The 14 things a new mum REALLY needs

Forget oh-so cute outfits featuring 400 buttons and luxurious bubble bath to enjoy while the baby sleeps (when exactly is that?). Those first few days after birth, a new mum is often sore, tired and shell-shocked (sometimes all three) so rather than add to an already-busting 0-3 months wardrobe, focus on the new mother. If you turn up on her doorstep offering a few of these then you’ll be enjoying cuddles with a newborn before you can say ‘breast pads.’

1. Maternity pads - Let’s cut straight to the glamorous part and save her a(nother) trip to Boots the Chemist.
2. Muslins - She’s probably only bought a pack of six. Try not to laugh as you deliver another dozen to her. You can never have enough muslins. Actual parenting fact.
3. Cake. All the cake - She’s knackered, sore and probably fairly confused. Whether you bake her something from your new Hemsley + Hemsley cookbook, or buy a Colin the Caterpillar, give the woman sugar.
4. A box set. Or six - She’s going to be trapped under a feeding, sleeping, mewling baby for the foreseeable. May as well get mum up to speed on Orange is the New Black.
5. Food -  This woman is HUNGRY. Go armed with a lasagna, or a Domino’s delivery: she won’t care. She’ll be too busy eating – one-handed, obviously.
6. A shower - Not literally. But half an hour to wash her hair in the bathroom on her own is her equivalent of two weeks in the Caribbean at this point.
7. Caffeine - Obviously not enough to wire her infant – that would not be helpful.
8. A rubber ring - It’s not glamorous but she’s uncomfortable and you understand.
9. A pair of marigolds - Cleaning will be right at the bottom of her to do list so a quick bleach of the bathroom, 15 minutes of hoovering or washing the dishes will make you friend of the year.
10. Gossip - Instead of grilling her for gory birth details; how she plans to feed and whether there’s a routine in place, arrive with a few nuggets of gossip so she can sit back, listen and feel a bit like her pre-baby self.
11. Tissues - Her hormones are going haywire; she’s sleep deprived and probably quite overwhelmed. A few tears are inevitable.
12. Groceries - Dull, yes, but also incredibly useful. Arriving with a few items from the supermarket is really helpful when she’s still at the stage where leaving the house with the pram is on a par with a maiden space voyage.
13. Handcream - She’s never washed her hands this much before.
14. Reassurance - Everything is new and she’s worried she’s doing it all wrong. Give her a hug, tell her she’d doing brilliantly, and that no one knows her baby better than her.

Do you have anything to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.