We’ve been kicking around the Never Leave Home Again (Unless You Really Want To) Guide for New Parents for a long time now. Over on our local site, we call it the Home Delivery Guide and go deep into everyone who will bring me a hot dinner on a given weeknight.
Be we can go bigger than that!
Disclaimer: yes, rookie moms should leave the house every day for fun and adventure. But that doesn’t mean you have to run all your own damn errands, right?
Nom Nom, time to eat again
Seriously, three meals every day? And snacks?! I can’t tell you exactly why prepping food becomes more than twice as hard, but it does.
Meal prep:
Blue Apron is a joy for date night or for the parents of one small (barely on solids) baby who wish they had the creativity to plan unusual meals and the wherewithal to shop for them. I tried them for my family of five before they started family-size boxes. I found it way too complicated for the every day.
Similar service is offered by HelloFresh, Gobble, and Plated. If you like this type of service, you should definitely try them all to see which meal style best suits your family. Many offer free or deep discounts for the first box. Plated aims for 30 minutes or less from box to dinnertime while Gobble thinks you can put their dinners together in ten minutes. This I gotta try!
Freshly goes one step beyond the assembly kits and offers chef prepared meals delivered to your door. They claim to be very fresh and healthy but I found the dishes lacking in yummyness.
Restaurant Delivery:
Don’t want to put your meal together from a kit? I feel you. There are so many services who will place your order, pick up the food, and drive it to your house, I can’t see why you and your baby would ever have to brave winter to pick up Thai food again. Seriously, check out TryCaviar, GrubHub, DoorDash, PostMates, or Eat24. Look for weekly coupons in email.
Clothes without the shopping
Stitch Fix is my go-to stylist within the internet. Each month — or less often if I prefer — a personal shopper attempts to match my size, shape, style, and clothing needs with her massive inventory using sophisticated algorithms and a dash of pinterest. I have had the best luck with dresses because the outfit is instantly DONE. The possibility of the next perfect fix keeps me going back for more, I’ve been a customer for about 18 months now.
Eyeglasses are not strictly fashion but they are also not meatballs, so I’m including them here. Whitney had a great experience with Warby Parker for trying, choosing, and buying new glasses. That said, she did have to leave the house for her optometry appointment. There’s no app for that yet.
Don’t forget Amazon! Whitney has heard me say, is my favorite pants store. I have purchased many good and terrible items of clothing. So, if you want to round out your fixes in nearly-real-time, check out the wide array of choices on the world’s largest book store.
When I do a search on the app, I always like to filter by prime and then the best reviewed product to save me time. Then I can sort by price or whatever. Generally speaking, Prime purchases are returnable and refundable up to about a month, which is great because they’re not all winners.
- Try Stitch Fix for a month or two >
- Buy your nursing bras and yoga pants from Amazon >
- Update your eyeglasses with Warby Parker >
Massage
Zeel offers same-day in-home massages. Is there a better way to spend naptime? I tried a similar service and loved it! It wasn’t at all creepy to have a stranger set up a massage table in front of my TV so I could get naked for a rub-down; instead, it was a delight. Mostly on the East Coast, there are now massage therapists out near us.
A little bit of everything
Both PostMates and Google Express will go to countless big box and neighborhood stores to run your errands for you. Event Costco. And yet another gang of people who will order your carry-out food and bring it to you. Check their sites to see if you’re metro area is on their ever-expanding list yet.
TaskRabbit has stepped is also in the delivery game, but they also will come over to do all the other stuff you don’t want to do because you’re holding a baby: cleaning, handyman, packing + moving, or catering your party.
- Google Express is offering a FREE 3 month trial, which is totally worth doing for the winter! Otherwise, service is a subscription.
- PostMates charges a bit per delivery. No membership required. Just roll over and think about Chicken Tikka Masala and some toothpaste, click your app, and BOOM.
- TaskRabbit matches you with a “rabbit” who will do your job and you agree on a payment within some recommended limits.
Now that you don’t need to run to the store for toilet paper and nipple cream, go out and have fun with your baby!
Some affiliate links are included above, but mostly we want you to be happy and have fun during the first years of motherhood! All opinions are mine and sometimes Whitney’s.
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