Questions for new mommies...

[MommieMommie!]

& "old mommies" too! What items did you find yourself needing, but not having, after bringing baby home? I am putting together a gift basket and wanted to include things they may not have thought about. This is a first time Mom & Dad, with no relatives nearby to help out. It is hard for me to remember what we "needed right now but didn't have" with our first 11 years ago.

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[skuttle]

I had a huge shower thanks to my wonderful family, so I wasn't left without much. However, we did need family to go out and buy a few things. We needed:

Newborn diapers: DS was only 6lbs 7oz when he was born and no one had bought us newborn diapers.

Alcohol and cotton balls to care for his cord.

Gauze and petroleum jelly to care for his little boy parts.

I think that's all we had to have someone run out to the store to get for us right away.

 

[MsDisney23]

An instruction book Heck 19 years later and I still waiting for mine to come..

 

[Kermit]

We had gotten everything we needed at my showers. My favorite gift was a basket of baked goods from a local bakery that was delivered while I was in the hospital. Dinner came around 5:00 each night, and breakfast was after 9:00. Nursing moms get HUNGRY in the middle of the night. I would have really liked it if it had had some healthy options in it, like bran muffins and juice. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get healthy food in a hospital.

Once I got home, the only thing I really wished I would have had was a peri bottle in every bathroom, but that's not really the kind of thing you give as a gift. It was a pain going up the stairs to the bathroom with the peri bottle every time I had to potty.

 

[Bichon Barb]

A bottle of Jack Daniels and a straw. JUST KIDDING!!!!

This may a bit too large, but I wish I had one of those nursing pillows.

But if you did want to get things for mommy, how about things like nursing pads, a magazine which she might be interested in, witch hazel pads, hard candies, etc.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I found that mittens ( so my son wouldn't scratch himself) and a nose suction to be invaluable!

 

[Otto's Doll]

When my new nephew was born, the only thing my brother and sister-in-law asked for was a night light so they wouldn't need to put on the overhead light to check on Levi during the night. I ran right out and got one.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

A plan for Meals-on-Wheels. Several of my friends (me included) are inthat same boat: no family near by. So we organize "meals-on-Wheels for about 10 days. Each night a different family brings by dinner. It's awesome to know you don't have to cook. I always bring everything in disposible containers too, so no dishes.

 

[jel0511]

A "gift certificate" for a night out for the new parents. With no real family close to them, it will be a welcome gift.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

They won't need it right away but some books would be nice. They will tuck in nicely in a gift basket.

Lori

 

[ripleysmom]

Cotton Diapers, they make great "burping" cloths

 

[Pembo]

I second the newborn diapers and some newborn outfits. It seems that everyone buys 3-6 mo and up size. My dd was only 6-13 and wore her newborn clothes for quite awhile.

 

[DD2Disney]

I had the opposite problem with DS....when I brought him home he was too big for newborn diapers, and even some of the outfits (not many) were too small. He was 9lbs 3oz.

I think any kind of GC for take out would be good. I didn't have the inclination to cook, and I certainly didn't feel like going out. However sending DH to get take out worked

 

[MerryPoppins]

A package of inexpensive wash cloths, not the baby variety. They are great for spit up episodes. We used ours constantly.

Also a nightlight for the nursery. It's hard to change a diaper or feed a baby in the night and then get them back to sleep if the room has been bright.

If mom is breastfeeding, a large insulated glass with a straw is nice. I used to keep something cold in mine and carry it all around with me. Also a basket of things like lotions, soaps, etc to pamper mom are nice.

A radio for the nursery. If you play music whenever baby is sleeping, the doorbell ringing, barking dogs, etc won't bother his/her nap. The nurses in the hospital told me this with my first and it worked like a charm! And both my kids are very musical, so that may be an added bonus.

Older siblings always like a book about having a new baby. It always helps if they get a few gifts too.

 

[Mackie's Mommy]

A&D Ointment-- both the plain and zinc kind. It is the best thing in the world for diaper rash.

Although they don't need it immediately, I always include in a basket like you are making baby tylenol, baby motrin, a peds dosing kit (syringe kind), good baby wash, good baby soap, some regular wash clothes that are soft, spit clothes (cloth diapers work fine), a nail kit, a couple of tiny hats (didn't have anything but the hospital hat when I brought dd home), dreft and MYLICON (an absolute must in my book!)

I also liked using the single-use alcohol swabs that you can get near the blood sugar testing supplies. They are SO cheap and really convenient for cord care. You don't ever have to worry about your bottle of alcohol being contaminated either.

Those are my ideas. I am sure I missed something but I can tell you this is one of my favorite baby shower gifts.

Ginnie

 

[RitaZ.]

A cd with lullabies, very soothing for baby and mom.

A fine-tooth comb, in case baby gets cradle cap.

Small (travel size) bottles of baby toiletries, much better to handle than the big bottles.

 

[BrerMom]

We didn't know about Mylicon drops until we had DD. It worked wonders making her tummy feel better.

A&D ointment has a new pump model. It's perfect for bottoms that need ointment but hurt to be touched.

I used my sling almost constantly with baby #2 and quite a bit with baby #3. That's a "must have" in my book.

here's a picture: http://www.attachedatthehip.us/slings.html

I really found the opposite - most of what we thought we'd need, including large items, we could have easily done without.

 

[DISshopkeeper]

LOVE the Meals on Wheels idea. So nice!

 

[becka]

Those little alcohol pads were great for taking care of "little boy parts". I hated messing with that big bottle and that early on I was really not feeling very coordinated and I was always afraid I was going to drop it.

I also needed cloth diapers for burp clothes. I bought a small pack before I had DS but I soon had DH running out to buy more. They became a part of my wardrobe for many months. In fact I had one with me so often I sometimes even left the house with one over my shoulder.

 

[Sonya]

I would have loved a basket with first aid things. We were always running out to get gas drops, tylnol drops, etc. we also got a LOT of things at the shower so we didn't need many clothing things.