In my experience, whatever you make, leave out ingredients that create gas (onions, broccoli etc.) The littlest babies often don't manage those well.

I usually make some type of pasta, most recently ginger, spinach and cheddar chicken pasta. Equally tasty with or without onions.

My friends have requested my chicken parm when they've had kids. I always bring it split into individual boxes (Gladware or whatever) so that it can be stored easier in the fridge, some could be easily frozen, and mom just needs throw the box into the microwave. I also don't have to worry about getting any dishes back. I will also bring along a box of spaghetti and a bag of salad mix, plus a package of non-newborn diapers. Go for the next size up because the kidlets grow fast and parents might not have bigger sizes yet.

My husband's co-worker's wife brought us homemade soup (with pasta meatballs and lots of veggies), salad, bread with special fancy butter, and brownies while we were still in the hospital! They brought all the disposable plates and flatware so we could enjoy a nice meal of non-hospital food. It was totally unexpected but very much appreciated! They just popped in brought the food and left. When we were home another friend brought us lasanga with meatsauce frozen so we had something to eat easily once the grandparents left and we were on our own.

I brought my friend a fritatta so she could have yummy breakfasts or midnight snacks that were healthy and easy. They freeze well and can be cut into individual portions and stored in a big freezer bag. I make mine with cheese spinach potatoes and whatever else I have around so you can get a lot of good stuff in each bite.

Next friend I will probably bring some of Grandma style chicken soup portioned into individual containers for freezing.

I wanted fruit. I couldn't get enough fruit in those first few weeks, and oatmeal. I think also people generally always think about dinner but not breakfast and lunch. Deli meats and cheeses or regular groceries are sometimes more helpful than a cooked dinner, at least to even out the offerings. I agree to use disposable dishes. It's hard to remember which dish belongs to which friend when you're getting 15 minutes of sleep at a time. As far as meals, one of the best things we got was a dish of cheesy potatoes and pork medallions. I'm not sure exactly how my friend cooked them, but it arrived as sliced potatoes in a cheesy/cream sauce with pan fried pork medallions mixed in, all laid out in an aluminum dish. The only thing missing was a vegetable, but I was stocked up on frozen vegetables by then so I could just steam some broccoli and it was so simple and satisfying. (It didn't seem to affect my baby, but some do have quite a sensitivity to garlic, onions, and broccoli passing through the breastmilk and causing gas in the newborn.)

I was really lucky with our first son to know some fabulous cooks. He was born in June when it was already hot outside and my most memorable meals were a slow-cooked pork butt with black beans and chile topped with sour cream as well as an awesome collection of chilled cucumber soup and various grain and veggie salads that came in leftover yogurt and glass containers.

On the giving end I go for grilled lean proteins with grilled veggie and spring mix salads, fruit salad, and cornbread madelines as a standard. I have recently also done slow-cooked carnitas with corn tortillas, quinoa salad and fruit salad.

As a new mom, I love this post, thanks! As the first commenter mentioned, little babes are very sensitive to food. The most common is dairy. Check with mom first and ask if any foods have been bothering her or the baby.

If it's someone I know will get food from other family and friends I often do breakfast food. A quiche, muffins (which are easy to snack on with one hand) homemade granola and buy some greek yogurt and a fruit salad. Some lighter options always seem to be appreciated by a new mom.

If you want to go the dinner route pulled pork freezes well and is quick to heat up, I've also made chicken noodle soup, meatballs as suggested above, or a cous cous/quinoa salad.

Things that are easy to eat one-handed are much appreciated, as well as things that require no planning or preparation. Somedays I would find myself starving at 6 and realized that lovely casserole took an hour to bake. Oops! And I agree with checking with new mom about dietary needs. Things like onions and broccoli never bothered my kids while I was nursing, but I wouldn't have been able to eat anything with any dairy in it. I also always appreciated a dessert!

Personally I did fine with spicy food, but many new moms do not. Baby often doesn't do well on mom's breastmilk after she has eaten spicy food; I would skip those recipes.
A new mom often doesn't know what's going to bother her, so asking might not work. Just play it safe. (Of course, Dad will always appreciate getting what mom can't eat, and everyone appreciates a thoughtful gesture so don't let not knowing scare you away from bringing some food to your pal!)

I like to bring tomato-based, homemade pasta sauces (with pancetta or sausage, etc. if the friend is a meat eater). They freeze so well and can be ready in as little time as it takes to cook pasta. I've also brought soups like sweet potato chowder (to freeze if they like). I think it's helpful to bring food when the baby is a few weeks old rather than right away since they usually have more help in the beginning, one parent has usually returned to work at this point, and the sleep deprivation will really be starting to set in after the first few weeks.

I think there was a very similar post a couple of years ago, which is where I got an Italian chicken salad recipe that I've taken to new moms since. It's always a hit.

Seconding (or thirding?) One-handed food, fruit, oatmeal, and things that freeze well.
Oatmeal is really good for milk production if the mama is nursing. I like to make oatmeal-heavy healthy-ish muffins the mama can eat with one hand. There was a good recipe for PB&J bites in last months Family Circle that are oatmeal heavy and freeze well.
Fruit--constipation is a common side effect of birthing a baby, fruit helps a lot. My mother in law (who birthed 6 kids) brought me a huge tub of blueberries in the hospital, best gift I ever got!
For dinner-ish food, I like to make burritos. They are one-handed, freeze beautifully, and can easily be customized for specific tastes. My personal favorite burrito recipe is the Addictive sweet potato burrito recipe I found on Allrecipes, and now, I'm craving them, off to buy sweet potatoes!

A very close friend of mine had twins 3 months ago to the day and I made her a big batch of honey granola with cranberries, nuts and seeds. The box was waiting for her when she got home. I think she was very happy with it, especially because she is nursing and she likes a big healthy breakfast.

These all sound so delicious! And generous of people to provide for you!!

I'm wondering how do other people with celiac disease or serious food allergies handle this (if there are any online here)?

As someone with the disease I've had very mixed experiences with friends/family cooking for me. They all mean well and all think they are being careful, but experience has taught me, the very hard way, that it doesn't always work. I do appreciate the generosity and care they put into the dish and am always gracious, but refusing food is awkward. I'd be afraid to risk violent intestinal upset and abdominal pain while recovering from birth. At least my husband will be able to eat everything!

I usually make a shepherd's pie with a lot of vegetables in it. That way, one serving gives vegetables, protein and carbs. Add in a bag of salad and a good loaf of bread and homemade brownies or cookies.

In addition to casseroles and other freezer-friendly meals, I *really* appreciated having homemade snack food on hand since my husband and I found ourselves up at all hours of the night during those first couple months. Homemade muffins, quick breads, and cookies were just the perfect thing to eat to give me the little boost of energy I needed at 3:00 am! (And as any breastfeeding mama will tell you, you are incredibly HUNGRY during those early weeks!) I really appreciated having some lighter food options in addition to all the heavier foods in the freezer. And if you don't feel like baking/cooking, some already washed, cut-up fruit is absolutely fantastic!

You don't BRING things to a new mom, you TAKE things to a new mom.

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/bring-versus-take.aspx

For anyone considering that green chile enchilada recipe: make it! It's delicious. We've made it every late summer when tomatillos are around for a few years now, and just made our annual batch this week. One of those dishes were the meal really does get better as you let it sit!

These are great suggestions! I would definitely check with mom to see what her preferences/dislikes are and get a list of any sensitivities. It's important for a new mom to get some protein so a dish with meat or beans is great, but let's face it, as a new mom, I appreciated any and all food. The Silver Palate Cookbook has a wonderful recipe called Chicken Marbella which tastes wonderful hot or cold and is good for a few days. It's my old stand-by for new mommies. A whole roasted chicken would work too. I like to bring things that can be easily eaten out of the fridge (preferably with one hand, while nursing).

The picture of meatballs making my stomach churn after 2 weeks traveling around Turkey. That's all they eat there - greasy meatballs (kofte).

I love making "new baby boxes". My friend Evelyn got me into it about 12 years ago and I think I enjoy putting together this meal, more than buying the baby gifts. I tend to keep the meal on the meatless side, just because they are probably looking for a break from heavy foods and having to cook too much. I always make a great homemade pasta sauce, either tomato based or a pesto. I make enough to enjoy and enough for their freezer. Then I pack it up with some really good pastas, fixings for a fresh salad (complete with homemade dressing), crusty bread, fresh cheese and a baked goodie such as Barefoot Contessa's brownies or my lemon bars. Then I add a bottle of wine or champagne (if they like bubbles). If there are other children already in the house, then I add a bottle of bubbly cider or grape juice for them as well as a book or puzzle, after all, they are probably feeling a little neglected.

How about a meatball meal set? A big batch of meatballs, frozen in single portion bags. A couple of frozen baguettes, some packaged gnocchi or frozen tortellini, frozen chicken stock with vegetables (Swiss Chard works nicely), goood jarred or homemade frozen tomato sauce, and a package of provolone. A "basket" with all that will allow meatball subs, pasta with meatballs, and soup with meatballs.

The huge batch of meatballs I made when I was due in just a few days was the most useful thing I had in my freezer.

(Warning: for those of you with delicate minds, this comment has an "eww" factor.)

I'm glad someone else said it first: constipation is a very common problem after childbirth, so don't forget the fiber foods.

Comfort foods are well and good, but try to make sure the meal includes sufficient fiber for a new mother. Potato casseroles and pastas and white breads and sweets are well and good in their place, but if the new mother has an episiotomy or hemorrhoids or prolapse or any other similar side effect of pregnancy and childbirth, all the low-fiber foods will make a difficult situation just a little bit worse.

Don't go overboard on the fiber -- for someone who's not used to it in large amounts, it can be hard on the system, but do try to include several fiber-rich foods in a meal.

Some good sources: fruits including berries, oatmeal, popcorn, whole grain breads and muffins, barley, lentils, nuts, and veggies.

Instead of making another sweet, you could make a well-cut veggie tray with dip. There are some colorful and creative ideas here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=veggie+tray&hl=en&prmd=imvnse&tbm=isch

We're due with our first at the end of January and won't have any friends/family around to bring food (they're all out of state) so I'm looking into recipies I can make ahead and freeze, as well as trying to figure out meals/grocery lists I can give my husband when we have no sleep and no ideas. I'm crossing my fingers it won't be too hard for us to fend once the little one is here!

Like others, I wanted fruit, veggie soup, smoothies and easy breakfast things like muffins and bagels.

I think the weather matters too. It was really hot here at the time. I might have wanted more comfort foods and casseroles in the winter.

People want you to know that they put some love and effort into 'making' you something, so we definitely got a lot of casseroles and baked goods first time around. I definitely appreciated and enjoyed them, but, like others, I was CRAVING nothing so much as cut up fruit and vegetables. My husband just wasn't able to run out for the perishables as quickly as we went through them. Produce isn't adorable, but it is so very welcome.

That said, if you are a long-distance friend, a relative sent us a seemingly bottomless bagel basket from Wolferman's (an of-the-month type club) that was a HUGE hit, at all hours, with all members of the household and guests.

Also much appreciated was single-size portions that can be heated, if at all, in the microwave so I didn't have to wake our houseguests up during a middle of the night feeding when I was starving. Minimizing prep is crucial. Even boiling a pot of pasta as someone suggested is too much time commitment when you just want to get back to bed.

And agreeing about the intolerances. I made a banana bread for a friend and was bummed when I dropped it off because she was avoiding dairy and it had butter in it. Her husband and older child ate it, but I was still deflated. Moms also avoid nuts sometimes. And sometimes soy. Either avoid all the usual suspects or ask!

This time around (we're due this week) I've been laying in a lot of fruit, making loads of veg-heavy meatballs and hoping for the best! Then again, I just ate half of my meatballs while reading this post.

Oh, and this may benefit some moms: consider what mom has been giving up for the last 9 months. Has she had gestational diabetes? Has she been avoiding all coffee? I've had wicked heartburn for the last 20 weeks, so all summer I've been avoiding common culprits like tomatoes and eggplant, which has made me super sad. I'm going to be so excited to return to spaghetti sauce and ratatouille - and I just made a big moussaka for the freezer... If you know a heartburn victim, she may appreciate stuff like that! Also sushi. Last time someone brought me sushi in the hospital and it was GRAND.

Things that can be eaten quickly, between feedings, and with one hand, for during feedings. I also recommend a gift card to a grocery delivery service.

These are all amazing recipes that any new mom will appreciate! If you want to send the gift of food because you don't live close to the new mom, check out www.TheMealStork.com! The meals are chef-prepared and can be shipped anywhere in the continental United States.

Based on your link, "take" is probably the most appropriate, but since this is a future situation we are talking about, "bring" could also be okay;

Exceptions: “Bring” and “Take” for Future Events

Further, the simple rules fall apart when you consider an event in the future where nobody has arrived yet. Do you bring rum cake to the school bazaar or do you take rum cake to the school bazaar? It simply depends on where you want to place the emphasis of the sentence—which perspective you want to adopt.

If you want to focus on the school and write from the perspective of the bazaar, you bring the cake to the bazaar.

If you want to focus on your kitchen and write from the perspective of home, then you take the cake to the bazaar (which puts the focus on taking it away from your home).

When you start writing about the future and have to choose between “bring” and “take,” imagine where you are in the scenario, and make your word choice based on that location.

Based on your link, "take" is probably the most appropriate, but since this is a future situation we are talking about, "bring" could also be okay;

Exceptions: “Bring” and “Take” for Future Events

Further, the simple rules fall apart when you consider an event in the future where nobody has arrived yet. Do you bring rum cake to the school bazaar or do you take rum cake to the school bazaar? It simply depends on where you want to place the emphasis of the sentence—which perspective you want to adopt.

If you want to focus on the school and write from the perspective of the bazaar, you bring the cake to the bazaar.

If you want to focus on your kitchen and write from the perspective of home, then you take the cake to the bazaar (which puts the focus on taking it away from your home).

When you start writing about the future and have to choose between “bring” and “take,” imagine where you are in the scenario, and make your word choice based on that location.

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