I have baby fever this afternoon because my sister had a new baby girl a few hours ago! I am so excited, but definitely feeling the vast amounts of space between London and Sydney a lot more than usual.

I usually go crazy in the baby buying department when it comes to new babies, and this time has been no exception. I can’t help myself! I don’t have any kids of my own to spoil so have to set about spoiling all my nieces rotten!

New parents must be absolutely flooded with gifts at the birth of a new child though, and how much of it actually is needed or gets used? Probably very little. If I was at home I’d be able to do things a little differently, as I’d be able to give more useful gifts. Here are some of the things I thought up those new parents might actually appreciate more than another cute onesie with matching hat:

1.       Babysitting – If the new parents have older kids, an offer to take them off their hands for a few hours might be very gladly accepted.

2.       Cleaning – I would save this one for people you know very well, like besties and family, but don’t make a song and dance about it, just send the tired mum to bed for a few hours while you do a few loads of laundry and run the hoover around.

3.       Food in disposable containers – Any food that can be frozen and reheated well, like lasagne, stews, soups, curries will be a nice break from the handful of crackers and cold cup of tea a new mum might get to eat every few hours. Make sure you buy some disposable foil trays to deliver them in though, so they can just chuck them in the bin and not worry about washing and returning them.

4.       Baby clothes in larger sizes – if you must buy clothes, try to avoid the allure of the newborn sizes (however cute they are). As far as I see new parents end up swamped with so many clothes in the smaller sizes that baby hardly has time to wear them all. Buy a few 6 months upwards things instead.

5.       Ask if there’s anything in particular they need – Often new parents won’t know what they need until the baby actually arrives, and so it can be a good idea to wait until they’re home and ask if there’s anything they really want/need so that you can buy them something that will get good use.

6.       Walk the dog – If they have dogs that need walking, offering to take them out for a nice long walk might help ease the chaos in the house for the day. Over energised dogs, tired parents and new babies don’t mix!

7.       Send a card – If you aren’t sure what to give, a nice card with a thoughtful message inside will always be appreciated, especially if you remind them that you’re always there for anything they need now or in the future.

Got any other ideas to share?