Help! What food did you receive postpartum?

[Anonymous]

I’m coming right to the source to ask your opinion!

We will be visiting friends who just had a baby, and we don’t want to show up empty *food* handed. In speaking, they casually mentioned that they are inundated with prepared foods and casseroles that they don’t know what to do with because their older kids aren’t interested, they can’t keep up, etc.

I was thinking of bringing either quick breakfast-type foods (bagels and cream cheese, muffins) or protein-rich snack-y type foods (chips and guacamole, pita and hummus, etc.)

In this instance, what would you have loved to receive? Or, what was well received?

[Anonymous]

I think your thinking is good, but I would also think fresh fruit and veggies. A fancy fruit salad and / or fancy salad would have been awesome and very appreciated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think your thinking is good, but I would also think fresh fruit and veggies. A fancy fruit salad and / or fancy salad would have been awesome and very appreciated

I thought this too, but if their fridge is full, I didn’t want to make more work for them finding space for more things that require cold.

[Anonymous]

Some fun snacks and a Doordash/Uber Eats gift card.

[Anonymous]

Maybe bring something other than food since they seem to have an overabundance already. Bagels are something they can buy if they want them, and if they don’t they will take up more freezer space.

I’d bring something for the older kids since it’s usually the baby that gets all the attention.

[Anonymous]

I tell them I’ll pick up takeout on the way so we can all have lunch and ask what they want. Bring presents for older kids.

[Anonymous]

I found it helpful to have things that required no preparation like I mean literally nothing and that could be eaten with one hand. So lots of dried fruits, nuts, granola clumps etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some fun snacks and a Doordash/Uber Eats gift card.

Agree with this. Things that can be eaten one handed and something they can choose.

Either that or something that's not a casserole. My kids are not picky eaters, but we all got so, so tired of casseroles.

[Anonymous]

I had my third this year. If she says she's inundated with food, don't bring more food now. Bring food in a month or two when all the initial offerings have died down.

Instead, bring a new non-messy, non-annoying toy for the older kids that they will have the ability to play with independently. When you get there, give the older kids as much attention and interaction as humanly possible, and if you have the ability to take them (or one of them) out of the house to do something (run an errand for mom! Go to the park! Go out to lunch!) DO IT.

The most helpful thing that people could do for me when I had both my second and my third is entertain the older kids. And it's not even CLOSE.

[Anonymous]

I remember my wife loving some empanadas we made before labor and frozen, because she could microwave and then eat them one handed.

But if they've already got too much food, I'd just give them some Doordash gift certificates to use later when the food runs out.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure how old the kids are but my kids are early elementary and still won't touch a casserole with a 10ft pole. They're not picky kids either.

My favorite would be if someone would take my kids to a playground for an hour and then come back with a pizza and salad and we'd all eat together.

We didn't get much food. I liked receiving flowers and small baby gifts too. I really just wanted company. I was so bored, my house was very clean and DH cooked for us.

[Anonymous]

I echo the DoorDash/Uber Eats/etc. suggestions. One of my friends asked which delivery service we use the most before sending a gift card.

In addition to the food storage issue many have noted, this will allow your gift to support the family after the initial wave of gifts subsides. It also allows you to sidestep any food allergies, which can make it challenging to pick appropriate foods despite best intentions (though perhaps that is not an issue here).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure how old the kids are but my kids are early elementary and still won't touch a casserole with a 10ft pole. They're not picky kids either.

My favorite would be if someone would take my kids to a playground for an hour and then come back with a pizza and salad and we'd all eat together.

We didn't get much food. I liked receiving flowers and small baby gifts too. I really just wanted company. I was so bored, my house was very clean and DH cooked for us.

OP here. I had considered this and offered, but they aren’t keen on people taking their kids in cars, and it’s too cold where we live to walk them anywhere, so that option is out.

As far as providing take out, they have four kids already, plus us, so that’s just not something I can budget nicely, unless I bring pizzas or some other budget option. It makes sense, in this regard, that they got a lot of casseroles.

Kids range in age from 3-8, so I don’t know what gift I could bring for them that wouldn’t be annoying. A game, maybe?

[Anonymous]

They said they have too much food, so I would not bring anything to eat. When I was post-partum, I did not want or receive food from others. I didn't want anything, actually: I had everything I needed. The only thing that would have been nice would have been a housecleaner

[Anonymous]

Why don't you ask them what they want?

If you bring them something they don't want, it will end up in compost or fed to dogs. Ask them.