
What every new Mum wants after having a baby (and no, it’s not flowers)
Picture this. You’ve just had a baby. You’re home from hospital. All you want to do it sleep, rest and bond with your newborn baby. At the same time you’ll be bombarded with gifts for the baby, and flowers for you. You’ve already got a baby to look after, and the last thing that you want is to look after a million bunches of flowers. Don’t get me wrong flowers are lovely, but I know that I personally would prefer food and sleep, rather than having something else to care for. So here’s my ultimate list of what every new Mum wants after a having a baby.
Sleep
This is by far the most important thing a new Mum could want or ask for. It’s hard work delivering a baby, and if they have spent a few days in hospital they are likely to not have slept at all. So help a new Mum out by offering to watch the baby for a while whilst Mum takes a nap. She will thank you for it, and feel so much better for it. It’s also really important for her sanity to rest as much as possible too!
Food
Before I had my first baby, I spent hours batch cooking and freezing. This was an absolute lifesaver, and meant that I didn’t have to worry about what to cook for dinner when you’re sleep deprived with a baby who won’t stop feeding. Any new Mum would be extremely grateful if you prepared a home cooked meal for them, purchased them a one off food delivery, or bought a couple of meals from companies such as Hello Fresh or Gousto.
Alcohol (wine or gin)
Now I’m not encouraging drinking here, but someone who has just had a baby may love a glass of wine or a G and T. Remember they have had 40 weeks of not drinking, and I’m sure that they would really appreciate this gift. You could get them a wine or gin subscription, or send them a bottle of prosecco in the post from one of the many mail order companies. Whatever you get them, they are bound to appreciate it, and will be toasting the little one’s arrival.
Tell her she’s doing ok
Any new Mum or first time Mum will worry about everything. They will worry that the baby is not getting enough food, is the baby getting enough sleep, be feeling bad about giving a formula top-up, or worrying that they may never sleep ever again. The last thing that you can do is criticise any new Mum, remember that they are full of hormones, and any negative comment has the ability to do more than it’s worth. So give a new Mum a break, and tell her that she is doing great!
Chocolate
There really is nothing better than chocolate, and when I had my daughter I received chocolate in the post from two of my friends. They sent it as they found it a god send when they had their children. If the Mum is breastfeeding they need all the food and calories that they can get, and chocolate is an easy thing to eat if they have a sleeping baby in their arms. Don’t worry about buying this for a new Mum, and don’t worry that it’s not the most healthiest of gifts, I can guarantee that they will appreciate it.
Someone to do the household chores
As a new Mum three years ago, I really worried about the house being a mess. I know for certain that I did too much too soon, especially because I had a C-Section. I remember emptying the dishwasher and doing the washing the day after getting home from hospital. One of the best things you can do to help a new Mum is to offer to do the washing, ironing, hoovering. It will take away their worry about having a messy home, and make life at home a little easier for them.
Good book or magazine
You may think that they won’t have time to read with a newborn. However it is likely that they will be spending hours feeding and sitting on the sofa. So get them a good book or a cheesy magazine to read, and it will definitely help them to while away the hours, instead of binge watching NetFlix.
Having had my daughter three years ago, I know what I would love to receive after having a baby, and I hope that this list has given you inspiration for a gift, or help to offer a new Mum. If you’re stuck for ideas the team at Don’t Buy Her Flowers also provide a range of brilliant gifts for a new parent.
Is there anything else that you would like to see on this list?
Claire x


7 Comments
Fran Back With A Bump
Great ideas and definitely agree that help round the house or someone cooking dinner is better than flowers! That said flowers are nice, but they don’t make the house clean!! #ablogginggoodtime
Kayleigh (Mini Human Resources)
OH the wine! And YES someone doing the chores. To be fair when I had my third we were halfway through an extension (we literally had no kitchen on they day we arrived home from hospital) and it was a total nightmare- all I wanted was to go back to hospital!! #ablogginggoodtime
Tubbs
All of those sound prefect 🙂 Although if you are planning to send wine or Gin, check they’re drinking as a few of my breast feeding friends didn’t. Their other halves were though so they appreciated the wine!
fancypaperblog
Sleep and cake.
Laura: Adventures with J
Agree with these absolutely! Sleep, chores and chocolate were my top 3 gifts received! #ablogginggoodtime
Catherine
Oh yes!! Defiantly food and some chores! We did the batch cooking thing which was great but it was lovely when we had a few meals dropped off too! Flowers are lovely but a good meal beats that hands down!
Buheri
I agree with you 100% I read the alcohol part and I was like “You just read my mind” and someone to help with the house chores so that you get time to rest as well