helpful gifts for new mom

boffin

Hi all,

My friend is due a baby at the end of June and I wanted to do up a gift basket for things that she would need for her time in hospital - not baby stuff as she has all of this organised already - but things for herself while she is staying in there - I wondered if any mums had any ideas of things that they found uselful or thought would have been useful during their hospital stay to make it a bit more comfortable (if at all possible). Thanks.

Jotter

http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/labor_ease_kit.html


if she gets stitches they have this great spray stuff that soothes them in no time - its a godsend! dotn remember name should be on site

simu

Food! The meals were tiny in there!

ArthurDent

simu wrote:

Food! The meals were tiny in there!

I'd second that. also when she arrives home it is so nice t have someone make some food for you or alternatively order it for you. The night I arrived home with my last baby my next door neighbour met me at the door with an armful of takeaway menus and told us to orer whatever we liked. Then 2 hours later with babs and other kids tucked up n bed - she arrived in with the taskaway, plates anda bottle of wine - absolutle bliss! Best pressie by far

RIRI

Food for sure. Friends of ours arrived with a whole pile of dinners individually packed & ready for the freezer. It was great because it's a home cooked meal & you quickly tire of takeaways.
I did the same for my sister in law recently & she also said it was the best gift of all

Oryx

For the hospital, travel sized toiletries. A book thats funny, but that can be picked up and put down easily, ie not a deep novel! Phone credit. Hand cream. Some comfortable but great looking pyjamas.

For home, the best thing you can offer is your time, either to babysit, to take mum out if someone else can sit with the baby, or, if you are very close friends, to see the things that need doing in the house and do them.

Nevyn

A throw for the bed and a pillow would be great for the hospital as the pillows there aren't great and there are never enough of them.
A 6 or 8 packet of 500ml bottles of water.
A packet of nipple shields ( if she is considering trying breast feeding )
Hard sweets to suck on rather then chocolates.
A mini manicure kit ( theres little you can do while sitting and recovering but reading doing your nails is possible.)
Batteries for an mp3 player or cd player, there aren't any radios or music in the hospital.
Newpapers so she does not feel cut off from what is going on in the world and if they are the ones on the day that her little one is born they come nice keepsakes.

Crea

If you can arrange for someone to call to the house a few weeks after the birth to do her hair/massage/facial. I found it impossible to do special things like that for myself while breastfeeding so if your friend is in this situation it would be ideal.
I second the food suggestion. Get loads of tupperware and get cooking.

luckat

Get her a clone, so she can get some sleep. Alternatively, give her an IOU for six three-hour sessions where you'll come over in the evening, make her a meal, then let her go up to bed while you mind the babby. Sleeeeeep... the new parent's dearest goal and hope.

By the same token, you could also buy her a nice CD of lullabies or soothing music (Chopin waltzes by Dinu Lipatti, the Pastoral by Beethoven...) that she can put on every night at bedtime, and that signals that bath, jammies, last feed and later tooth-wash are happening. Makes a big difference to having a baby who sleeps well.

boffin

Thanks everyone great suggestions all round - can't believe tho that food was the no1 suggestion - it would have never entered my head!

Just wondering where I would get nipple shields and is there a particular brand name to look out for? Sorry I know I'm clueless!

Jotter

you can get nipple shields in boots and most chemists but dont buy them straight away as she may not need them and in that case they can hinder rather than help. Buy her lansolah (sp) cream instead, if her nipples are sore it should help.
a home cooked meal is lovely when you get home from hosp, i was in for 1 night couldnt wait to leave (not bec of hospital, bec of other mothers and stupid ringtones at 4 am!!) but my mam and dh had the place lovely, nice toiletries for shower (you feel manky!) and the bedroom done up nice, my mam made roast chicken, gravy and potatoes, nicest dinner I ever ate!!!

MarkR

Instead of the cream there's a new one from the same crowd. It's a tape / pad type thing. About 12 euro but seemingly way better then the cream. The Mrs was breastfeeding (had to give it up) and these were very good for her.

Maybe a voucher for a beauty place for when she gets out.

kelle

Thaedydal wrote:

A packet of nipple shields ( if she is considering trying breast feeding )
.

But don't let the midwives see them! They don't approve of them, but I'd have given up breastfeeding after 5 days if I hadn't used them.
Helping with the housework is definitely appreciated.
My "friend" called to visit me after I arrived home with baby. The "Hello" she had for me was why my poor husband was doing the hoovering while I was just sitting on my arse. I was breastfeeding at that time and recovering from my third CSection, but somehow I should have been able to do the hoovering also.
Hope you're a better friend than that!