After they arrive home from the hospital

The arrival of a new family member is always a happy and exciting affair. It's also a time of many adjustments and transitions for the new parents, as well. We understand that you want to help support the new family, so we compiled this list of "gifts" that are always appreciated and never go out of style! Most of these items are easy on the wallet, as well.

First things first -- we completely recommend a Momology Co box that's full of items to care for and pamper the new mom!

And here's a list of the most appreciated gift ideas for a new family once they come home from the hospital. These will make their life during those first few weeks easier, and you can help out whether you live near or far!

1. Food! Everyone needs to eat -- especially the new mommy! Make sure you are aware of and respect any dietary restrictions. She may have been able to devour a whole cheese and charcuterie platter back in your happy hour days, but the new mom may have developed new intolerances during pregnancy and after birth. Yes, this is real, and do not judge!
2. Start a Meal train. It will be such a huge help to organize food delivery for a few weeks after the new family arrives home from the hospital. Take the stress out of food preparation for the family by providing meals from their favorite restaurants, or a nice home cooked dish. MealTrain.com is a great place to start. The website helps you set up a meal calendar and even invite others to participate.
3. House cleaning: If you are very close to the family and something like this is welcomed, sneak in and surprise the new family with a clean home for when they arrive home. If this is too close for comfort, a certificate for a house cleaning service will be just as appreciated. This will allow the family to schedule the service on their own time and will be less intrusive.  
4. Pass down gently used baby items. If you have items to pass down, we want to emphasize gently used. As grateful as we are for receiving hand me downs, having to sift through bags and bags of items can be quite a chore, and those bags often get thrown into a closet and forgotten about. Instead, select only a few items that are relative to the phase that the baby is in currently so that the new parents can easily store them away. This ensures that items would actually be used and not forgotten. Remember: this is about the new parents actually having items readily available -- not an opportunity to KonMari your house!
5. Waterproof outdoor blanket. We all need vitamin D, and being outdoors is just the ticket! A good waterproof blanket is so helpful to lay out in the yard or at a park. Here's our favorite.
6. A gift certificate to iTunes or Amazon Prime. These are good for movies, TV shows, podcasts, books, and apps. Speaking of apps, did you know there are many apps that are useful for new moms and new parents? You can find apps on topics such as sleep, meditation, breastfeeding, child growth milestones, health monitoring, and background sound noises. A gift card to their favorite service can be very beneficial.
7. A subscription for diapers and wipes, or other household items, like fragrance-free laundry detergent, baby shampoo/wash, or paper towels. These items will be on rotation for at least the first 2 years, so they can never have enough.
8. White noise machine. There are several great ones out on the market. A noise machine is helpful to get the baby to sleep during the day when there is a lot of outside noise or traffic, and at night when parents just want to talk without having to whisper. Trust us, that's a thing! I can remember many times when we thought the kids were asleep and it was safe to sneeze, only to hear crying from their room shortly afterward. We had to start the 10-hour bedtime routine all over again!
9. Listen. The biggest gift of all is to listen. Listen with open ears and an open mind. The path of parenting the new family chooses may not be the same path you are familiar or comfortable with, but as a good friend or family member, please respect the family's views. We are all navigating this with the best of intentions. Offer advice only when it is asked for.
10. Listen For Real (an extension of #9 above). If the family wishes to be left alone, please respect their wishes. Not everyone wants to be surrounded by an army of helpers, no matter the good intentions. When they are ready, they will reach out. Do not criticize them, or feel offended if they are not asking for your help. Please just leave them be.

As you can see from this list, not everything you get for the new family has to be expensive things.

The best thing you can do to help them is to listen to what they say their needs are and do what you are able to help. No matter how you choose to help, it will surely be appreciated!