Meals to Bring a New Mother: Thoughtful Ideas

Do you know of someone who's about to have a baby? Are you looking for a baby shower gift? Want to give something useful? Maybe you want to drop by with something after the baby is born?

Do your friend a favor: Give food.

Having a new baby in the house is a tiring experience, with the all-night screaming, constant demand for food and the steady string of diaper changes. Something has to give, and most time, it's meal preparation. New parents resort to expensive delivery, frozen TV dinners or slapping together a sandwich while the baby is napping.

The best gift to give to a mom with a new baby is food.

Here are a few general tips on bringing food to a new mom -

Bring a complete meal, with protein, starch and veggie, so they don't need to worry about supplementing your meal.

Bring a meal, or at least a protein, that can be stretched out across a couple meals, like a casserole or whole chicken.

Most importantly, find out if the family has any food allergies. Most new parents will be grateful for a free meal they didn't' have to cook, but it's another thing when they're allergic to cheese and you give them enchiladas.

Try to bring something different than everyone else. If you can, coordinate with the others so the new mom doesn't get 4 mushroom soup casseroles

Pick something that can be refrigerated or frozen and reheated later without an issue - they may already have dinner plans or other meals to eat through.

If you make the meal yourself -

The easiest way to make a meal for your friend is to double meal you're making for your own family. Box up theirs immediately and refrigerate.

Use disposable trays and containers, so new parents don't have to remember who gave them the meal in the Pyrex casserole dish.

Label everything with contents, date and heating instructions. Add your name and number, just in case they have a question.

Maybe you're not a cook. That's OK.

Here are a few suggestions for those that fear the oven:

Buy some "ready to eat" items from the local grocery store.

Use the services (or buy a gift certificate to) one of the new "meal assembly centers"

Give a gift certificate to a local delivery service

Give a gift certificate to one of the "premium frozen foods" services (like Schwan's or Home Bistro) that deliver food right to their door.