I recently had my 4th child and was blessed by my community around me. A friend at my church set up a meal train for me and so many people signed up to bring me food. If you have a friend who is about to have a baby offer to set up a meal train for them or ask if they need anything specific. It’s amazing to be able to bless a new mom.
Related: Gift Basket For A New Mom
Here Are Some Meal Ideas:
- Yellow curry
- Sweet potato curry
- Beef stew
- Shepherds pie
- Chicken soup
- Mac & cheese
- Chicken enchiladas
- Breakfast fried rice
Pair each dish with bread, veggies, and a dessert to make a complete meal.
Some Desert Ideas:
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Rocky road fudge
- Brownies
- Ice cream
Make sure to ask if there are any allergies or food preferences.
Check out this post about how to give containers with your meal.
Some things breastfeeding moms may need to avoid:
- Dairy
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Spicy food
Some foods that can help milk supply:
- While grains
- Sweet potato
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Nuts
- Leafy greens
- Ginger
- Papaya
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseed
Other Ways To Bless A New Mom
Here are some other ways my friends, family, and church community blessed me as a new mom.
Cards
It was so thoughtful of my friends and church family to include a card with congratulations and words of encouragement. I like to add cards I get after birth to the beginning of my baby’s book.
Breakfast items
Muffins, breakfast burritos, or a quiche were thoughtful items to be given so I didn’t even need to think about breakfast the next morning in the chaos of nursing a new baby and throwing food at my older kids.
Treats
I have a definite sweet tooth and receiving treats was such a treat! Some things that I received were cookies, cupcakes, and chocolates.
Homemade mixes
If you can make some mixes for the mom to whip up later on that can be so helpful. Some ideas are brownie, pancake, hot chocolate, or cookies. Be sure to include instructions.
Freezer meals
This could be instead of a fresh meal or in addition to a fresh meal. Often new moms have lots of fresh meals in the first few weeks so a freezer meal they can pull out later on can be a blessing in the later weeks when less fresh meals are being delivered.
Gift card
Someone gave us an Amazon gift card which was so thoughtful especially because this is our 4th kid so it’s really hard to get baby things for us that we don’t already have. You could even include a gift card for DoorDash or grub hub.
A baby blanket
My aunt makes each of my kids a beautiful baby quilt. My husband’s great aunt often makes them a crochet blanket, and especially with my first, I received many thoughtful baby blankets. Sometimes a soft lap blanket for the mom can be a great gift instead.
Thoughtful touches:
Butter & jam with bread
Just incase someone doesn’t have any jam or butter to use with their bread, jam was such a thoughtful addition and I was given a very tasty peach jam.
Snack items
Aussie bites, or lactation snacks are great to help with milk supply. Chips and other one handed snacks are wonderful for when you are stuck nursing but need to eat something.
Paper plates
Less dishes for a new mom- need I say more?
A basket to keep
One friend had everything in a plastic basket for me to keep.
Labels
Sometimes as a new mom it’s hard to remember what someone told you and having a label on everything you give her can help her remember.
Care kit
If your recipient is displaced for some reason bringing them a care kit with snacks, Chapstick, lotion, socks, a book, or even small toys for their children.
Offer childcare
Make your offer as specific as possible. Let them know what days and times you are available and set a date as soon as possible. I can’t tell you how many people have offered to watch my kids but never set a date or time so it didn’t happen.
Having a kid is a lot of work and when you have community it can be so much easier. Do you have any other ideas on how to bless a new mom?
