even a close friend and for myself would prefer to buy my own stuff and choose brands etc. I also wouldn't want everything in a basket, which you can't take to hospital and wouldn't be the kind of thing I like at home.

Telephone, cups like that which hold hot drinks and don't leak are like the Holy Grail! Do you recommend one?

I would neither buy it nor gift it.

First of all, I would bulk buy pads, choose my own creams and oil in the amounts I want. Food products would come in the family shop. Again, in the brands and amounts I want. I wouldn't dream of gifting nipple cream to a friend.

It would end up becoming one of those bounty bags you get with a couple of this and a couple of that. Putting it in a fancy basket helps nobody and in mu opinion increases clutter in the house at a time when you don't need it. My pads can stay in the bathroom cabinet, lotions and potions too, food is handy in the fridge to take a cold juice out of.

I can see why it looks like a great idea in theory but I wouldn't go for it.

Just fill the entire basket with biscuits and chocolate bars. Everyone knows you'll wipe your tears on the nearest muslin cloth and fall asleep putting the lip balm on.

Only kidding - it's a great idea!

Duckdeamon - contigo

Hand cream, nobody tells you how much you end up washing your hands when you have a new baby.

I think there's a Dutch tradition of giving post-partum gifts to the mother in a basket, but it's less about useful and practical gifts than about making the mother feel special and encouraging her to take the full ten days (standard amount of advised post-partum rest in Germany and Holland) off from normal life. I've never seen it, but a Dutch friend told me that her parents and parents-in-law brought her a basket with ten wrapped gifts in, one for each of the ten days. They were things like luxury bubble bath, nice chocolate, photo frame, book, etc. I've always thought I would like to copy this some time! I think the idea of giving something to the mother is a really nice one. I agree with the other posters about some of the more practical gift choices though - I never used either of the two tubes of nipple cream that well-meaning baby visitors bought me (after DC1 and DC2), and I never liked the disposable breast pads either, the washable ones were so much better. So many of these things are personal, trial-and-error choices.

Half of the suggestions I've already got in my hospital bag so the things like breast pads, nipple cream, lip balm and tissues. I've also popped in a couple of snack type items as they were on the list but tbh I have no idea what I'll actually fancy to eat after the event so expect to send out visitors for new supplies...and I imagine others would be the same. Therefore, I'm not convinced the bag in its current format would be of use but would be a money spinner for visitors looking for something other than balloons/flowers to bring in. Are you thinking this will be brought into hospital? If so I am definitely not keen as I'm already mindful I'm not going to have much space for my own and babies bags (but maybe that's because I'm a first time mum expecting twins so I've over packed!) so wouldn't want additional clutter unless it was essential.
I think the suggestions if practical items that might not already be on standard hospital lists would make this a better gift so some nice hand cream, insulated cup, water bottle with a lid, neck cushion, eye mask for sleeping in daylight, possibly ear plugs if you're trying to grab five minutes snooze in hospital.

duckdeamon - for a lower budget, the plastic Costa cup is pretty good. No handle though. Mine has never leaked unless I've turned it upside-down or left it on it's side for several seconds. It's got a screw cap & a flip-up cover for the sippy top. IME at least, it's pretty watertight, & keeps drinks at a decent temperature for about an hour even though it's not preheated prior to filling.

I am on the search for a better one though, as it does break if dropped on a hard surface, sadly. And, as it's plastic, it does retain the taste of any strong drinks - so you can't use it for tea and coffee without treating it with bicarb quite regularly.

Many thanks tmrgrl and telephone for the cup recommendations!

Nipple cream is pretty good as foot cream!

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00H84XQ7K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00
It bounces - can be locked and is so trustworthy I put it in my rucksack with my laptop

I don't think I'd buy one as a basket is a bit fiddly for hospital and I like to choose my own products, I'm allergic to the lanolin stuff everyone raves about
I did go to hospital (prem birth) with no bag etc so probably would've bought one of your packs in the hospital. Easier than trying to instruct DH about it all anyway!

I would like a mini bottle of champagne in mine please

Contigo/avex cup.