a list of things to do for a new mom is my fave

On June 1, 2012 , Christi said:

Great post! (And the pictures are beyond sweet A good friend came over with cleaning supplies and cleaned my house. I didn’t have to do anything but kick back with my little guy. And after she finished she hung around and visited. It was just what I needed.

On June 1, 2012 , Felicitas said:

HI Melanie! My son is 2 1/2 months so I totally understand what your are experiencing… and is wonderful to see your boy grow healthy and happy. During the first month I loved when my friends came to visit us. And loved when my husband took care of little Santiago so I could go to the manicure!!!

On June 1, 2012 , natalie @ The SoHo said:

I’m keeping this list handy. Such great ideas and so simple! By the way, you look beautiful and your baby is awesome.

On June 1, 2012 , Marlena said:

Yes! When babies are born in our circle of friends we do a Food Train on mealbaby.com – bringing over food every other day, hopefully for a few weeks or a month! The “rule” is also to drop it off and not bother new parents who have no schedule. For me, this was a lifesaver, and I remember being grateful to have tacos to eat at 2 a.m. when I actually had time.

If someone has an older child, we offer playdates for the older kid so mom and dad can spend time with the baby. Oh, it’s all so wonderful! And tiring

On June 1, 2012 , Lindsay said:

I am going to shoot a session with my friend and her lovely new baby boy tomorrow. I’ll definitely be doing a few of these!

Thanks for the tips, and hope you are well.

On June 1, 2012 , Haley K said:

yes yes YES. getting gifts for our friend’s and family member’s new born babes is wonderful!…but new mamas need some TLC too loved those tips, especially the night stand snacks. Glad you have such sweet, supportive people in your life Hope you have a great weekend with that darling Beck of yours!

PS – those photos are incredible. love the way he’s looking at your with those gorgeous eyes!

On June 1, 2012 , courtney said:

I’ve saved this blog post from Leigh for ages and pass it along to new moms and the friends of new moms as often as possible: http://marvelouskiddo.blogspot.com/2008/10/gloria-lemays-excellent-advice.html

On June 1, 2012 , Kathleen @ simplifiedpaleo.com said:

Can you tell us what was in the package? A very good friend of mine is due in November and she lives on the other side of the country. What’s good to mail to new mommies?

On June 1, 2012 , Katie said:

Such a good list.

I love Beck’s big eyes in that one photo. So cute!

On June 1, 2012 , Kathleen @ simplifiedpaleo.com said:

dangit I forgot to hit “email me responses” so I’m doubling up on this.

On June 1, 2012 , Sarah said:

When my son was born I was really hypersensitive to my daughters feelings- I wanted to make sure she was happy and felt included so it was lovely when visitors brought her a liitle something too even something as simple as a bottle of bubbles!

On June 1, 2012 , Emily said:

For me, it’s hard to accept service from friends, so when a friend pre-paid a cleaning service to come to my house it was perfect. I didn’t feel guilty for one second – cause its their job, & my friend would’ve been away from her family if I let her do it herself. It was the most amazing gift & one that I stated giving new moms as well.

On June 1, 2012 , Missy said:

I sooo appreciated those who came over and didn’t ask if I needed help, they just did something (like folded laundry or washed dishes or swept the floor or whatever). If people would ask if I needed help, I’d always say , “Oh no, we’re fine!”, but in reality I needed all the help I could get!

On June 1, 2012 , Camille said:

I frequently take my new mama friends to get pedicures, and an occasional manicure session as well. (They love the primp but say no to the polish.)

Congratulations on joining the Disney Baby team! I’m so excited for you! I practically squealed because I love your work so much.

On June 1, 2012 , Melanie said:

My hubby’s cousins all got together and planned a week’s worth of dinners for us when each of our 2 children were born. It was a godsend! They called my hubby to check with him to be sure they didn’t make something we would hate or have allergies to, and then quietly appeared with prepackaged dinners (and dessert!) all ready to heat up. As overwhelming as having a new baby was, a home cooked meal was the perfect thing to make me feel like there was some sanity in it all.

On June 1, 2012 , Eva said:

Best ever was a home cooked meal delivered by a good good friend. Lasagna, a fresh salad and chocolate dipped strawberries! I never eat strawberries without thinking of her and that wonderful meal and it was 10 years ago.
Be kind to yourself, hire a cleaner once a month or more, go to the hairdresser for a wash and blowdry, cuddle that bub every chance you get.

On June 1, 2012 , RM, Home Confetti said:

A good friend of mine gave me 3 hours of house cleaning service. it was so needed!! Now that’s what I give a new mom!

On June 1, 2012 , Kelly said:

I am so excited to see you in 2 days and give you some much deserved spoiling!

On June 1, 2012 , Gaby [The Vault Files] said:

Yes to all of these! My best friend gave me this cute booklet of gift certificates to claim (diaper emergency call, free babysitter for a night, free meal, etc). Thought it was fun and thoughtful!

On June 1, 2012 , vegiebug said:

it’s highly possible that your baby is the cutest I have ever seen, it actually brought a tear to my eye (obviously feeling emotional)!

On June 2, 2012 , carmen said:

Id totally appreciate these little things. Sienna is 10 days old and although she’s been a total champ so far, a walk in the sun or some ice cream would do wonders for sure!
LOL!

On June 2, 2012 , shalini said:

He’s such a cutie! Yes, the first few months are hard, then all of a sudden it’ll fall into place and you’ll have it easier.

On June 2, 2012 , chelsea said:

I really appreciated people calling before they came, for sure. Also staying just the right amount of time (I’m a little high maintenance after giving birth:). Nothing is worse than someone staying too long though, and draining you even more. And of course, food, food, and more food!

On June 3, 2012 , domestikate said:

I always take over a few ready prepared dinners for their freezer, so all they have to do is pop it in the oven. Paper plates and plastic cutlery are good too – no washing up!

On June 3, 2012 , Stephanie said:

When a close friend of mine had a c- section, I knew from experience that the usual hipster underpants we all wear would rub her right on the site of the scar. So I brought her a packet of ‘big momma’ undies. She said it was the best present she received! Ha! (By the way, I also gave her flowers and an outfit for the baby.)

On June 3, 2012 , LaurenF said:

A friend of mine had a baby several months ago, and I’m glad that I actually did a couple of these things. For her shower present, I got her a gift card to Target and told her that I wouldn’t tell anyone if she used it to buy some fun things for herself. I also brought her over a batch of chili after her baby was born because I remembered that, after my grandma died, we so appreciated the food that people brought.

On June 3, 2012 , Emily G. said:

Reading through all the comments I can definitely ditto all of them! Dinners? Yes, please. House cleaning? Can I get an amen? Entertaining older siblings so parents can have quiet time with the new baby? Will inspire a happy dance. I also appreciated it when my friend offered to babysit when my son was a few weeks old, so my husband and I could go out on a date. It felt great to actually put on real clothes and make up and have uninterrupted conversation together. It made me feel normal after weeks of the “baby fog”.