New Baby food gifts
My neighbors have a new baby coming any day. I often make baked ziti with meatballs, a roast chicken and a dessert and send that over when people have new babies.
What do you send? Send me your thoughtful neighbor energy and ideas.
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14 Comments:
Ha! I got my cousin a fancy coffee basket when she gave birth--thinking that new moms need caffeine after all those months of abstaining (and dads, to help with the baby).
HeartofGlass at 5:54AM on 09/13/08
Definitely a casserole that can be frozen, an entree with veggies that can be eaten right away, and a fruit pie. New mothers have so much on their "plates", there's often no time to cook a decent meal.
I always appreciated anything anyone gave me in the way of "help" at that time, so I always try and do that for others whenever I can.
Brownie at 9:12AM on 09/13/08
I usually try to make things that freeze and reheat really well, baked ziti and lasagna are always at the top of my list too Jerzee. But I usually have everything pkgd for single servings, so mom can toss it in the freezer and not worry if everyone is on a different schedule. I used to also make things like stuffed quahogs when I lived up north, now its just to expensive.
@Heart, Coffee sounds like a great idea, but make sure mom isnt nursing since caffeine is passed through breast milk.
huneybumper at 9:18AM on 09/13/08
^yeah, I should have added that for medical reasons, my cousin cannot breast-feed. However, I'm sure dads will enjoy drinking up!
Although, another friend of mine, who did breast-feed, said that the first thing she asked for after labor was a triple-shot espresso.
HeartofGlass at 10:46AM on 09/13/08
Speaking as a breastfeeding new mom - high-quality coffee is good, as is a nice bottle of wine. :) Casseroles were also greatly appreciated, as was a gift box from Zingermans...
jessie at 11:07AM on 09/13/08
as a shower/new baby gift for friends, i often give a Month of Monday Meals. it begins on month two (after the initial thrill--and gifts--are long gone). sunday night i deliver a breakfast foccacia, fruit and coffee ready to be brewed; sub sandwiches, pickles, and chips, and for dinner charlie trotter's lobster mashed potatoes and a salad with dressing on the side. if mom is not nursing, a bottle of chard. the menu changes throughout the month, and if it's a real good friend, i might continue it longer than one month.
kikihellman at 12:46PM on 09/13/08
I second the idea of sending whatever you decide to make in individual packages for the freezer. In fact, I just did the same thing for hubby's freezer before I left him on his own in Bangkok. Cooked up a bunch of various basics (e.g., pasta sauces, soups, etc.) and packed them into quart-sized zipper freezer bags (about two servings for a guy). They take up very little space that way, and can be tucked in here or there, wherever they'll fit. All he has to do is either remember to put one into the fridge the night before (doubtful), or just cut the bag off the food and stick it in a dish for microwave thawing and reheating. If he had a conventional oven, I'd have packed some casseroles into small foil loaf pans or similar, but alas...
I also remember how much I appreciated having assorted snack foods available when I was a new mom -- stuff I could munch on with one hand while I nursed, or grab in a sandwich bag as I flew out the door. I'm thinking almonds, trail mix, dried fruit, string cheese or cheese chunks, crackers, pretzels... you get the idea.
And, since most nursing moms are always thirsty (never fails, instant cotton mouth the second you're all situated and the baby latches on), don't underestimate the value of something as simple as a case of bottled water!
LoCo at 12:56PM on 09/13/08
I usually roast a chicken, shred it off the bone, package it with gravy in 2-portion freezer bags. Mom and dad can warm it and serve it over a baked potato, noodles, or toast for an open-faced sandwich.
Also some muffins for the freezer, especially bran and pumpkin!
Soups and stews are good because they're a complete meal. Just don't put potatoes in. I've learned from experience that frozen potatoes, especially in broth or gravy, turn into nasty little sponges. Better to microwave a potato and chop it up and add it when reheating.
Mac and cheese with chunks of ham in 1- or 2-serving sizes.
zucchini at 1:23PM on 09/13/08
My chicken and rice has been adapted over the years so that I take the meat off the bone, discard the skin and gristle along with the bones and return it to the cooking juices and then add the rice. What I've done is freeze the mixture BEFORE the rice is added, using a gallon freezer bag and putting the sealed bag in an 8x8 pan so it's a nice tidy size. As it turns out, one chicken takes a standard box of regular long-grain rice, so when the time comes, I can grab both of out the kitchen an take them. The shape of the frozen package allows it to be carried well, wrapped in newspaper as insulation. Pre-9/11, I took a couple with me when I flew cross-country when a grandchild was born. (Not now, of course; I'm sure that frozen liquid is just as dangerous as lip gloss.)
lemons at 4:23PM on 09/13/08
I made a pan of lasagna for some friends of mine who had just had a baby. A week later, dad called and told me I was never allowed to make lasagna for them again, because he finished it in two days and mom barely got any.
buffy at 5:34PM on 09/13/08
Something that can be eaten with one hand.
therealchiffonade at 8:49PM on 09/13/08
I second that.
buffy at 9:54PM on 09/13/08
Man, where do you guys all live? when I had my son 7 months ago, no one gave us anything like this. It would've been nice. I don't recall actually eating the entire first month of my child's life.
DCraver at 10:40AM on 09/15/08
Yeah, I've been on my own too. Anyway, for that first month everything tastes like sawdust anyway because your mouth is so dry. But hey, we're trying to lose weight now, right?
buffy at 2:13PM on 09/17/08