Hospital or home: when to send flowers to new parents
Before you send anything to the hospital, check its rules. Some units, such as a neonatal intensive care unit, don't allow fresh flowers, and maternity floors can have limits of their own. Timing matters too: after an uncomplicated birth, many families are home within a day or two, a little longer after a C-section, so flowers ordered for the hospital can arrive after they've left. If you do choose the hospital, a compact arrangement is easier for the family to carry home. For many families, new baby flower delivery to the home is the better plan, either a few days after they're settled or a week or two later, when the first wave of visitors has passed and fresh flowers feel like a lift.
Low-scent flowers for a newborn's home
A light fragrance is kinder in a home with a newborn and parents short on sleep. Daisies, alstroemeria and most roses have little scent, carnations usually have only a light one, and carnations and alstroemeria last a long time in the vase. Most of the nine designs here use at least one of them: the Daisy Chain ginger jar holds ten white daisies, Precious pairs carnations with daisies in a glass vase, and Precious with Butterflies mixes roses, daisies, alstroemeria and baby's breath under a small model butterfly. Strongly scented flowers such as lilies are better suited to a large room than a small nursery, and lilies are toxic to cats, so skip them if the family has one. For more designs built around daisies, see our daisy arrangements, and check each one's flowers if you want to avoid lilies.
Colors for a boy, a girl or a surprise
Soft blue for a boy and soft pink for a girl are the traditional picks, and many families still love them. To leave the details to the florist, choose Designer's Choice It's a Boy or It's a Girl. The florist designs in that style with the flowers on hand that day, and both come in nine sizes, from a small hello to a showpiece. If the baby's sex is still a surprise, or the parents prefer to skip pink and blue, go with yellow, white, green or lavender. Samantha, a cube of carnations, roses and lavender daisies, is one option, and Precious with Butterflies is another. You can also compare every Designer's Choice design side by side.
New baby gifts for the parents
Flowers for a new mom can be about her as much as the baby. A partner might send Love Love Love, red roses and baby's breath in a rustic burlap wrap, while a friend might choose Fields of Europe Summer, a bright summer bouquet inspired by the European countryside. A plant asks little of tired parents: an orchid plant can keep blooming for weeks with a little water, and it stays in the house long after the cards come down. Practical help is often the most welcome gift of all, so if you've cooked a meal or can walk the dog, say so in your card.
What to write on a new baby card
Type your message at checkout and it's included on a card with the flowers. Welcome the baby by name if you know it and congratulate everyone in the family: "Welcome to the world, little Nora! We're so happy for all three of you." or "Congratulations, Sam and Jordan. We can't wait to meet him." If the name isn't out yet, "Welcome, little one. Sending love to your growing family" works well, and the same tone suits flowers for a baby shower. Keep it warm and short, leave out advice about sleep or feeding, and sign your full name, since new parents receive many cards in a short time.
