Some thoughts on gifts for new parents (once you've bought your Good Baby Baby Goods, of course):
- Spa services: Nearby, short ones.
- Think long-term and significant: silver spoon, silver cup; those traditional old-school gifts are still lovely.
- A photo album and a gift card for photo development.
- Donations to charities; plant a tree; put a plaque on a bench.
- Gift cards for books--new parents need lots of books!
- Home-made foods, frozen and delivered once a week for two months.
- Investments that will grow.
- One elegant catered dinner, for a 'date' at home.
- Build a website about this new family, and encourage everyone around them to contribute content.
- Provide services; run errands; clean house; cook--make specific dates & times to do these things, or those polite and exhausted new parents might wave you off.
- Gift certificates, especially for online stuff so they don't have to go anywhere to get things.

Call, and expect to get voice mail. Leave a message letting the new parents know you know they're busy, and you can wait as long as necessary for a call back. Ask if they're taking visitors, and if there's anything you can do to help out in any way at all.

Never arrive or leave the house of a new baby with your hands empty. Bring food for the freezer, fresh fruit, small comforts. Leave with a bag of garbage, some errands to run, or deliveries to do.

Sleep when the baby sleeps! And make sure the baby does sleep: Defying all logic, they can't be trusted to snooze when they're tired.