New baby gift - ideas please!

oystercatcher

Another thing that might help, if possible, is to send round ready made meals in the week after the baby is born when Mum and Dad are shattered and have no energy to cook. A group of the young Mum's around here do a rota so someone delivers a casserole or similar each evening for the first week or two. Or for veggie families they delivered a really scrummy pudding each day !
If it's not convenient to cook or deliver you could stock their freezer or send Supermarket vouchers so they can buy really nice readymeals .

Or offer a washing/ironing/washing up service

Oystercatcher

MrsTinks

Oyster that's a cracking idea... is it a "proper" organisation? Or just something local? Was just thinking I'd be quite keen to help something like that round here if there was a network or something

panpipe

Thank you all for the great ideas so far - I'll certainly do some more looking in to the nappy cakes idea!

Oystercatcher - the cooking idea sounds realy simple yet I imagine very appreciated. Unfortunately I don't live near enough to do that, but maybe some supermarket vouchers could be an addition to the basket (or nappy cake?!)

becs

Congrats MrsTine, hope all goes well. Hope we both get the opportunity to prove our sceptical friends wrong! (Don't know why they're doubting me, they're always taking the mickey out of how organised I am!)

oystercatcher

It's actually done by the young mums at a couple of the local churches round here. They often include regulars at the toddler groups who don't necessarily attend the church. Those who have benefited then join in and cook when their friends have babies . It's been going on round here for at least 18 years maybe longer !

Oystercatcher

becs

Panpipe,

The nappy cakes are really easy to make (sure your cousin would be very impressed that you'd made her one too!). Have a look on the forum as loads of newbies on there asking questions and getting advice on how to do it. Very friendly bunch on there. I will however warn you though I started by trying to make one for my friend whose baby was due yesterday. I thought it would take a while to get the hang of it so allowed a couple of months to perfect. I've now been bitten by the bug and have to date sold 8 without advertising and have a spare room full of stuff to make 24 for a charity gift fair in december! It's addictive but good fun.

Becs

MrsTinks

oystercatcher wrote: »

It's actually done by the young mums at a couple of the local churches round here. They often include regulars at the toddler groups who don't necessarily attend the church. Those who have benefited then join in and cook when their friends have babies . It's been going on round here for at least 18 years maybe longer !

Oystercatcher

Thanks Oystercatcher - I'm not on super terms with our local church (on going battle of village vs church authority over kicking off the allotment holders to try and get planning permission on the land, when it was refused at the highest level after several appeals they still refused to let the allotment holders back on the land...) so I hope the local toddler and ante-natal groups might be involved too I certainly can't see myself asking at the church lol (not to mention not being religious...)

Although despite my disagreement with them I still walk my dog in the church yard and more so after we had lead stolen off the roof there - I might not get along with them but I'll be bugg*red if I'm gonna make it easy for thieves to nick the roof off my village church! :rolleyes: It's complicated being me...

Savvy_Sue

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RustyFlange

MrsTine wrote: »

Becs my view exactly I'm entirely planning on using re-usables but disposables if we're out for the day... I'm just waiting till christmas/new year before buying anything as Bean isn't due till May :rotfl:

This is what I did Mrs Tine, most hospitals now prefer that you don't take disposables into the hospital when you give birth but instead use their washable nappy system (the one I had my daughter in used Fuzzi Bunz) I used dispoables for a few months then Begged OH to buy me some pretty pink Fuzzi bunz for our little angel (or devil as she mostly is!) Unfortunately for me she is completely the wrong size and shape ... she has thunder thighs at only 17 months (just like her grandad!) so Fuzzi bunz didn't work for longer than 6 months and we have to use disposables again! Anyhoo congrats on the Bean

becs wrote: »

Congrats MrsTine, hope all goes well. Hope we both get the opportunity to prove our sceptical friends wrong! (Don't know why they're doubting me, they're always taking the mickey out of how organised I am!)

Fingers crossed for you Becs .... Let your friends take the mickey ... I can guarentee that you'll not be as organised with a little one grabbing onto your leg ... at least not for a couple of months ... timekeeping? whats that .... Start today by removing the sink from your kitchen and take it out with you lol ... that gives you a taster of life to come!

Anyhoo back on topic, As becs and a couple of others suggested Nappy cakes are a fantastic idea. I have been making them a few months and have sold in the region of 100 ish I now give nappy cakes to any friends who have babies and love making them up

Oystercatcher thats a fantastic idea!!! Wish they had something like that where I used to live. I was banned to the house by my mother and had to wait for her to turn up on an evening after work before being allowed to move :rolleyes: She still doesn't know that I walked to the local shop the day after giving birth :rotfl:well I had to try out babies new wheels

rainmac

I'd go for a nappy cake too!!! I've made 3 now - 2 for new babies and one for a christening and everyone has loved them. You can make the 'cake' with whatever you like and make it as big/small as money allows. Take a wander over to the nappy cake thread on this board for photos and lots of inspiration!

Other ideas...
A terramundi money jar - www.terramundi.co.uk. You can have these personalised for £2 extra.
A book of vouchers redeemable from you for a homecooked meal, hoover house, clean bathroom, a load of washing and ironing, night of babysitting...
I like the meal idea mentioned above.

Good luck!